WINDOWS, DOORS & FIREPLACES
1925Workbench
Here, it’s business in the front, beautiful sliding barn doors in the back. All custom wooden doors and furniture are made on site using varieties ranging from pine to teak, and finished with made-in-canada hardware. Highlights include a walnut slab door with transom-like cutouts, a sliding ash bookcase that conceals under-stair storage and a five-metretall steampunk library with rolling ladder, as well as modern beds in Douglas fir, oak dining tables with turned legs and stunning solid-wood island tops. 198 THIRTIETH ST, ETOBICOKE 416 878 1869 BY APPT ONLY 1925WORKBENCH.COM
ADH Fine Hardware
Looking for better-than-big-box options for latches, doorknobs and pulls? For over 50 years, ADH has been offering tried-and-true hardware solutions – in traditional and contemporary styles – from Baldwin, Emtek, Richelieu and Rocky Mountain. Standouts include Sun Valley Bronze’s barn door hardware, invisible hinges by Simonswerk, and super-slim pulls from Top Knobs. Next door is ADH’S design studio, where architects, builders and interior designers can specify custom hardware. 1750 AVENUE RD 647 496 1968 (ALSO: 1064 SOUTH SERVICE RD E, OAKVILLE 416 785 8393) ADHHARDWARE.CA
Alleen’s
Alleen’s stocks window treatments for every need and budget. Choose from hundreds of curtain textiles by Robert Allen, Joanne Fabrics and Kravet; blinds by Maxxmar and Shade-o-matic; shutters by Eclipse; and motorized skylight shades by Hunter Douglas – including the noise-dampening Duette honeycomb series. As pull-cords go the way of the light bulb, an impressive selection of automated drapes makes Alleen’s a hot destination. 444 YONGE ST 416 847 0947 (ALSO: 74 ST. CLAIR AVE W 416 977 2551; 130 KONRAD
CRES, UNIT #2, MARKHAM 905 475 0943; 2202B INDUSTRIAL ST, BURLINGTON 905 320 4811) ALLEEN.COM
Alumilex
This Montreal manufacturer of custom windows and doors delivers everything from oversized patio doors to tilt-and-turn windows. The aluminum fenestration systems are available in an infinite array of colours and can be fitted with solid-wood interior panels for one-of-a-kind combinations. The exceptionally energy-efficient ALX 2060 and ALX 2066 series bond up to three panes of insulating glass for extra-toasty (and budget-friendly) winters. For the best views, test drive floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and entrance doors. 44 SHERBOURNE ST 647 427 0113 ALUMILEX.COM
Bauhaus
Custom window and door manufacturer Bauhaus has provided architectural fittings for some of the country’s most prestigious projects, from Fogo Island to Toronto’s own Summerhill neighbourhood. Looking at the detailed execution and craftsmanship – which features hardware selections from luxury Italian brands Colombo Design and AGB – it’s easy to see why. Solid mahogany doors come in a variety of styles, including arched, angled and Fibonacci spiral, while folding wood and glass configurations are available in multiple colour options. 165 AVENUE RD 416 924 0996 BAUHAUSDOORS.COM
Bigfoot Door
Bigfoot its European-engineered, Door puts 30-plus Canadian-manufactured years of experience into large and super-sized glazing, including windows and sliding patio doors with minimal frames. Look for show-stopping entrances so intriguing you’ll forget how super-insulated and heavily secured they are, as well as 3.5-metre-tall sliding doors with high-performance motorized windows, all made in Canada using premium German hardware. 1677 AIMCO BLVD, UNIT A, MISSISSAUGA 905 238 9234 BIGFOOTDOOR.COM
Casson Hardware
Architects Megan Cassidy and Jane Son are used to tooling structures down to their nuts and bolts, but often struggled to find distinctive architectural components for their projects. Enter CH: a treasure trove of fasteners and doorknobs culled from around the world, mingling eclectic and minimalist styles with heirloom quality. Check out Shayne Fox’s tumbled bronze knobs produced in Toronto, and Oji Masanori’s delicate brass hooks crafted in Japan; both will patinate to a unique “living finish” over time. CASSONHARDWARE.COM
Chateau Window & Door Systems
With compliment-garnering products that come builder- and architect-recommended, CW&D’S stock and trade is custom steel-framed doors and windows, including entry and lift-slide doors. Peruse the many solid wood, fiberglass and aluminum-clad wood options with on-site consultants in their crisp, 558-square-metre showroom designed by CGL Architects; these pros will ensure that the product you select fits every requirement for durability and low maintenance. Installation and after-sales service for all systems are guaranteed. 90 TYCOS DR, STE #1 416 783 3916 CHATEAUWINDOWS.COM
Custom Fireplace Design
Get up close and personal with innovative fireplaces by French manufacturer Focus – from classic suspended hearths to wall-mounted and double-sided models – at the GTA’S exclusive carrier of the brand. Specializing in unique units for indoors and out, CF+D’S models include raw-steel facades with direct venting, ideal for dividing minimalist spaces. For tight interiors without venting, there are artificial fireplaces with realistic faux flames, an effect achieved by lighting water vapour with brilliant halogen bulbs. 5490 HARVESTER RD, BURLINGTON 905 681 3070 BY APPT ONLY CUSTOMFIREPLACEDESIGN.COM
