Canadian Interiors January February 2018 by IQ Business Media

CDN $6.95 JANUARY FEBRUARY 2018

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01/022018 Features

32 Back To Nature A one-storey, serpentine cottage seamlessly inserts itself into its lakeside setting. By Leslie C. Smith

36 Birdhouse Cottage YH2 Architecture’s La Colombière, French for dove-

cote, is as simple as a birdhouse, but as intricately fitted as origami. By Martha Uniacke Breen

Hidden Gem Montréal’s La Géode sets the tone for reimagined urban living. By Leslie C. Smith

42 Modern, Modernized How to makeover a landmark 1970s house for a 21st century family, while respecting its original aesthetic. By Martha Uniacke Breen

Regulars

12 CAUGHT OUR EYE 14 SEEN Highlights and insights from Host in Milan; Cersaie in Bologna; and Maison + Objet in Paris. 28 THE GOODS From ergonomic bathtubs to Wi-Fi connected showers, the washroom is quickly becoming the most favoured room in the house. 44 SCENE 46 OVER & OUT Tracy Pepe teaches architects and designers to follow their noses. COVER – An imposing piece of hickory wood furniture dominates the entrance of a Lac Grenier cottage near Estérel, Québec, leading towards a large cantilevered living space with a view of the stream and lake. Photo by Adrien Williams

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Next time in

IIDEXCanada 2017

We round up some of the coolest finds at what has been announced is the last IIDEXCanada.

Kishti on Meads This luxury two-villa enclave on fashionable Meads Bay Beach on the island of Anguilla is designed by Taylor Smyth Architects and Cecconi Simone.

McCann Canada The renowned marketing agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new 60,000-sq.-ft. open plan office by Bartlett & Associates creates an iconic first impression.

Business As [Un]usual II By IV DESIGN discusses the strategy and bravery involved in entering the U.K. market.

The Crane Resort How a Canadian owner/ developer brings a Canadian feel to a master-planned luxury resort project in Barbados.

Pick up the next issue of

1/2 2018 CANADIAN INTERIORS

January| February 2018 / V55 #1

Senior Publisher

Martin Spreer

416-441-2085 x108 Editor

Peter Sobchak Art Director

Roy Gaiot

Assistant Editor

Associate Editors

David Lasker, Rhys Phillips, Leslie C. Smith Contributors

Martha Uniacke Breen, Shannon Moore Customer Service / Production

Laura Moffatt

416-441-2085 x104 Circulation Manager

circulation@canadianinteriors.com President of iQ Business Media Inc.

Alex Papanou

Canadian Interiors magazine is published by iQ Business Media Inc. 101 Duncan Mill Road, Suite 302 Toronto ON M3B 1Z3 Telephone 416-441-2085 e-mail: info@canadianinteriors.com website: www.canadianinteriors.com

Canadian Interiors publishes six issues, plus a source guide, per year. Printed in Canada. The content of this publication is the property of Canadian Interiors and cannot be reproduced without permission from the publisher.

Subscription rates > Canada $38.95 per year (plus taxes) U.S.A. $71.95 US per year, Overseas $98.95 US per year.

Back issues > Back copies are available for $10 for delivery in Canada, $15 US for delivery in U.S.A. and $20 overseas. Please send payment to: Canadian Interiors, 101 Duncan Mill Road, Suite 302 Toronto ON M3B 1Z3 or order online www.canadianinteriors.com For subscription and back issues inquiries please call 416-441-2085 x104 e-mail: circulation@canadianinteriors.com, or go to our website at: www.canadianinteriors.com Canadian Interiors is indexed in the Canadian Magazine Index by Micromedia ProQuest Company, Toronto (www.micromedia.com) and National Archive Publishing Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan (www.napubco.com).

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inside

The Only Constant Things change. We all know that. Sometime for the better, sometimes for the worse, sometimes for both at the same time: it can be hard to discern which at first. Let me give you two very recent examples. First, Toronto appeared on a list created by CNN called “Seven design-savvy cities to watch in 2018” (and based on the website itself, the top of said list). According to them, “When Google’s parent company Alphabet announced in October that its urban innovation unit Sidewalk Labs will develop a 12-acre site in the city into a new, hightech district ‘from the internet up’ using data and sensors, Toronto became one of the most talked about cities in the world overnight and will arguably be the one to watch in 2018.” CNN went on to cite the recent unveiling of the Royal Ontario Museum’s restored Weston Entrance by Hariri Pontarini Architects to its Italianate Neo-Romanesque grandeur (very nice), but also goofy things like Meghan Markle’s Toronto home and “hip-hop and basketball,” the latter two probably a nod to Drake’s brand new Pick 6 restaurant, the soft-launch of which included a LeBron James-hosted celeb-infused birthday party for best bud Dwayne Wade. Goofy web lists notwithstanding, their point is accurate: Toronto’s metamorphosis into an international design capital is happening at breakneck speed, and some are not sure if Canadian design professionals are getting out in front of it, being caught up in it, or being left behind. Effects of the second change may take a little longer for the design community to evaluate. On Wednesday, November 29, during the first day of IIDEXCanada, it was announced that parent company Informa will transform The Buildings Show and Interior Design Show by cleaving IIDEX (the contract furniture component) from the former and adhering it to the latter, under the moniker IDS Contract, effective January 2019. “Incorporating IIDEX into IDS Toronto will create a monumental, all-inclusive design show that will better serve our customers and will be an important resource for the greater design community,” says Tracy Bowie, VP of IIDEX Canada. There is certain logic to Informa’s decision: IIDEX seemed to have, of late, lost its way to some degree. Certain parts are still good (like the ongoing Woodshop exhibit), others not so much (what happened to all the contract furniture?), so maybe this move and partnering will inject the show with much-needed new blood. Time will tell, but remember when IIDEX was moved from its September slot and conjoined with The Buildings Show in December? Mixed reactions, and arguably mixed outcomes. Let’s hope with this new timeslot and a new name comes a conscientious approach to planning and curating that both taps into and helps foster the exploding possibilities within our design industries.

Peter Sobchak

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psobchak@canadianinteriors.com

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Behind the Veil As part of a reconstruction of the Paris department store Printemps, UUfie together with Yabu Pushelberg created a new space that stretches vertically up to the 9th floor. The “veil,” weighing 24 tons but appearing to float in front of the vertical circulation with a glass floor and mirror ceiling, consists of white-painted aluminum panels perforated with 17,200 petal-shaped openings that reveal a layer of Dichroic glass, as a homage to the store’s historic stained glass domes.

