IDS 2012 - Continued!

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PHOTOS BY SCOTT NORSWORTHY

The Interior Design Show was in full swing today!  I was so pleased to have participated.  Here are a few photos of the finished exhibit for Door Studio and Stobag International.  I designed a pavilion with a patio in order to encapsulate qualities of a well considered modernist house, incorporating a rift cut white oak island and bench, exposed douglas fir joists, crisp white walls, and environmentally responsible carpet from Interface.  The exterior cladding is also white oak, in refined panels with a hairline reveal, as though this mini-building were a piece of furniture.  The space showcases a stunning 10' x 20' lift and slide door, a sleek motorized awning with custom designed stripes that were sewn with impeccable craftsmanship, high end exterior doors, and automated screens. The 'patio' is defined by two 'Cafe au La' screens, that can glide effortlessly upward on counterweights to increase protection from the elements.  The components have German and Swiss engineered details, with local finishing and assembly. 

IDS 2012 - Door Studio and Stobag International

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THE EARLY STAGES

The Interior Design show opened today - IDS 2012 - heralded by the kick off party last night!

I am thrilled to be a participant at this year's IDS, having designed the booth for Door Studio and Stobag International.  I designed the booth to have a clear architectural approach, creating a 10'x20' pavilion flanked by a 10'x20' 'patio' covered by an awning.  More on the design very shortly, when I have the finished photos to post!  I definitely wouldn't mind having it dropped off to my house as my own personal little garden studio....

I'm impressed by the effort and investment displayed by all of the exhibitors, not to mention all of the internationally renown guest speakers scheduled to speak throughout the show.  I attended the Conversations In Design event for the morning session, hearing inspiring talks by industry visionaries Eero Koivisto, Michele Caniato, Amy Lau, Michael Bruno and Claus Sendlinger.

It was fascinating to witness the mad assemblage of parts during the days leading up to the opening party - cranes and forklifts everywhere, full sized tractor trailers parked on the exhibit floor, shirtless installers, huge packing crates cheek to jowl, shipping containers being stacked, light rigging being hoisted dozens of feet into the air, suspense over late deliveries, electricians working like mad, huge rolls of carpet for the aisles being deployed, designers buzzing around anxiously, the IDS team valiantly trying to keep everyone organized - what a feat.

Sketchbook 29

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2012!!

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Eckler_Actuarial Office 7

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PHOTO BY SCOTT NORSWORTHY, ARTWORK COURTESY OF 

GALERIE LAUSBERG CONTEMPORARY

Here is one of the photos from the ECKLER office shoot with Scott Norsworthy.  I love the Michael Burges piece (on the grey wall) so much!

Farewell Sweet Abell

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AN ILLUSTRATION OF 48 ABELL STREET FROM 1893

NOVEMBER 22 2011

Previous dwellings continue to resonate with us long after we have grown into other homes and adapted to new approaches to living.  My loft at 48 Abell Street was one of those past homes that was particularly significant.  We lived there for three years during a period of incredible energy and growth that was happening in Parkdale and along Queen Street West.  The building was chock full of designers, artists, architects, photographers, musicians, writers, actors and craftsmen, many of whom both lived and worked in their spaces.  One would naturally find potential collaborators or second opinions next door.  There was a steel fabricator at one end (what an incredible space that was) and of course Aristocrat Lamps at the other.  I would meet many people elsewhere who, upon learning that I lived there, would often say with warmth that they had lived there too once.
48 Abell really was an incubator for creative people who wanted a generous open space, valued living in an industrial building with its enormous wood beams and exposed brick, and who embraced the challenges and advantages of doing so downtown.  I recall that the roof had afforded incredible panoramic views toward the lake.  There had been a small wilderness behind the building that we would gather in chairs at the parapet to gaze down upon during hot summer afternoons.

Today I passed by to witness the final stages of demolition, and in the bracing wind I had a lump in my throat.  That beloved old building with so much history was being clawed down and reduced to a mound of red brick surrounded by nondescript new condos.
Many people had been drawn there in recent weeks to take a last look, and I think the construction crew was learning that it was a building that had been deeply cared for.
The smoke stack was still standing, a persistent relic - no doubt to be felled soon like the last old tree in a razed forest.

Eckler_Actuarial Office 6

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The Eckler office space was shot today by photographer Scott Norsworthy.

This is my one of my own snapshots - I can't wait to see Scott's finished photos!

IDS 2012

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I am very pleased to be designing a pavilion for Swiss awning manufacturer Stobag International and custom door fabricator Door Studio for the 2012 Interior Design Show in Toronto.  I had a Stobag automated awning installed at the Thompson Hotel on their spectacular rooftop over the summer (complete with sun and wind sensors of course), and it surely is a product with Swiss precision and attention to detail.

I am very much looking forward to this year's show!

Eckler_Actuarial Office 5

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WORKS BY JAMES ROBERT DURANT AND DIRK SALZ

Here is a snapshot taken during a round of art showings at Eckler - what a privilege.  This is one of my favorite stages of the design process.  I design with the knowledge that art on specific walls will bring another layer of meaning and spatial depth to one's experience of the spaces.  I always feel a deep satisfaction and joy when pieces arrive at a new space for consideration - art is too rarely brought to the forefront of one's daily sphere, and so these showings made possible by the amazing art galleries that I work with is quite a treat.

Eckler_Actuarial Office 4

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'OPENING', MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS, JP LAFRANCE

We have started to select art for the Eckler office.  I am thrilled that one of the first selections is this stunning canvas by Jean-Pierre Lafrance, an artist represented by the Harbour Gallery.

