Toronto Project Tour Day 3

 

I was extremely fortunate to tour the penthouse units in the Four Seasons Residences.   There were three schemes offered to the buyer and this was the most popular, walnut cabinets with a white oak floor.

One of the surprising elements was the abundance of Carrera marble, in a kitchen application.    I was advised that the target market for these $4,000,000.00 homes predominately eats out and as such, marble was a suitable application for this kitchen.   I would love to take the Wolfe range home, if this purchaser was not planning to use it!

Note the abundance of stainless detailing.    Integrated glass doors with stainless trim, stainless shelves and a stainless support for the eating bar was designed for this Penthouse suite.

The end result was a beautiful kitchen, that I would love to have, sans the Carrera countertop, as I do love to cook in my kitchen.

 

Written by Tara Wells

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Toronto Project Tour Day 2

Four Seasons residential lobby & corridor

Continuing on our project tour, the other six projects we visited had a very tradition flare, something reflective of the East Coast, Boston and New York.   It was very interesting to see the change in style, within one country, simply by geographical location.

We visited the Four Seasons Residences, market condominiums, where the sales that they achieved, topped out at the highest price point in a Toronto location.

Opulance was apparent.  Volume spaces, traditional corridors with fret glass, interspersed with the odd contemporary touch, in this case, a giant twig ball.

Here, we actually saw a reintroduction of brass in tables, lamps and furnishings.

 

Written by Tara Wells

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Toronto Project Tour Day 1

Toronto and Vancouver are miles apart with respect to interior design trends.

In Vancouver, almost every project you see is contemporary in feel. We like very neutral colors, lots of greys and prefer clean simple lines, as opposed to the more ornate or traditional look.

During my visit to the IDS show in January, we toured eight different projects located in Toronto’s downtown core. The majority of the projects we saw had a traditional flare. Over the next few days we will share our insights with you.

The above project by Edenshaw Developments was one of only two projects, which followed the contemporary design aesthetic that we assimilate to in Vancouver.

This project was called Chaz.  It was designed by Cecconi Simone.

You will notice in the photo above, that versus the ever popular quartz on the west coast, they chose granite, as their selection for the kitchen countertops.

You’ll also note that Torontonians love white Corian.  Manufactured across the lake in Buffalo, New York, Corian is more readily available for the East Coast.  In Chaz, it was used for the shower base, shower seat, soap insert, integral vanity top and built in medicine cabinet.

 

Written by Tara Wells

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LAID-BACK, SKI-UP LUXURY

Driving from the Denver Airport to Breckenridge for the first time, designers Tara Wells and Lynn Clarke were fascinated by the Colorado mountain scape. “They are so different from the mountains we see in the Pacific Northwest. The rock was a collage of terracottas, umbers with the odd shot of aubergine. We saw pine and a grayed-off green in the vegetation,” says Wells, principal of British Columbia-based Portico Design Group Ltd., the firm responsible for One Ski Hill Place, the latest luxury ski-in/ski-out offering at the base of Breckenridge’s Peak 8. “We immediately knew that we wanted to carry these colors through the hotel, in both the residential suites and the public spaces.”

To create a “comfortable, yet current, mountain environment,” Clarke, who was lead designer on the project, used materials that were true to the surrounding environment. And since moss rock, prevalent in the area, is used on the exterior of the building, the designers carried that straight into the hearth of the lobby on an oversized fireplace featuring hammered bronze and metal strapping. Past the lobby, up the grand staircase, Breckenridge Mountain comes into view through the window wall in the double-height living room.

Throughout the residential suites and residences, ranging from studios (complete with a Murphy bed) to four bedrooms, finishes include a play of granite, knotty alder, hardwood flooring, textured porcelains, tumbled stone mosaics, limestone, and porcelains trimmed out in an iridescent, metallic finish. “The master bedroom retreat is an experience in luxury and comfort,” says Wells. “VRDC (Vail Resorts Development Company) spared no expense to assure guests have the very best possible experience.”

One place where the designers had some fun was the bowling alley, dubbed the Mine Shaft. “Breckenridge is known for its historical mining,” says Wells. “When we worked through schematic design of this, it was Lynn’s idea to turn it into a mining shaft. We turned a contemporary two-lane alley into a tunnel, clad with timbers and custom wall covering to resemble cave rock. Oil lamps hang from the beams and hazard warning areas were marked off.” And in line with its beautiful surroundings, the resort participates in RockResorts’ environmental efforts: offsetting 100 percent of its energy use, offering only the finest organic meats, dairy products, and vegetables, and adhering to green building standards, receiving three Green Globes for One Ski Hill Place.

By Tara Mastrelli
Hospitality Design

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PORTICO DESIGNERS VISIT THE HYTEC PLANT IN ARMSTRONG BC

Portico Designer’s Marion Nordin and Brenda Chiu were invited (amongst others) to the Hytec plant tour in Armstrong, BC. Brenda gave us a nice summary of their trip and shared some photos. Looks like the ladies had a GREAT time!

“Our trip started on Tuesday afternoon with a treat to the Sparkling Hills Kur Spa courtesy of Hytec. The moment you walk into the Sparkling Hills Hotel you can smell the aroma of different essentials oils coming from the spa just a few steps away from the sparkly lobby. Marion had a classic pedicure and I had a Fresh Glow facial. Marion’s treatment was in a bright room with floor to ceiling windows having spectacular views of the surrounding hills. I was in a nicely dimmed room with a heated treatment bed. I was refreshed after 16 luxurious facial products and 60 minutes of pampering. After our treatments, we visited the different steam rooms, saunas, sipped tea in their tea room then lounged at their outdoor infinity pool. The views from each room were just breath taking!

Dinner was at the Sparkling Hills Peak Fine Restaurant. Really, everywhere you go you see large impressive Swarovski crystal pendants. Even the dining chairs have crystals on them!
The dinner was enjoyed by our host Rosemarie from Hytec, Juanita and Julie from The Ensuite Bath & Kitchen Showroom, Christine, The Friendly Decorator and Alana, Designer.

We spent Tuesday night at the Predator Ridge Resort clubhouse and had an early start Wednesday with breakfast at 7:30am and the Hytec plant tour at 9:00am.

We met the plant manager Richard and he took us on an informative tour of their acrylic and gelcoat manufacturing process. We were not allowed to take any photos, possibly risking giving away their advance manufacturing process secrets (Shhhhh!). We were shown how an acrylic tub starts off with a sheet of white acrylic (or other color of your choice) that gets heated to a specific temperature, then gets stretched over the tub template made of metal. The template has air holes all over and air is sucked out making the acrylic mold to the template. This was a really cool process to see!
Then the tub goes through fiberglass reinforcement, trimmed, holes drilled, inspected, and then packaged. Sounds simple but most of these steps are done by hand (except the stretching of the sheet, which is done by a large machine). The workers there didn’t stop to chat or say “Hi”. They have a goal to reach and high quality to uphold, so nothing distracted them. Most tubs can be made in 7-10 days. Now we know why Hytec tubs cost more than others. It’s the design and high quality that goes into it.

We were surprised to learn that you can design your own tub if you have a minimum 250 tub order. For example, The Sparkling Hills have designed their own Hytec tubs, which they have a patent on, so no one else can use it.

The highlight of the trip was definitely the plant tour with a bonus at the Sparkling Hills Kur Spa. Thank you Hytec for sharing that experience with us! “ – Brenda Chiu

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