Photo by Michel Denance

caught our eye

www.uufie.com

CANADIAN INTERIORS 1/2 2018

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Set Sail! Fabricwood, an installation for the Herman Miller furniture store Xtra in Singapore, was named World Interior of the Year for 2017. The project, conceived by Produce.Workshop, is a 20-m. x 7-m. sail made of lightweight plywood that stretches across the space like a terse fabric. Propped up by a series of arches that frame the entrances and connect the store to the street, the plywood was shaped using a traditional tailoring technique called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;darting.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; www.insidefestival.com

Western Winners A co-creation of PIDIM (Manitoba), IDAS (Saskatchewan), and IDA (Alberta), the first MASI Design Awards were handed out last October to talented firms and independent interior designers from the three provinces. Luminary Design won Gold in the Residential category for a private, upscale home that the clients wanted to be very open with a high level of warmth, seclusion and privacy, but also be flexible to entertain up to 60 people on the main floor. To see the full list of winners, visit www.canadianinteriors.com

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Kabuki | Kartell Outdoor and suspension versions have joined the Kabuki floor lamp line, designed by Ferruccio Laviani. Made using a sophisticated injection technology, the product family retains its peculiar woven structure inspired by lace, creating a perforated surface from which light is diffused. www.kartell.it

Bibo | Alessi Valerio Sommella took a close look at the breakfast experience in bars and hotel buffets and came back with Bibo, a set composed of a napkin holder and container for tea bags or sugar sachets. Its clean, linear shape and bright steel add a spot of brightness and functionality to the morning routine. www.alessi.com

Alba Truffle Slicer | Alessi This elite utensil, used in kitchens as far back as the 1700s, gets a futuristic reimagining by Ben van Berkel of UN Studio. The twisted steel evokes the intertwining roots of the trees where truffles grow, while the curved profile emphasizes the ergonomics of the grip, which optimizes the distribution of the various weights to produce the perfect slice. The 18° angle between the grip and the blade reduces pressure on the wrist when using the slicer. www.alessi.com

Be Our Guest By Peter Sobchak

Giravolta | Pedrali Designed by Basaglia Rota Nodari, this outdoor lamp’s name reflects its essence: the swiveling diffuser and the rechargeable feature recall inventor Alessandro Volta and his main discovery, the battery. The main elements here are two plastic discs; a base and a LED diffuser which rotates 360 degrees to direct the light; a handle arc made of extruded aluminum; and a micro USB device for recharge. www.pedrali.it

Our first visit to HostMilano happened to be on the 40th edition of this Italian exhibition representing all things hospitality, and it was incredible just how massive and comprehensive it is. Multiple sectors connected to the hospitality industry were represented, occupying almost the entire fairgrounds, including the coffee industry; food equipment; the ice cream-pastry sector; décor and tableware. Needless to say, Italians know how to put out a good spread. CANADIAN INTERIORS 1/2 2018

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Couture | Lorenza Bozzoli Milan-based Bozzoli’s work is almost always whimsical and refreshing to begin with: a mix of opulence, Twenties vintage and exotic embellishments. But what makes this stool collection even more impressive is that the fringes are woven on 18th-century looms, for added exquisiteness. www.lorenzabozzoli.com

Noun | Bugatti Leave it to the Italians to figure out a way to make even toasting bread look cool. This see-through appliance makes more than just toast, of course: it uses two high-resistance heating elements made of transparent ceramic glass, integrated with a special semiconductor. Cooking occurs in direct contact, through far-infrared rays (FIR), and can reach 300°C in just 80 seconds. While not made by the high-end car company, the specs sure make it sound that way. www.casabugatti.com

Vera | Bugatti Sure, most hotel rooms have kettles. But how many have kettles that look like they came off the Starship Enterprise? A mix of design and innovation with a nod to the future, Vera is equipped with special temperature control settings integrated into the handle, giving you more options than simply “boil.” www.casabugatti.com

Piuma | Kartell It might not look like much at first glance, but the Piuma armchair by Piero Lissoni is the result of years of intense research to figure out a way to blend a complex thermoplastic polymer with carbon fibre. This mix allows the chair to be very slender, have exceptional mechanical rigidity and extraordinary lightness (barely 2.2 kg). Their efforts reaped them a Red Dot Best of the Best 2017 award. www.kartell.it

Leva X | La Marzocco You don’t see lever-based espresso machines much anymore, and when one is designed to look like it was carved out of the bowels of a battleship, it of course demands attention. Effort was put into functionality as well: temperature stability issues common to traditional lever machine are improved thanks to PID temperature control; digital displays show real time extraction pressure on the coffee puck, the pre-infusion and extraction time as well as the pressure curve of the shot. But honestly, it’s the levers we love. www.lamarzocco.com

Spring Collection | Tina Frey Designs Moving tableware away from the boring templates we all know can be tricky. But Tina Frey’s collections stand out thanks to a remarkable simplicity and sensuality in form and material. The pieces are hand sculpted by Frey in San Francisco, and then replicated using food safe, BPA-free and lead-free resin. The Modern Tableware Collection’s spring 2018 season emulates the curves of nature with fluid lines and organic contours. www.tinafreydesigns.com

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Ceramic Eye Candy

Italian suppliers still dominate Cersaie, the world’s largest tradeshow for ceramic tile, bathroom fixtures and related furnishings, though they rest warily on their laurels in this competitive global industry. By David Lasker

Gem Geode For Bisazza, Brazilian design-star brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana honour the gemological bounty of Minas Gerais, a northeastern inland state with the world’s greatest variety of precious and semi-precious stones, including diamond, emerald, amethyst, aquamarine and topaz. Brazilian Agata, from Bisazza’s Cementiles collection of hand-made tiles using high-strength cement blended with coloured oxides, evokes the tinted spiraling bands of an agate geode. The eight-inch-square geode motif repeats within the pattern of the tile. www.bisazza.com

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Origami Influence The Japanese art of paper folding influenced Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran of Milan-based Dimore Studio in their design of Corrispondenza, a kaleidoscope of seven related, angular-patterned glazed-porcelain stoneware tiles for Ceramica Bardelli for wall or floor. Each eight-inch-square tile is hand-painted in soft pastel tones that vary depending on whether the area of the pattern is raised or flat, which enhances the tile’s tactile appeal.

