Posts Tagged ‘design’

There is two things Symmetry Developments did really well  in 2011:

1) Pushed the envelope for lowrise/infill design.

2) Set Twitter ablaze with tweets after releasing photos of said developments.

With the launch of The Hive Lofts in Etobicoke earlier this year, they set a new standard for what a forward thinking development should look like!  Last Friday… They did it again!

Using a similar method to how they announced The Hive, @symmetrydevelop took to twitter and sent out a pic rendering seen above!

The the images look stunning, and the best part is, Sayf (Vice President of the company) says that a few more tweeks are in store for the development.

Judging from the pics, it looks like the entire building will be about 8 storeys – A lobby or potential commercial space on the main, 5 levels of residential living and possibily 2 floors of penthouses…It’s hard to tell from the initial renderings if the penthouses will be a floor each or a combination of 2 levels (I’m hoping for the latter)!

Of course the biggest question on my mind is “Where will it be located and what will it be called?”!!!  Symmetry’s other two residential developments have been north of the downtown core.  The company is known for developing these funky projects in areas not known for outside-of-the-box-design.

Since Sayf wouldn’t budge on it’s location, I’ve decided to do a poll on where you think it might be going.  The 5 choice are pretty random, but hey, anythings possible with Symmetry!

Read the rest of this entry »

I hate to be the one to say it…but, summer is almost over! Now before you bring out the parkas and brace for winter, there’s still time for a few more more backyard BBQ’s.  Be it at the park, house or your condo’s terrace, the picnic table is an obvious “must have” for any party.

Typically the only thing that separates picnic tables apart is the colour of paint used to seal the wood…that was until I discovered the design of Wouter Nieuwendijk and Jair Straschnow.  The pair collaborated on the “another picnic table” seen above!  It’s the first time i’ve seen the iconic picnic table design challenged and transformed into a form that logistically works better than the old.

With the bench folded down, users can sit the transitional way and converse amongst one another.  OR, flip the bench up and it becomes a comfortable “Muskoka-ish” looking chair. This now forces the user to face the other way… joining in another conversation while the others at the table can carry on with theirs!

What it lacks in seating capacity, it makes up in form and comfort. Though it may not make sense for every condo owner to have one…It would make for a great addition to a buildings common element area (hint hint nudge nudge condo developers reading my blog).

…It would also make for a great addition to the Don River Park!

Perfect for the architectural-fish-loving-critic in your life comes the Fish Hotel.  When I first saw the forward thinking fish “bowl” I thought it looked looked like something out of a Teeple concept (think Giraffe Condos).  The tanks were designed by Teddy Luong during competition at Carlton University’s school of industrial design.

The fish hotel is made with a white ABS shell. The fishbowls can be stacked for a condo-like appearance, and glass bowls may be removed for easy cleaning… talk about preventing urban-aquatic sprawl!

The fishbowl sells for $30 online and ships throughout Canada!

The “workplace” has evolved over the years!  Long gone are the days of putting in a 9-5 from the office…today the office could be just about anywhere.  As more people make the change and work remotely from home, a whole new category of furniture is being created!

This weeks Must Have Monday piece was suggested to me by a blog reader!  He found this Wooden Laptop Stand on Gizmodo.com and sent in an email.  After one look at the stand, I knew it was blog worthy!

For those living in a smaller space where a den is not possible, the laptop stand is a perfect problem solver. It can turn your favourite chair into a office desk within seconds. The stand is fully adjustable allowing the user to get the laptop positioned juuust right. There’s a platform for a mouse and even a lower level stand for a phone (or drink)…and when not in use, the wood and steel combination give the stand a contemporary look for your condo space!

The stand comes in a variety of options and is made in Verona, Italy by Lounge Tek. They ship to Canada and a variety of other locations around the world!  Check out their promo video below:

If you have an item that you think is worthy of being displayed in my “Must Have Mondays”, send me an email and i’ll give it a look!

(photo from Gizmodo.com)

 

If 2011 is the year of the Rabbit, then 2010 was the year of the “Shrinking Condo”!  The last quarter brought many new projects to the market and with it came the realization that our living space expectations are changing.  The condos of yesterday (think The Esplande or any of the units at Harbour Square) offered much larger layouts with a more spacious design.  Today the norm is glass clad buildings to give the illusion of more space paired with the ever popular “open concept” design.  Now we’re seeing 2 bedrooms being built in the same size as former one beds. The demand for a great downtown location is at an all time high, and with the price of land also increasing, developers are building as many units as they can in much smaller sizes! This is the new reality of realty, and to argue or complain about the shift is a much of a waste of time as the Toronto Land Transfer tax is to our pockets!

I’ve noticed a lot of new projects incorporating a “study” into their spaces instead of a den. Studies don’t have much of a dedicated space and are often looked at as a waste! It’s similar to the trend of cutting out the second bedroom and making it a den. I’ve walked into a countless number of resale units that feature this awkward space with no real sense of definition.  I don’t blame the sellers for not making better use as many condo showrooms don’t use the “study” layouts in their display.  A few simple (and cost effective) changes is all that’s needed to bring the space back to life!

During the holidays I was at my colleague, Chris Molders place over at Minto Skyy.  He had purchased a one bedroom and study layout a few years back and recently took possession of it. Instead of leaving the space empty, he transformed it into something both functional and aesthetically pleasing!

A few strips of wallpaper was all that was needed to give the study a separation from the rest of the unit. Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, it’s true, as Canadians we are rather polite people…but in Toronto we’re also quite vocal! One of the many things I love about living in the City is how involved the people are in voicing their opinions, especially when it’s about the look of our high-rises!

Like any industry, the real estate one has a bunch of awards and competitions set up to reward builders for a job well done…problem is, none of these gives out trophies for the bad or the ugly. Thankfully we also have the Pug Awards!

Founded in 2004 (by Anna Simone, principal of design firm Cecconi Simone, and Gary Berman, president of real estate financier Tricon Capital Group)  the goal of the Pugs is to give every day citizens a voice amongst the City planners and developers on what works and what doesn’t.

In total 41 projects (completed in 2009) are up for nomination. This year they’ve expanded the awards to also include projects outside of the downtown core. Pure Spirit at the Distillery, Toy Factory Lofts, the Arc and 60 Richmond East Housing Co-Operative are just a few of the 34 residential projects up for an award!

Past Pug winners include: the Art Gallery of Ontario, One St. Thomas Residences and Argyle Authentic Lofts…and for the losers we have: Hampton Plaza, Marriott Residence Inn, and Wellington Square to name a few. The Pugs will wrap up on June 16,2010 at the Art Gallery of Ontario with an award ceremony and round table discussion by several of the mayoral candidates.  The candidates will be sharing their thoughts on how tomorrows Toronto should look like!

I’ve submitted my votes and now it’s your turn to either ”Love”, “Like” or “Hate” the newest additions to the Toronto skyline!

I’ve decided to take a break from my ‘Make You Laugh Monday’ spoofs and instead, share this sleek piece of furniture I came across.  It’s called the ‘Gorge” and Korean designer Ramei Keum describes his latest work as:

“Gorge’ is a coffee table with a shape of a gorge. Designing it, I strived to put it in a form so that elements composing of a table such as a top board and legs may become one element, not individual elements. The shape of a gorge folded in a V shape itself plays a structural role of supporting  the top board of the table, and plays a role of holding/ keeping magazines or books as well as completing an aesthetic form of the table.”

Not only is it appealing to the eyes, it’s also functional in it’s design.  If you’d more info on Ramei Keum’s design, click here.  If you’d like a condo to put the coffee table in give me a call…i’d love to help!