Canadians take centre stage at IDS
Home-grown influence was seen at studios, in green building and manufacturing
International names always draw adoring crowds at the Interior Design Show. This year, it was renowned Italian designer Piero Lissoni, who was fêted as an eminence grise.
But the wattage of stars from afar did not outshine the luminosity of Canadian designers, architects and artisans. Indeed, the home-grown influence was everywhere, from designers of green buildings to smallscale studios to mid-size manufacturing concerns.
Williamson Chong Architects’ booth (www.williamson chong.com) was a model for a collaboration between them, Kilbarry Hill Construction (www.kilbarry hill.com) and TILTCO (www. tiltco.net), which builds custom windows in Newmarket.
The origami-inspired home will flip conventional house design upside down, putting communal spaces — kitchen, living, dining — on the top floor and sleeping quarters below, and cladding the front-facing upper floor in windows that rise to folded ceiling planes running from between nine and 13 feet.
The design exploits natural light and solar gain, and the vented tilt and turn windows allow hot air to be flushed out in the warm weather. While the overall concept is not new — in 2005, I wrote about a similar set-up for a straw-bale home in Uxbridge, designed by Martin Liefhebber (www.breathe byassociation.com) — it’s an example of design that’s sensible, sustainable and beautiful.
Paloform (www.paloform.com) is another Canadian success story. They design and manufacture fireplace surrounds, wall claddings for in-set fireplaces and outdoor firepits in amazing materials, such as concrete and stainless steel. My favourite is the Corten steel, which looks like well-rusted metal, in either bowl or square shapes that can be configured for wood, natural gas or propane.
Cherrywood Studio (www.cherrywoodstudio.ca), which makes tables from salvaged urban hardwood trees in a studio just north of the city, displayed its wares in the Studio North section of the IDS. It was one of several purveyors of salvaged and reclaimed wood designs. Equally beautiful were pieces from Holtz Furniture (www.holtzfurniture.com), which included a black walnut slab table with a bonsai-inspired metal base and metal inlay pattern that stitched together a split in the wood. Then there’s Bocci, based in Vancouver. This lighting company houses glass- blowing facilities in the same building that contains of-
The wattage of stars from afar did not outshine the luminosity of Canadian designers
fices, a warehouse and a design studio. Glass and metal sand casting and ceramics are done off-site. The exceptionally pretty lighting includes proprietary designs, which Bocci says have longer lamp lives and lower failure rates than con- ventional alternatives. Look for a list of international retail locations at www.bocci.ca. In Quebec, Twist makes outdoor furniture, including a line of illuminated planters (which can also be used as over-sized ice buckets for patio parties) and indoor/outdoor “mood lights” in various shapes. These are not available in big box chains, but can be found at specialty retailers. Go to the website (www.twistproduction.com) for contact information, and keep your fingers crossed that local retailers pick them up soon. All this is bound to boost the confidence of up and coming Canadian talents, such as Lorea Sinclaire, a designer living in Vancouver who is completing her last year at Emily Carr University. She showed lovely hand-made ceramic Tiffin boxes — two thin-cast ceramic bowls nestled on top of each other with a cork top that doubles as a plate and sealed by a metal clip/handle. They can be bought online at www. sinclaire.ca with the first pieces shipping out at the end of this month.
For more great Canadian design, go to my blog at www.thestar.blogs.com/onthehouse
Of course, there’s a fine line between healthy patriotism and design xenophobia. And not to speak of global influences in design would be to miss a hugely significant influence at the IDS. Some of the prettiest examples were colour-soaked rugs made from the threads of salvaged saris, available at the upperupper Elte (www.elte.com).
Globally sourced artisanal decor is of particular interest to Stephen Burks, a New York-based industrial designer whose Readymade Projects (www.readymadeprojects.com) works with craftspeople in the developing world to create decor products — often out of salvaged material — and connects them with higher-end brands for distribution and marketing.
Burks works with people like Capetown-based Willard Musarurwu, who creates fantastic wire furniture using skills he learned in childhood.
In Toronto, Musarurwu’s work is available at Snob (www.snob stuff.com), which is one of my favourite local shops and an absolutely delightful spot to learn about and buy African decor and art.
Speaking of Snob, I’ve a mea culpa to share. In a recent column, I showed pierced-tin lighting fixtures, pointing readers to Dutch retailer Zenza (www.zenza.nl). At the time, I didn’t know that Snob carries the line. Now I know. And so do you. Contact Vicky Sanderson at vswriter@sympatico.ca and follow her
on Twitter @vickysanderson.