Preppy Pattern Ceramica Vogue’s new Graph glazed-porcelain stoneware series has a subtle texture evoking Oxford-cloth shirting fabric in a diminutive Glen plaid. Tiny dots bestow anti-slip safety properties when the tile is used as flooring, while maintaining ease of cleaning. Just as that preppy button-down shirt acts as the background to a more attention-grabbing tie, so too the small, square (10 or 20 square inches) Graph is intended for use as an infill, rather than feature, tile in a space. www.ceramicavogue.com

www.ceramicabardelli.com

Faux 3D Casalgrande Padana’s Shades collection, designed by Marco Piva, experiments with colour layering, saturation and contrast to create a sense of depth and volume. The optical illusion of a parallelogram playfully erupting out of the flat surface of the ceramic tile subtly adds interest to the wall or floor.

Sandwich Panels Sicis, said company president Amy Tanenbaum, is “the only manufacturer making their own material. Everybody else outsources theirs. We have 160 mosaic artists in our factory. We still make everything by hand. Our hands are better and faster than any machine.” While respecting tradition, Sicis also innovates, as in the new large-format (120 by 54 inches) panels in their Vetrite collection that sandwich fabric textile and textured polymer film between two sheets of clear glass. The panels can be used to clad walls, furniture and counter tops, and as slip-resistant flooring. www.sicis.com

www.casalgrandepadana.com

CANADIAN INTERIORS 1/2 2018

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Extraordinary Size Once upon a time “large tile” signified 12 by 24 inches. Now, it’s a head-turning, ooh-and-ah-inspiring supersized 63 by 126 inches, and just 0.2 inches thick, in Ava’s aptly named Extraordinary Size collection of porcelain slabs (apparently, by that size, they’re no longer tiles). “The problem was that these big tiles were cracking because they were so thin. They’re making them thicker,” explained Tile Magazine managing editor Heather Fiore in an interview at the show. “Now it’s about customer education because if they’re not installed correctly, they’ll break.” www.avaceramica.it

New Blu In 1960, architect Gio Ponti created 33 patterns in blue and white for ceramic tile installations indoors and out at the Hotel Parco dei Principi, sited on a cliff overlooking the Bay of Naples. As TripAdvisor states, the patterns “reflect the colours of the sea and sky of Sorrento: moons, circles, triangles, stars and leaves [and] are also used to tell a different story in every room.” Ceramica Francesco De Maio has dressed the historic Blu Ponti collection in five new colourways—green, yellow, black, red and light blue—that can be freely mixed and matched. www.francescodemaio.com It’s A Wash Porcelain tile resembling concrete, brick or wood isn’t new, but at Cersaie this year it was back with an industrial-wash look evoking the rough, even grimy, patina on the surface of the materials as they would appear in an old factory building. In Sant’Agostino’s Colorart collection of digital-printed tiles, the faux materials look warm rather than hard-edged and Brutalist, a nice fit for residential interiors as well as commercial spaces like restaurants and retail stores. www.ceramicasantagostino.it

Wavy Edges Ceramic tiles keep to the straight and narrow in the literal sense that 99 per cent of them have straight edges. So, at Cersaie, the wavy-edged faux-wood tiles in Edilcuoghi’s Mirai collection of full-body coloured porcelain stoneware made quite the conspicuous exception. They’re part of a suite of six pieces that includes the customary rectangular tiles. www.edilcuoghi.it

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Washbasin à la Japonais Scavolini, the Italian manufacturer of high-end modular kitchens, has recently emerged as a player in bathroom furnishings. “Qi,” the Japanese term for “container” and “wood,” is also the name for one of Scavolini’s new kitchen-andbathroom collections. What might appear at first glance to be a tall waste basket is a minimalist Japanese container, vertically stretched to create a tall washbasin with a tall lip that conceals the taps.

Niche Product Casalgrande Padana’s booth boasted one of the quirkier Cersaie finds: the Earth ceramic tile collection, with walls broken up with compartments for display or book shelves. The designer is Pininfarina, a Turin-based design studio founded in 1930 and beloved for creating iconic Fifties automobiles for Italy’s Alfa Romeo and Lancia, and America’s Nash Ambassador. www.casalgrandepadana.com

www.scavolini.com

Naughty but Nice Sure to be a conversation piece, the Groove urinal from Kerasan’s Artword collection was the show’s bad-boy item, inviting all forms of locker-room puns, jokes and limericks. But seriously, folks, it has the advantage of water conservation, too! Flushing uses only 2-6 litres of water (depending on the home’s water pressure), compared to the 13-18 litre flush of a regular toilet. www.kerasan.it

CANADIAN INTERIORS 1/2 2018

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Torso | Design House Stockholm The Swedishmade Torso chair flitters on the border between fashion and design. Designed by Lisa Hilland, it is inspired by the traditional Hunting Chair and dressed in woven leather upholstery that comes in three different shades. www.designhousestockholm.com

60’ | Mr. North New to Maison & Objet, the Portuguese outfit Mr. North has an obvious love for wood, expressed with strong minimalist tendencies, as evidenced by the light and curvy 60’ Armchair, designed by Studio Sagitair, which mixes Scandinavian material inspiration with an Italian sensuality reminiscent of late 1960s. www.mrnorth.pt

Alps | Lyon Béton This French studio specializes in concrete furniture and accessories that are somehow both robust and lighthearted. Their Alps concrete and steel table, for example, is surprisingly brutalist and elegant, using a base geometry that plays with depth and perspective to create an almost optical illusion. The concrete plate itself is a technical feat: achieved using fiber-reinforced Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC), it measures two metres long but only 30 millimetres thick. www.lyon-beton.com

Ram | Design House Stockholm Designed by Färg & Blanche, the Ram was inspired by a backpack which the pair found on a trip to Italy and whose textile top could be rolled up and fastened with a buckle. This evolved into an armchair with four leather buckles extending from the seat and over the armrests, exuding a relaxed demeanor. www.designhousestockholm.com

PK80 | Fritz Hansen 2017 marked the 60th anniversary of one of the most iconic furniture designs from the mid-century Danish Modern furniture period, the PK80 Daybed, designed by Poul Kjærholm. Frtiz Hansen’s newly-launched special-edition model comes upholstered in rich brown Royal Nubuck leather. www.fritzhansen.com

Aisle Treasures

Maison & Objet continues to deliver as a hub for home furnishings and décor inspirations. Compiled by Peter Sobchak

CANADIAN INTERIORS 1/2 2018

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Atelier Bingo vase | Octaevo Barcelona outfit Octaevo tapped French illustration studio Atelier Bingo to design an exclusive series of dramatic prints, which they did by drawing inspiration from Italian volcanoes. The prints are used on several limited-edition lines of home accessories including a whimsically dynamic set of colourful paper vases. www.octaevo.com

Lazta | Brabbu A pyramid of stones, known as Latza, found on the shore of Lake Baikal in southern Siberia was the inspiration for this table series, and features a top in walnut root veneer with a matte varnish and details in matte hammered brushed aged brass.

