Winter Stations

On an unseasonably beautiful Sunday a few weekends ago, I eagerly headed to the east end to check out this year's winners of Winter Stations. Scattered throughout Kew, Balmy, and Ashbridges Bay beaches, Winter Stations is an annual design competition that sees the lifeguard stands along Toronto's beachfront re-imagined for the winter landscape.

I loved the creativity behind last year's installations - you can check out my post here - so naturally, I had high hopes for the 2016 exhibit. However, I was a little disappointed. There was obvious disparity between the concept and execution of some of the installations - great ideas on paper that fell flat once built. Whether this was due to poor foresight in the design stage or just the obvious wear and tear of Toronto winters (and the fact I caught the exhibit close to the end), I'm hoping we see some great installations in 2017. 

Flow by Calvin Fung and Victor Huynh. This one was my favourite.

Floating Ropes by MUDO (Elodie Doukhan and Nicolas Mussche).

In the Belly of a Bear by Caitlind Brown, Wayne Garrett, and Lane Shordee.

Lithothorm by Ryerson University.

Aurora Borealis by Laurentian University.

Sauna by FFLO (Claire Furnley and James Fox).

Interior Design Show 2016

The Interior Design Show is my favourite design event in Toronto. Similar to IIDEX but focused solely on the interior design profession, IDS is an exciting opportunity to network, source new ideas and inspiration, and observe the year's anticipated trends in the interior design industry. This was my third year attending - check out my previous recaps from 2015 and 2014 - and I was surprised to witness how grand the exhibition has grown, in both general attendance and international acknowledgement. World-renowned British industrial designer Tom Dixon - famous for his signature pendant lighting - was this year's International Guest of Honour and a fantastic addition to the 2016 line-up, successfully proving that the Interior Design Show is indeed a world-class design expo.

Some of my favourite finds from this year include: the Kings of India, an intricately illustrated deck of cards by designer Humble Raja at the designboom mart; the Habitat for Humanity home built entirely out of toy blocks, designed to raise awareness on the importance of adequate family housing; the Caviar20 showroom which featured the evolution of modern chair design amongst a enviable collection of contemporary art; and the WOODLOVE display, an interactive space showcasing the use of material Ontario Wood through innovative goods and products. My only issue with this year's show? The FRAME booth was nowhere to be found: IDS is the only place you can find a reasonable subscription to MARK and Elephant. Fingers crossed for next year!