Timeless design
WHY TORONTO DEVELOPERS ARE EMBRACING A FRENCH ESTHETIC MADE POPULAR BETWEEN THE WARS
Castles and châteaux are the last thing you’d think about when someone mentions the Toronto condo scene. Here, luxury usually means sleek glass towers and stark, minimalist lobbies. But there are signs that a much older style is starting to influence the prevailing esthetic, especially among buyers who are craving a sense of permanence.
At 77 Clarendon, a boutique 15- suite condo in Forest Hill by Menkes Developments that’s set to start construction within the year, the goal was to build something timeless.
The Menkes family themselves live up the road, and enlisted their longtime family designer, David Powell of Powell and Bonnell, to help them imagine a high-end structure to replace the existing apartment buildings on the property.
IN THI S STYLE THE WINDOWS AND OPENINGS TEND TO BE OVERSIZED.
OTHER HISTORIC STYLES OF ARCHI TECTURE, LIKE SHI NGLE BRICK HOUSES, TEND TO HAVE SMALLER OPENINGS, BUT PEOPLE DON’T WANT SPACES WITH LOTS OF LITTLE ROOMS. — RICHARD SOMMER, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
Powell was inspired by a specific type of building that was constructed in Paris between the two world wars — built mostly in the 1920s and 1930s but in a style that marked a distinct departure from the Art Deco aesthetic established in France just prior to the First World War. He describes them as “classically styled with restrained decorations — a blend of the traditional styles of the time and more of a streamlined look that was starting to emerge.” Powell knew this style would mesh well with the neighbourhood, which itself is filled with stately century homes.
Richard Sommer, dean of the University of Toronto’s architecture faculty for over a decade, says much of the revival we’re seeing has roots in the French Regency style of the early 19th century — which itself, he says, was an eclectic style, drawing on inspiration from romantic architecture, as well as Greek and Roman elements. He says the modern interpretation of the look is being boiled down and used in these buildings’ exteriors, made mostly of sandstone or a concrete composite designed to look like it.
It’s the fortress effect.
At 77 Clarendon, the exterior will be limestone, switching to pale brick for the top two floors. The look was accented with restrained classical detailing surrounding bronze- framed windows. The result is imposing but refined; it looks more like a historic institution than a 2020 condominium. “We wanted something that wasn’t going to date itself,” says Powell.
“The buildings I’m so enamoured with have a loftiness to them, a sense of space and height,” he explains. The lobby at 77 Clarendon is double height for this reason, though salon- like nooks are tucked into it for intimate conversations. Spaciousness extends to the suites, starting at 3,500 square feet for $ 6.5 million. Though the building is clearly up- market, Powell maintains nothing about it is showy. The ultimate goal was to make buyers downsizing from sturdy mansions in the area feel at home.
One reason the style is becoming popular again, according to Sommer, is that it can look both new and old, and lends itself to a range of interiors approaches. “It’s a style that can mix an imposing, roughly neoclassical exterior with sleek interiors. It alludes to something old, but is still accepting of contemporary styles,” he says. It also has to do with buyers’ appetite for large open spaces. “In this style the windows and openings tend to be oversized. Other historic styles of architecture, like shingle brick houses, tend to have smaller openings, but people don’t want spaces with lots of little rooms,” he says.
Over at Auberge on the Park, at Leslie and Eglinton, the latest addition to a trio of towers, called Chateau, flips that notion for a sleek exterior and stately interior. The project’s architect, Berardo Graziani, of Graziani and Corazza Architects Inc., wanted Chateau to channel the romantic inspiration played up in its name. Though it’s a relatively contemporary-looking 39-storey tower — being developed by Tridel and Rowntree Enterprises and to be completed in 2024 — the lower levels are clad in stone, with limestone planters lining most of the expansive terraces on the upper levels. Graziani says the materials were chosen so they would develop character over time. Limestone is one of the most durable natural materials, and doesn’t easily show its age. “It’s like the old homes in Forest Hill with stone exteriors that look even better after 50 years than the day they were installed,” he says. Inside, the design was inspired by classical French architecture with Art Deco accents. The towering coffered ceilings in the lobby feel traditional, while large marble pillars evoke the grandeur of a historic European hotel.
The Randall Residences in Oakville is another recent build inspired by French architecture, in this case from the Beaux Arts era of the late 1800s. The Rosehaven Homes project, which was designed by Richard Wengle, is now complete and fully occupied. Sommer calls Wengle the king of the Regency revival because he’s responsible for the architectural choices behind many residential Tudor Revivals, Beaux- Arts Forest Hill mansions and condo developments including 77 Clarendon and 89 Avenue Road. At the Randall, the exterior features a series of stone archways that continue into extra- wide marble hallways inside. With fenestrated windows and formal columned Juliet balconies, visual references to the Grand Palais and the Musée d’orsay are hard to miss.
Inside, interior designer Ferris Rafauli added classic rotunda foyers and used elaborately coffered ceilings combined with hardwood, marble and bronze to evoke glamour. The goal was to help residents feel established — not simply as investors taking a transient step on their way to singlefamily-home ownership.
Sommer would say the goal is a bit more obvious. “The style says, ‘ I’ve got money, I’ve got power, and the place where I live announces that.’ It’s unashamedly upscale,” he says. He thinks it’s partially about “keeping up with the Joneses,” in the sense that many developers feel this is simply what buildings of a certain price, appealing to a certain strata of society, look like. He also points out that this French revival isn’t occurring in a vacuum; it’s also popular in places like London, Vancouver and L. A., cities where international money often settles.
Graziani, on the other hand, believes that, in Toronto, condo living is becoming more of a way of life, especially in the high-end market. “I think many buyers are becoming more like Europeans, wanting to upgrade to larger units as needed rather than transition into standalone homes,” he says. So, he notices that developers are putting more thought into what a building will look and feel like 50 years from now, and perhaps leaning on historic architecture is one way to impart a sense of endurance. Now that more buyers are in the condo market for the long haul, there’s value in passing up fleeting trends in favour of builds that can stand the test of time — or that look like they can.