Matrix | One+Eleven Exhibiting at the show for the first time, Berlin-based One+Eleven (or 1+11, they used both versions on their literature) attracted a lot of oglers with furniture pieces such as the Hiro multifunctional console or the Matrix chair (shown), which appear more at home in a modern art gallery where “functionality” is of secondary concern. www.oneeleven.eu

www.brabbu.com

Cross | EMU Among EMU’s novelties at the show was the re-launch of the Cross collection, designed by Rodolfo Dordoni. The new collection keeps the soft lines and formal rigidity of the original, but interprets them through a combination of different materials. A tubular steel structure is matched with die-cast aluminium legs, and a seat and backrest of woven polyester cords is a homage to the craft tradition of basketweaving.

Mooon | Fermob Building on the launch of Balad two years ago, Fermob’s next addition to the outdoor lighting range is the Mooon. Taking design cues from 19th century street lights, the lamp comes with an aluminum stand available in three colours: Storm grey, Nutmeg and Capucine. www.fermob.com

www.emu.it

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From the world’s oldest champagne producers and fashion houses to hip and futuristic concept stores and startups, “collaboration and community” formed the spirit of this edition of Design Miami. Kelly Cray and Neil Jonsohn of Toronto interior architecture and design firm U31 were in attendance, and share their highlights of the 13th annual showcase.

Come By Diane Chan

New Spring | Studio Swine x COS Beneath the double-height ceilings of historic art deco Temple House, Studio Swine — comprising Japanese architect Azusa Murakami and British artist Alexander Groves — in partnership with minimalist Swedish clothing brand COS, erected an all-white, tree-like structure that emitted mist-filled blossoms, bursting and evaporating upon contact with skin, but ‘living’ momentarily when met with textured fabrics (gloves were provided to visitors upon entry). On the rooftop, the design studio created an inflatable cloud-shaped sculpture that floated in the pool of a partiallyshaded terrace, complete with patio furniture for lounging. Originally presented at iSalone in Milan earlier this year, the tubular bubble-blowing machine was adapted for Miami by scenting the mist to result in bursts of fragrance referencing the Florida Everglades.

CANADIAN INTERIORS 1/2 2018

What began in Basel, Switzerland in the 1970s as an art fair hosted by three gallerists has become the place to be — and be seen — each December in Miami. Since 2005, designers, architects, celebrities, and fashionistas have been flocking south to Design Miami held at the Miami Beach Convention Center and various satellite locations across the city and its beaches. Younger sibling to Art Basel, the week-long design event hosts top product designers and studios from around the world alongside their latest and most innovative wares; these days, often coupled with technology. Despite the main venue’s ongoing $615-million renovation (unveiling in 2018) and a surprise end-of-summer bash (otherwise known as Hurricane Irma), the show went on with 34 exhibitors from nine countries exhibiting to thousands of event-goers (over 38,000 visits total). Attendees included the likes of Konstantin Grcic (Design Miami’s 2010 Designer of the Year), Norman Foster, Humberto Campana, Rafael de Cárdenas, and Leonardo DiCaprio — the actor’s foundation is collaborating with artists to raise awareness around climate change.

Welcome | Chiara Andreatti x Fendi ‘Good living’ was the optimistic theme of Fendi’s tenth exhibit for Design Miami. Devised by Milan designer Chiara Andreatti — who has collaborated with the likes of Boffi, Glas Italia, and CC Tapis — the luxurious yet low-key living space paid homage to the Italian fashion house’s most iconic patterns and materials like Cuoio Romano leather, the Selleria stitch, or the black and tobacco-striped sofa that recalled the brand’s 1970s shopper. Mixed with earthier pieces such as bamboo coffee tables echoing the slanted lines of Fendi forms and woven raw hemp-backed thrones that harkened back to primeval times, the result was a welcoming rustic environment punctuated by refined elements, and vice versa.

Together A Wild Thing | Muller Van Severen x Airbnb Belgian artists Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen offered the ‘home away from home’ experience by exporting their living room in Ghent to the show floor of Miami’s convention centre. A contrast of high design and sentimental keepsakes, the installation — commissioned by hospitality platform Airbnb — featured interactive lightboxes with recorded scenes from the couple’s living room windows plus ambient sounds of the fireplace and the family dinner table. A painting by Van Severen’s grandfather (artist Dan Van Severen) and a chair made by the couple’s daughter, intermingled with sculptures, artwork, and books, transported guests to the Belgium home for a highlyimmersive environment. For the complete experience, the house is available for temporary stays via Airbnb.

1/2 2018 CANADIAN INTERIORS

Diamond Screen | Marcel Wanders x Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton returned to the fair with its ever-expanding and limited-edition Objets Nomades (a.k.a ‘Art of Travel’) collection that included collaborations with star designers Marcel Wanders, the Campana Brothers, Atelier Oï, Patricia Urquiola, India Mahdavi, and Nendo. Wanders, inspired by the 163-year-old French fashion house’s classic monogram pattern and the canework once used in its steamer trunks, created an intricate, semi-transparent leather screen — available in any size — that can be suspended across its metal frame or hung from a ceiling. Each part is connected to its neighbour via brass clasps, similar to those found on Louis Vuitton bags.

Art Nouveau | Luftwerk x Maison Perrier-Jouët Thanks to a collaboration with Perrier-Jouët, designers Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero of Luftwerk could be found at three different locations across the city, including Miami International Airport. The Chicago-based studio — invited to tap the storied champagne house’s Art Nouveau bottle artwork to inspire a contemporary installation — went digital with changing coloured lights projected onto intricate and fanciful floral patterns printed across fabric walls and floors, flooding the room in a different jewel tone every few seconds. The eye-catching exhibit, with its seemingly kinetic tapestries, was a selfie hotspot at this year’s show.

CANADIAN INTERIORS 1/2 2018

seen

Nuage | Bouroullec Brothers Showgoers who headed for the Design District to visit the Institute of Contemporary Art’s shiny new home or to simply peruse the high-end shops likely would have encountered a curious yet familiar intervention along the Paseo Ponti walkway. The Bouroullecs’ organic pergola — which takes its shape from their Vitra vase ‘Nuage’ (meaning ‘cloud’) — is composed of stainless steel and coloured glass that casts blue and green shadows along the path like the stained-glass windows of a cathedral. Measuring 100 metres in length, the permanent shelter invites visitors to relax and reflect, and forms part of a larger landscaping plan incorporating plants, ponds, and concrete seating.

