Building a lifestyle of craftsmanship
Constantine Tohme’s life, work have his human touch
Given his first name, it is not surprising that Constantine Tohme is of Greek heritage. Also not surprising that his Greek-god good looks have resulted in requests/offers to model.
But Tohme prefers to design lighting, furniture and accessories when he’s not studying Chinese medicine at the Institute of Traditional Medicine. He plans to open his own clinic/ lifestyle centre.
“This custom work is a sideline,” explains Tohme, 28, of the decor he creates in his 2,000-square-foot, open-concept basement apartment/ studio near Bathurst and King Sts.
Born in St. Lucia, Tohme moved to Toronto at age 16 from Barbados. He moved into his live/work space two years ago. He went without furniture for months — probably so he could make it himself.
“I am very tactile,” he says. “I don’t like cold, sterile things that don’t look like they have been touched by a person. I’m inspired by parquet (geometric mosaic of wood pieces).” Inspired? He is besotted. There’s a herringbone wood desk; framed artwork of herringbone wood hangs throughout; even his business cards for his company, Black Flag Co., are made of balsa wood. He also has a great affinity for concrete. There are grey concrete floors, burgundy brick walls and a polished concrete harvest table incorporating reclaimed wooden pallets.
The place has the vibe of an industrial speakeasy as designed by a steampunker, with exposed metal pipes and a light fixture that looks like a molecular arrangement made of 1970s-era pieces. And then there’s that blatantly bad piece of taxidermy: a moth-eaten fox he calls “Snuggles” that accessorizes the distressed brown leather arm chair and bench.
And who else creates indoor wooden swings for seating?
At the foot of the platform bed, resting on pallets, is an old army trunk used for storage. A ladder next to the bed functions as a bookcase. A rolling rack for clothing is ingeniously made out of old pipes.
He is self-taught, though it runs in his family: his mother is an interior decorator.
“I did research and did an informal apprenticeship with a wood worker,” he says. “I loved it; I am very crafty.” As for the lighting: “I figure it out as I go along,” he shrugs, adding that he also consults electrical engineers.
In the kitchen, Tohme points out jars full of bullet shells. “A sniper friend of mine and a hunter friend gave me the shells.” Sniper? “The sniper is part of a tactical force,” he allows.
The turquoise kitchen cabinets are from the ’50s. The ne plus ultra in recycling has to be the plastic milk crates used for seating and the knife-throwing board used for cutlery storage.
The apartment’s renovation was strictly DIY. “There was nothing here,” he recalls. “I tore down two rooms and did all the electrical work. I installed a claw-foot tub — the bathtub had three inches of dirt. There were six different colours of paint on the floor and walls.”
The wall in the kitchen is peeling seafoam green, deliberately left intact. “I love its dilapidated beauty,” he explains. “And it picks up the colour of the cabinets.”
He even cooks. The house specialty is Greek: spanakopita. Why working at home works for him: “Because I make things, I want my space to be very utilitarian and serve the esthetics and style I like. I am fortunate to have (huge) space and that influences my style. I could have a lot of things but I don’t like clutter.” The downside to working at home: “I want to be respectful of my neighbours. I can’t run the table saw at all times of the day and night. I try to not make too much noise. I have a separate room for my chopping because there would be sawdust on ev- erything. It is a dual-zone building — three architects live here and there is a theatre company next door. We all make noise and sometimes I can hear the theatre-company members doing their warm ups — ‘la-la-la-LALA’ — for an hour.” How he combats cabin fever: “I try to spend a lot of time outside. I box; I go to the gym. I had a friend teaching yoga here three nights a week. But it can be a trap. It is 2 a.m. and friends will come over.” How he separates work from home: “I try to make everything as versatile as possible; I can convert an entire space. Everything is on wheels and everything can move. Even the bed can move. I can roll everything to my bedroom so it can get completely empty on a whim. I can pack up and move these crates; I am not tied to them. Sometimes people rent the space out for shoots and events.”