The Door Store
DS is home to Canada’s largest collection of vintage hardware and doors, both local and foreign. Antique knobs, pulls and hinges are restored and adapted with modern mechanisms. The stock of furniture is constantly rotating, and comprises everything from old TTC benches to turn-of-the-century Egyptian chairs inlaid with mother of pearl. You’ll also find an abundance of salvaged architectural elements: antique lighting, iron grilles, fireplace mantels, stained-glass windows and unique decor finds. 1260 CASTLEFIELD AVE 416 863 1590 THEDOORSTORE.CA
Door Studio
DS collaborates with builders, homeowners and architects to enhance homes with all manner of manual and power-operated windows, front doors, garage doors and backyard enclosures. Its showroom boasts over 250 models, among them European openings framed in insulated aluminum with wood interiors, and automated garage doors from Hörmann. The real standouts are DS’S custom swing, fold, lift-and-slide and tilt-and-turn windows, which dress up energy-efficient homes with modern style. 7401 PACIFIC CIR, MISSISSAUGA 905 755 9448 BY APPT ONLY DOORSTUDIO.CA
Igne Ferro
IF’S artisans design, fabricate and install custom fireplaces and surrounds in iron, marble, wood and stone, sculpting these materials on site. IF also carries John Lyle furniture and accessories – think polished bronze andirons and decorative screens. Marquis, Valor and Town & Country’s ready-made fireplaces come in electric and ethanol varieties for chimneyless condos, while gas models from Bell Fires, Ortal and Flare are stunners. The sleek pivoting drums of Stuv’s fireplaces allow the firelight to be enjoyed from all angles. 680 CALEDONIA RD 416 239 3556 IGNEFERRO.COM
Night & Day Window Decor
Specializing in custom-made energy-efficient blinds and window coverings, N&D’S plethora of Hunter Douglas shutters, louvres and shades makes it certain you’ll find the treatments you need for every window. Personalize drapes with a fabric selection drawn from Kravet and Maxwell; for those with more traditional tastes, top it all off with valances or cornices. Hard-wired or battery-operated motorized coverings are also here, as are Greenguard-certified bamboo, grass and reed shades that effortlessly blend beauty and functionality. 1075 YONGE ST 416 924 5062 (ALSO: 990 KINGSTON RD 416 755 1990) NIGHTANDDAYDECOR.COM
Paloform
Before opening shop in Toronto in 2011, then selling online-only, Khai Foo spent 15 years honing high-performance concrete into fireplaces, pits, mantels and surrounds. Hand-cast to spec, with multiple fuel and finish options, his sculptural fire features are adaptable to any contemporary space, indoors or out. Models range from thick concrete bowls to slim-profiled squares of Corten to rectilinear tables whose folded aluminum sides intrigue the eye with shadow play. PALOFORM.COM
The Sliding Door Company
Transform spaces with SDC’S diverse interior sliding-door solutions, including room dividers and partitioned or freestanding office enclosures, as well as customized closet, swing and barn doors. Walls disappear with a nudge, effortlessly adjusting the flow between spaces. SDC’S patented easy-gliding roller system is the smoothest and safest on the market; its aluminum frames in six finishes are combined with tempered glass in varying degrees of transparency. 75 INGRAM DR 416 637 4620 SLIDINGDOORCO.CA
Tiltco
Unobtrusive, made-to-order, European-style enclosures – like bi-fold, lift-and-slide glass windows and doors that transform any room into an open-air terrace in a snap – make this 29-year-old manufacturer a homeowner’s dream. Come for the products’ scale and strength, stay for the more than 200 colour finishes and options for European hardware, glass-to-glass corners, large-scale doors, windows with minimal framing and standard multi-locking points. 1200 STELLAR DR, NEWMARKET 905 853 9955 TILTCO.NET
Torp Inc.
Torp’s inventory features the very best of Danish-made design, from classic and modern furniture (PP Møbler, Snedkergaarden) to lighting and accessories (Architectmade, Muuto), and even includes high-performance doors and windows (Hajom, Lacuna, UD and more). Among this dazzling selection, you’ll find such pieces of master artisanship as Poul Kjaerholm’s PK22 chair for Fritz Hansen – an elegant expression of leather and steel – and Bjarke Ingels’s open, rounded and relaxed Via57 chair, which is inspired by the architect’s first building in New York. 245 DAVENPORT RD, STE #200 416 968 2768 TORPINC.COM
Upper Canada Specialty Hardware
Knobs, hooks, hinges, pulls, doorbells, grates, knockers and mail slots: UCSH has every imaginable category of architectural hardware. Best bets include sleek handles from Italy’s Colombo Design (including lines from Jasper Morrison and Jean-marie Massaud); Gallery Specialty Hardware’s no-nonsense hinges and kickplates; invisible-track, soft-close barn door hardware from K.N. Crowder; two-tone matte black and brass pulls from Myoh; and Baldwin’s app-controlled entry sets. 10 BRENTCLIFFE RD, UNIT #14 416 696 8358 UCSH.COM
More windows & doors: Alleen’s, Dom Interiors, Fisker International, Greentea Design, Habitat for Humanity, Improve Canada, Komandor, Lee Valley Tools and Resource Furniture.