With over three decades of interior design industry experience and proven accomplishments, U31 focuses on diverse commercial, residential and hospitality design for clients across the globe, including luxury home and large-scale mixed-use development projects. www.u31.co

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the goods

Kohler | Memoirs Collection Launched in 1997, Kohler’s Memoirs Collection has long been prized for its simplicity. The collection – featuring faucets, showers, bidets, cabinetry, sinks, toilets and accessories – still stands the test of time 21 years later. Combining clean, crisp edges with rounded details, the Memoirs Collection perfectly echoes the stylized lines of historically renowned furniture and architectural design. www.ca.kohler.com

Kohler | Sartorial Collection Paying tribute to the refined elegance of 19th century European Paisley and Herringbone patterns, Kohler’s Sartorial Collection sinks are at once timeless and tactile. The geometric Herringbone motif of dots and dashes adds texture and structure, while the Indian teardrop Paisley pattern plays on femininity and flair. The vitreous china and fireclay sinks are available in round or rectangular options. www.ca.kohler.com

By Shannon Moore

Rub-a-dub-dub

From ergonomic bathtubs to Wi-Fi connected showers, the washroom is quickly becoming the most favoured room in the house. These products make the morning routine a little more bearable, and the lavatory a lot more stylish. CANADIAN INTERIORS 1/2 2018

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Co.Studio | Andrew Winner of a 2017 European Product Design Award, Co.Studio’s Andrew faucet aims to capture the essence of water through its pure and minimalist form. Available in brass, chrome, nickel and bronze with optional matte and colour finishes, the faucets and taps are perfectly simple and stripped down, adding style to any bathroom in wall-mounted or surface form.

Valdama | Cameo Collection Designed by Prospero Rasulo for Valdama, the Cameo washbasin collection plays on simple forms of geometry in an effort to create familiar yet impactful volumes. The wall or console-mounted sinks are made of fine fireclay, and are characterized primarily by their raised, slim perimeter rim. Best of all: the overflow outlets have been integrated into the rear of each washbasin, hiding them from view.

www.costudio.be

www.valdama.it

Salvatori + Fantini | Fontane Bianche Designed by Elisa Ossino and marking Fantini’s first collaboration with Salvatori, the Fontane Bianche collection stylishly fuses the passions of each company: water and stone. The collection features washbasins and faucets inspired by the geometry of the circle and square, reimagined in a contemporary context. The washbasins are available in marble and stone, with the faucets offered in a unique matte gunmetal finish. www.fantiniusa.com

Wetstyle | IMAGE-in motifs Purposefully breaking away from the modern minimalist trend, Wetstyle’s new IMAGE-in motifs opt for patterns and texture instead. This collection of four tone-on-tone motifs can be applied directly to a bathtub’s exterior surface, turning an often understated fixture into the focal point of the room. From the illusion of a wave to the expressive rhythm of calligraphy, these adhesive motifs are at once fun and forward-thinking in the vein of bathroom design. www.wetstyle.ca

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the goods

Samsung | FlexWash Featuring two separately controlled washing machines, Samsung’s FlexWash System allows you to wash different types or colours of laundry at the same time. Likewise, the System contains a large capacity dryer and standstill top load dryer, intended for delicate garments to be laid flat. The result: four units with endless possibilities. www.samsung.com

Moen Canada | U by Moen U by Moen is the first Wi-Fi connected, app-driven digital shower system that allows users full mobile connectivity, control and customization. Using their smartphones, users can turn on their shower, set the temperature and be notified when the water is ready. The system also contains an in-shower LCD screen with messaging and notifications, as well as the ability to save pre-sets for easy repeat use. www.moen.ca

Drummonds | Wandle Tub Drummonds’ Wandle Tub by Martin Brudnizki sets the stage for soaking. Ergonomically designed around the human form, the cast iron tub slopes to comfortably accommodate a bather’s shoulders. Using a traditional sandcasting technique, the tub is available in leg or skirt form, as well as painted, primed or polished finishes. www.drummonds-uk.com

Arbi Arredobagno | Today Designed by Meneghello e Paolelli for Arbi Arredobagno, the Today washbasin was inspired by the concepts of life, beauty and democracy. The wide bowl juxtaposes the lightness of its edges, while its slight curve expresses movement and rhythm. The washbasin won a Red Dot 2017: Best of the Best Award. www.arbiarredobagno.it

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By Leslie C. Smith Photography by Adrien Williams

Back to

A one-storey, serpentine cottage seamlessly inserts itself into its lakeside setting.

The house on Lac Grenier, due north of Montréal, was conceived (as all good Canadian cottages should be) as literally a natural extension of the landscape. Situated 15 metres from the lake’s shoreline, isolated from its neighbours and screened by native growth, the structure is surrounded by forest and backed by a meandering stream. Montréal architect Paul Bernier took his cues from this stream, conceiving a mostly one-storey, serpentine abode that carves its own path through the site. His nature-loving clients, a pre-retirement couple looking for a weekend retreat that eventually would become their full-time home, fully approved of this approach, and of the decision to cut down as few trees as possible. The slope of the land and the positioning of the restricted lake view also dictated the building’s elongated shape. CANADIAN INTERIORS 1/2 2018

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The owners had possession of the large land parcel for 15 years before commissioning the cottage. For them, time was not the deciding factor – getting it right was. Bernier was thus accorded the luxury of two years to study the site, go through the preliminary drafting, hire “a great contractor” and oversee the build. The clients, he says, were “extremely pleased with the results.”

These results comprise a house built palisade-style out of varying widths and thicknesses of semi-permeable cedar siding. The boards’ open-work conceals the necessary functionality of weatherproofing, flashings and drip edges, presenting the viewer with a clean, unfussy appearance. Better yet, “architecture and nature will intermingle,”

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This spread: The Lac Grenier cottage near Estérel, Québec, snakes across its site, like a stream cutting through the forest. Its cantilevered porch is trapezium shaped, widening to present the best view of the lake. Weatherproofing, flashings and drip edges are all concealed behind a palisade of cedar siding. Even the house’s front door remains hidden from sight. A sculptural storage unit in hickory wood screens the home’s private spaces, and beckons visitors towards a companion-piece kitchen island and living room wall unit. Spare furnishings, minimal detailing and a neutral colour scheme allow the eye to focus on the great outdoors through generous glazed windows and walls of the living area and porch beyond.