A Little Respect

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The Foodstock fundraiser last weekend to fight the proposed 'mega-quarry' just north of Toronto underlined the importance, beauty and proximity of Southern Ontario's rich farmland.  It was reported that this event drew nearly 30,000 concerned citizens (including mysef) to sample the efforts of 100 talented chefs and support the cause to fight the potentially devastating effects that a quarry would have on this resource.  Not only does much of the produce feeding Ontario come from this area - as cultivated by the many local farmers in attendance - but for many city-dwellers this bucolic landscape just an hour away from downtown Toronto is an essential and beloved connection to natural beauty.

It was striking how a delicious, expertly prepared sample of food eaten in the forest could be more eloquent than any protester's placard or slogan.

With Love

I have just been transported back to Italy.  The BBC show 'Two Greedy Italians' expresses a vibrant and utterly captivating love for life, beauty, family, tradition, and a deep cultural obsession with good cooking - with a generous dose of often ridiculous humour.  Given my many experiences in Italy and its influence on my love of cooking, art, architecture and design - seeing these two vivacious, nostalgic, and incorrigible Italians on their culinary adventures strikes a deep personal chord, and I wanted to share. 

Sketchbook 28

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Heart Lake Cabana 3

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A few more snapshots - getting the cabana ready for its inaugural party on the long weekend!

Heart Lake Cabana 2

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Site work is progressing very nicely with the Heart Lake Cabana.  The wood looks simply gorgeous - Ipe and Douglas Fir... the roof is up, and the walls, millwork and lounge furniture components are ready for installation in the next few days.  I'm excited about the custom-fabricated lounge chair platform - it looked great in the millwork shop.  Today we laid out the solar dock cleat lights to give a glow around the perimeter of the ipe-clad docks and bridge - I think they are the perfect touch, to be glimpsed from the winding road down into the property in the evening.  I am looking for the right lantern to hang at the corner of the roof, to hang over a bench that has been made for the bridge - a beacon that would be seen from the stone path coming from the main house. 

More to come....

Looking Forward To....

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IMAGES FROM ANTONIO LUPI WEBSITE

I'm dreaming of one day having this hand finished Baia tub by Antonio Lupi, opposite a fireplace.  What could be more luxurious than sinking into this deep bath made from solid natural stone?  Of course that will require a whole new bathroom - let's take down some walls, where's the sledge hammer?

Meadow House 2

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THE SITE OF THE NEW GUEST HOUSE

JUST BEYOND THE BEAUTIFUL SCHOOLHOUSE GARDEN

THE POND - A GULF CART RIDE AWAY FROM THE SCHOOLHOUSE.  

THE SCHOOLHOUSE 

LOVE THESE COLOURS - THE FIRST USE OF THE NEW 

PLATTER, NAPKINS AND PLACEMATS FROM LA MERCERIA

TOMATOES FROM THE GARDEN

The August long weekend was truly blissful, spent at a beautifully restored 19th century schoolhouse cottage owned by dear friends.  (Featured in House and Home in October 2010).  I am currently designing the 'Meadow House' for them - a new guest house building to be sited just beyond the garden.

Eckler_Actuarial Office 3

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Construction is starting in this 5,200 sf space.  I love seeing the tree canopy beyond - what a surprising vantage point over Toronto!  I have designed transparent offices with sliding tempered glass walls, an open creative studio, a generous communal kitchen, and a spacious modern working environment that will include cutting edge technology and various approaches to formal and informal collaboration.  I am excited about the furniture we have selected.  Of course, we must be patient because of the August factory shut-down in Italy for some of these special pieces - but I can't help but think that they have the right idea.  I like having a balanced mix of custom designed millwork, locally fabricated pieces, classics, and selectively imported elements.

Sketchbook 27

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Ride for Heart

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HEADING OUT ALONG THE QEW ON A GORGEOUS MORNING

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THE RESTING POINT ON THE DVP, HALFWAY THROUGH THE 50K

The Ride for Heart was a couple of weekends ago - wow, what an amazing way to see Toronto!!!  It was phenomenal to be able to ride on the QEW and the DVP on a beautiful Sunday morning.  50k went by surprisingly quickly - I was pleased that my beloved vintage red Western Flyer bike (complete with basket, trusty back-pedal brakes and no gears) somehow survived those inclines, as did I.  Of course I was surrounded by a troupe with sexy hot-shot bicycles (I didn't see ANY other bikes with baskets by the way) - it was fun to be immersed in an enthusiastic crowd of people who love to cycle.  Not only was a lot of money raised for a great cause but there was a palpable excitement at seeing the city from a territory normally clogged by cars.  

Thanks to Marty + Dufflet for hosting amazingly generous pre + post ride gatherings at their beautiful home.

Thompson Hotel Toronto_2

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Snapshots at the millwork studio of an ipe and corian outdoor host station designed for the patio at Scarpetta, at the Thompson Hotel.  The photos are a little blurry, but those corners are perfect!!

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Demolition

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A number of projects are in the demolition phase at the moment - I love it.  It is an amazing moment when a building has been stripped back to its raw architectural elements.  The potential of those original bones and spaces are exposed unadorned, ready to be transformed into my own design vision.

New York

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BOCCI AT DUSK

JULIAN SCHNABEL'S  FRONT DOOR - HAIL VENICE

THE MARITIME HOTEL - A LITTLE BIT OF VINTAGE LA IN NYC 
MY FAVORITE OASIS

DRY-AGED RIB EYE AT THE STANDARD

New York had a lovely dream-like quality this time. Perhaps it was the fog over the Hudson. Or the beautiful room in the Standard, tilted above the Highline.  Perhaps it was the sidewalk champagne, with actual glass bubbles rising high above.  So much of what I saw and loved in the past few days reminded me of other beautiful places in the world, and yet could only exist on this particular sliver of an island.