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Left: Upstairs, the wood-panelled “tree-fort” study space offers a quiet retreat from the rest of the house, as well as a view to the cottage’s green roof. Below: With time, the cedar slats will fade and the trees and ground cover will grow back around the building: architecture and nature will intermingle.

says Bernier. Already the glazed great room and cantilevered porch act as mirrors, reflecting the woods around them. Over time, the cedar siding will grey out, blending into the adjacent treeline. Within a year or two, native plantings will reach ground cover status around the building, further obfuscating it. Best of all, a green rooftop — visible only from home’s raised “tree fort” study and a nearby hill — will become a riot of wildflowers and ferns.

The wooden built-ins are something more than just practical. “Their functions are barely legible,” says Bernier, “allowing them to remain as abstract as possible, in order to emphasize only their form, material and relationship to one another.” True, the one in the entry includes coat storage and a bench for putting on boots and shoes. But it also acts as a screen to the home’s more private areas. The island sits smack in the centre of the main room, as if emphasizing the kitchen’s social and familial importance. And the living room’s wall unit, playing vertical to the island’s horizontal, does more than house a TV and sound system. It visually braces the room and provides a solid counterpoint to the unstructured nature on all sides. Each piece is sculptural, providing an artistic axis to the interior. And, together with the angled strips of LED lights overhead, they echo the house’s own serpentine shape.

Inside, the winterized cottage contains two small, functional bedrooms and baths, in addition to the upstairs study that could also be used as a third bedroom. Here and elsewhere — over the kitchen sink, for instance — generously sized windows act as frames for unique views. Open them and the scents and sounds of forest, stream and lake waft through the house, making it even more part of the landscape. But it is the main living area the house really centres around. Three large geometric volumes in hickory wood lead visitors from the entryway storage through to the kitchen island and an integrated wall unit beyond, drawing them towards the main room and porch’s panoramic view. Simple, sparse materials and furnishings, neutral white walls and a polished concrete floor allow nothing to distract from the exterior beauty. There is not even a fireplace here; radiant flooring and hidden vents provide the heat. CANADIAN INTERIORS 1/2 2018

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The cottage at Lac Grenier provides an object lesson to all those who would live in the great Canadian wilderness. Rather than turning its back on nature, the house gives itself over to nature. Instead of relying on soaring ceilings, mammoth stone fireplaces and quaint decorative touches, it leaves the wow factor up to the genuine article.

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1 & 4 Project

> Bentall Kennedy | Designer > HOK | Photographer > Tom Arban

2 & 3 Project

> BLG | Designer > Gensler | Photographer > Tom Arban

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Birdhouse YH2 Architecture’s “La Colombière,” French for dovecote, is as simple as a birdhouse, This page, top: From a distance, the cottage’s silhouette rising out of the woods bears a striking resemblance to a tree, right down to the cedar-shingle bark. Left: The main space is spare and open, with only changes in flooring to define “rooms.” Opposite, clockwise from top: The staircase, unspooling up through a glazed shaft, looks simple but is anything but; looking down through the stair shaft from a perch at the top of the house; bridges in the air and oddly angled windows enhance the oddball charm.

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---------but as intricately fitted as origami. By Martha Uniacke Breen Photography by Francis Pelletier

YH2 Architecture’s design for a rustic retreat in the woods outside Sutton, Québec, is exactly the kind of house that birds might like to nest in, were they human-sized. According to YH2 principal Marie-Claude Hamelin, the building started life as a storage shed, which the owners had converted into a rustic cottage some years earlier. As devotees of nature (one half of the couple is a landscape artist, the other a horticulturalist), they loved its primitive, simple demeanour — the cottage was neither electrified nor plumbed, with only an outdoor privy for comfort — and wanted that same spirit of simplicity in the renovation. They also wanted the original footprint retained, and that the surrounding woods should be disturbed as little as possible. This included a ban on heavy machinery, adding to the challenge. Hamelin, along with partners François Bélanger and Loukas Yiacouvakis, came up with a plan that comprised ballooning the upper two storeys out and above the main floor; this added space on the upper

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Above: The gallery-style lookout above the treeline forms a beautiful vantage point from which to watch the sunset or meditate with the sounds of nature all around you. Right: The top floor, as with all the interior spaces, is purposely designed to be fluid in function; under glazed eaves, a sunken space fitted with a daybed could house guests, while an open platform opposite the entry to the lookout could be a reading spot.

floors, but also embodies the fanciful metaphor that characterizes the design as a whole. Its silhouette irresistibly resembles the sturdy trunk and broadening canopy of a tree, harmonizing with the thick woods that surround it. Bark-like cedar shakes cladding the exterior from grade to roof complete the illusion.

The staircase is, in itself, a marvel of structural art. Winding up through an open, window-lined shaft to the roof, it gains strength from a pair of slender steel posts that extend from the roof to the second-floor landing, allowing it to hang over the main floor. The stair strings are black-painted steel with ash upper surfaces; viewed from below, they really do look like accordion-folded origami paper.

Simplicity, as we know, can often be very complicated to achieve. The interior is open and pleasingly simple, but on closer inspection, is actually as intricately folded and fitted as Japanese origami. Planes and volumes intersect and join, and in places seem to dangle in the air. (After these pictures were taken, Hamelin assures, light steel mesh railings were added to some of the more vertiginous areas, since admittedly, humans can’t really fly.)

At the second floor, a slatted bridge open to the floor below joins the landing to the master bedroom. On this level, as elsewhere in the cottage, variations in the floor plane replace walls as a way of defining spaces. A step down at one end of the bridge leads to the ensuite. From this vantage point, at the very centre of the house, you can see another of the home’s disarming eccentricities: large windows on either side whose bottom rails slant downwards at one end, following the angle of the elevation. It’s a purely practical way to maximize window size, but it’s also endearingly odd.

On the main floor, glass doors and wall-height windows blur the division between house and landscape, and can be opened fully on warm days. There are virtually no interior walls; instead, more creative ways of defining space, such as changes in floor planes and materials, help to create the various zones. In the kitchen at one end, a trio of tall windows reduced cabinetry space to waist level and below; here, the team deployed the first instance of origami-esque folding, by inserting extra cabinetry under the stair landing. The curve of the staircase creates an enclave for the entry door, with built-ins for coats and boots. Elsewhere, a calm palette of white walls (with, in some places, exposed studs), ash wood trim and concrete floors, are the only finishes. CANADIAN INTERIORS 1/2 2018

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But it’s the top floor where the cottage becomes most birdhouselike. Another central bridge links a bright sitting area and a sunken guest suite tucked under the deep eaves. At the opposite end, a glass partition leads out to a sheltered, pentagon-shaped balcony under the gable: a covered perch from which to watch the sun setting high over wide acres of treetops. “It seems recognizable, and very comfortable, but once you start to look more closely, it becomes something else,” Hamelin says. “I love that it’s very simple… but also a little strange.”

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In R D

Discover how EurOptimum can help transform your office space into a work of art

Innovative environmental graphics provided by EurOptimum RBC Research Institute Design: Lemay

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europtimum.com

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By Leslie C. Smith

Photography by Adrien Williams

Hidden Gem

Montréal’s La Géode sets the tone for reimagined urban living

Jean-François St-Onge and François Martineau, co-partners of Montréal’s ADHOC Architectes, were looking for an angle, some way of reimagining their city’s urban typology. A commission from a local property developer, KnightsBridge, gave them the opportunity to expand on one inspiration — the geode, a sober-seeming stone whose hollow interior reveals a spectacle of crystalized minerals. La Géode, situated in the funky downtown neighbourhood of Le Plateau Mont-Royal, is a five-unit residential building that, like its namesake, shows an outwardly austere aspect that contrasts with a wealth of colour, light and geometrical dynamism inside. Its shell consists of two façades: one facing the street; the other a back laneway. Both are kept purposely modest: large but unremarkable windows surrounded by grey-brown brick, sections of which are set at 90 degrees to form a gentle, rhythmic pattern. Aesthetically, this motif is reminiscent of airy mosque walls, Montréal’s own tradition of handcrafted masonry, and the rough, protective surface of the geode itself. A hint at what lies inside comes from the triangular metallic tiled entryway to the right. A former alley, the space has been transformed into a vibrant crystalline passage, leading into a wide inner courtyard filled with natural light, air and plants, with city-themed balconies running its upper lengths. Fittingly, La Géode’s interior is surprisingly alive, and sets the tone by bonding private and public space, introducing organic greenery into an otherwise gritty urban setting, and reversing Montréal’s traditional template of long, dark houses jammed one against the other. CANADIAN INTERIORS 1/2 2018

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In a way, the idea is not new: Romans perfected the atrium house, focused on a central courtyard, millennia ago. But the concept was somehow lost in our modern world’s rush to construct highly compacted city residential areas. La Géode presents an updated take of soft densification designed with young professional singles and families in mind. Yet it still had to remain true to its environs. Municipal ordinance dictated both a four-storey height limitation and the alignment of the ground floor with other neighbouring buildings. This constraint forced St-Onge and Martineau to “rethink the basement from a qualitative point of view,” by enlarging window wells into small spaces for plantings and seating, and channelling more light through glass flooring on the main level.

Their green strategy, coupled with the project’s high-efficiency performance, have made La Géode a front-runner for the first multi-unit building to achieve LEED v4 certification in Canada.

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This spread: Like its geological namesake, La Géode’s sober façade only hints at the wild contrast inside. ADHOC Architectes repurposed the original alleyway into a delightful, light-filled passage that leads to a “secret” courtyard filled with light, air and greenery – not to mention optical dynamism – allowing for public space sharing as well as access to all five residential units. Large windows and sliders, open-riser staircases with glass balustrades, and tempered glass floor partitions give light free access to all levels of the home, including the upgraded basement.

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Modern, Modernized

How to makeover a landmark 1970s house for a 21st century family, while respecting its original aesthetic.

By Martha Uniacke Breen

The Montréal firm Architem Wolff Shapiro Kuskowski Architectes was faced with a challenging but exciting assignment when the owners of this house approached them. Designed in the 1970s by a pair of local architects, Dobro and Milena Miljevic, for themselves, the home had been something of a radical experiment, built with prefab concrete panels, a common technique in commercial construction but basically unheard of in residential.

Photography by Drew Hadley

The owners loved the home and its location, in the leafy downtown neighbourhood of Outremont, with its generous lot and views of Mount Royal. The dictum was specific: add space, ideally including a new third floor, and maximize views and light, while maintaining the original architects’ expression.

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Architem’s Eduardo Carrera and Andrea Wolff and their team focused the addition on the back half of the house, leaving its striking front façade virtually unaltered. But the original construction tech-

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Opposite top: In the spirit of the original, the update celebrates materials such as cold-rolled steel for their beauty as well as utility. Insert: The construction technique limited the use of wiring bulkheads, so supplemental opportunities such as an underlit recess in the kitchen help keep things bright. Left: Removing and reordering a few mainfloor walls added light and space that feels “more than the sum of the parts,” according to Wolff. This page, top: The children’s kitchen nook, with its cheerful blackboard paint and backpainted glass walls. Top right: A two-storey glass atrium places diners right in the landscape. Right: By reinforcing the original steel structure and playing with cubes and heights (especially in the rear), the architects brought the house into the 21st century without altering its essential spirit.

also eminently practical for a family with toddlers. The most striking example is the kitchen, where cold-rolled steel panels line the back cabinetry, warmed by walnut counters and underlit recesses. The kitchen divides into two zones: nearer to the glass dining area, it has a more sophisticated aesthetic suitable for entertaining, while further back, the food prep area is centred next to a children’s area, surrounded by white back-painted glass walls and blackboard panels.

nique, which essentially involves hanging the prefab panels together like a house of cards, made an expansion tricky. An additional challenge was the owners’ request for a roof garden, adding considerably to the load. The solution was to reinforce the entire skeleton of the house with a steel frame, hidden within the walls. This also allowed them to open up the interior to the sunlight, which pours in from glass walls that form almost the entirety of the rear elevation. For interior finishes, says Carrera, the use of wood, glass, white drywall and steel (including a continuous steel ribbon railing for the central stair) allowed them to introduce a modern aesthetic that’s

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A soaring two-storey glass atrium in the dining area features glass garden doors that open vertically, to accommodate the room’s rather narrow dimensions. By raising the ceiling to double height, they were able to get around zoning laws that prohibit a full third storey on new construction. Directly above, a home office has a ringside view on the beautiful new roof garden, with its year-round perennial plantings, and Mount Royal rising majestically in the distance. 1/2 2018 CANADIAN INTERIORS

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scene

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Oh, What a Night!

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Text and photos by David Lasker

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PARTi

Canadian Interiors celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Best of Canada Awards by hosting a sold-out soiree, following the awards presentation at the conclusion of IIDEXCanada’s opening day in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Over 400 guests packed two floors of the Story’s Building, a historic venue in Toronto’s Theatre District, noshing and partying into the wee hours (on a school night, no less!). A special thanks goes to the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) for their support of this event.

4 5

1—Claire McKenzie and Alexa Adam, interior designers; and Jean De Lessard, principal of his eponymous Montréal-based interior design firm. 2—Jeffery Paggett, VP facilities management, Veranova; and Eileen Tessier, senior designer, studio lead, Britican. 3—Randy Thesen, principal; Tom Jennings, engineer; and Brian van Bussel, associate, at Calgary-based engineering firm Entuitive Corporation; and John Henoch of his eponymous Edmonton-based architecture firm. 4—Jeff Forrest, co-founder, Stacklab; Mark Salsberg, CEO at infrastructure consultant Infranovate; Robin Ward, Canadian business development; GKD Metal Fabrics; and Jeff Kerr, senior technician, and Patrick Gordon, technical consultant, Engineered Assemblies. 5—Canadian Interiors publisher Martin Spreer and his wife, Doreen Pimenta, senior analyst, CBC News; Klaus Nienkamper, president and founder of his eponymous furniture firm, and his wife, Beatrix. 6—Meg Graham and Andre D’Elia, principals at architecture firm Superkul; Globe and Mail “Architourist” columnist Dave LeBlanc; and his wife, Shauntelle, proprietor of Ethel, the late lamented Queen Street East store selling mid-century-modern furnishings. 7—Bullock Wood Design’s Aliesha Dewdney and Anthony Scarfone, project designers; Anna Johnston, senior interior designer; Doug Bullock, head coach & cheerleader; Jacquie Claassen, senior interior designer; Susan Rowlison and Angela Kisielewski, project designers; Donna Wood, president; Iris Hsueh, project designer; and Paula Santos, director, marketing and admin. 8— DIALOG’s Kate Watanabe, communications specialist, and architect and mechanical engineer Martin Nielsen, principal; Leslie Jen, marketing director, Superkul; and Lilia Koleva, architect at Montréal’s Neuf Architects. 9— Margaret Macdonald, A&D trade sales manager at Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances distributor Maroline; and Maria Baker, business development manager at ceramic tile importer Ceragres. 10—Teknion’s David Patterson, president, Canadian Sales; and Jeff Ball, director, corporate marketing. 11—Shawna Dressler, director, people and operations at marketing agency Rain43, and her husband, Lars, co-founder of productdesign firm Brothers Dressler. 12—Hidi Group consulting engineers’ Leo Lee, principal, electrical; Bill Lazarakis, principal; and Mike Anderson, principal, mechanical. 13— Toronto Design Offsite Festival’s Deborah Wang, artistic director; Robyn Wilcox, programs manager; Kelsey Miner, programs assistant; and Michael Madjus, marketing director. 14— Jad Younis and Adrian DeLuca, project managers at DPI Construction Management. 15—Mina Yoo, owner of Eko Jewellery and client of Bennet Lo, principal at interior design firm Dialogue 38; and Joanne Pringle, sales consultant, Metro Wallcoverings. 16—Designer Uros Novakovic and architect Nicolas Koff, partners and co-founders of architecture firm Office Ou, flank architect Jonathan Friedman, partner, Partisans. 17—Christian Joakim and Greg Neudorf, architects at Montréal-based Saucier & Perotte; Peter DuckworthPilkington, principal, ZAS Architects + Interiors; André Perrotte, founding partner, Saucier & Perotte; and Paul Stevens, principal, ZAS 18— Lucas Spassiani, VP design, Borgo Contract Seating; and Lorne Roberts, cofounder of furniture dealer and workspace design firm Integral Business Interiors. 19—The gang at iQ Business Media: Stefan Novakovic, assistant editor; Peter Sobchak, editor-in-chief, Building and Canadian Interiors; Natalie Papanou, model, actress; Alex Papanou, owner & president; Steve Wilson, Senior Publisher and VP; Faria Ahmed, Sales Manager; Martin Spreer, publisher; Laura Moffatt, manager.

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pub i+d

over & out

Scents and Sensibility

Teaching architects and designers to follow their nose. By Martha Uniacke Breen

A scent designer and self-styled “olfactory design guru,” Tracy Pepe has built a specialty on helping architects and designers with the often surprisingly exacting process of developing and installing custom scents in their spaces. A parfumier by training, she became fascinated by the underlying chemistry of scents, and their psychological and emotional effects, and in 2007 became the first scent designer in Canada to specialize purely in architecture and interior design with Nose Knows Design.

Formulating a scent for a particular client is as complicated as any other aspect of creating the interior design, says Pepe. “It’s both an art and a science. The scent creation process itself is very methodical; once you understand the basic principles of particular scents, it’s simple and teachable.” Early on, she interviews clients at length in order to get a sense of the atmosphere, end users, and physical properties of the space. Ideally, she likes to be brought in at the earliest stages of a design, even at the blueprint or preliminary rendering stage, as different mechanical systems produce different results, which will influence her formulations as well. Location, including variables such as atmospheric humidity and temperature, may also have an impact; while it’s not as critical in most temperature-controlled Canadian buildings, in a hot and humid place like Florida it’s a central factor. Once the scent is ready for deployment in the space, her company supervises integrating special scent-diffusion units into the building’s HVAC system. A typical unit is about the size of a shoebox, with a tube that injects the scent into the ventilation apparatus. Bottles of liquid scent are easy to replace by building maintenance personnel, and last from three to six months.

Photo by Yianni Tong

One of her product’s early adopters was Julian Battiston, who tapped her to design a signature scent experience for the lobby of his Oben Flats’ building in Leslieville. Geared to appeal to the design-conscious clientele the building aims to attract, Pepe’s scent gives fresh, lowkey impressions of lime and lavender.

Some clients prefer a less time-consuming (and costly) process; for these, Pepe has formulated a series of eight “accords” with names that roughly correspond to colours, and which have reliable associations. One of the advantages to the accords is that they have already been pre-tested and meet the toughest worldwide standards; recently she began marketing them on their own, as Whiffloves, a series of candles and room sprays.

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“In architecture and design, of course everyone focuses on colour, material, and look, but almost never on the scent of a space,” Pepe says. “And yet this has just as profound an effect on your reaction to a designed space as any other element.”

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A&D meets innovations

pub i+d magazine 228,6x279,4 bis kopie_Opmaak 1 24/01/18 18:02 Pagina 1

ARCHITECT @WORK

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