The Sights to See (From a Safe Distance) at DesignTO

Since 2011, January has been Designlines’ favourite month. Thanks to DesignTO, of course. Without Toronto’s annual festival of design, January would just be… cold. Instead there’s a schedule packed with events, talks and exhibitions taking place across the city. In the past we attended nearly all of them, handing out our coveted Designlines Loves tags to the most worthy shows, interiors and objects as we went.

Things are different this year. For one, the majority of DesignTO’s events and exhibits are being held virtually. And for two, we’re awarding our favourites with digital Loves tags. Click these links to see the events we’ve already tagged, at which you can Connect and Learn. The following batch of Loves tags go to these window installations because they hit the mark in terms of inspiring us and, quite simply, pleasing our eyes. Here are our top 5:

A Colourful Past

Saturday, January 22 to Sunday, January 31

Designed by Giaimo, a Toronto-based architecture and heritage conservation firm, ‘A Colourful Past’ puts the spotlight on The Hermant Buildings, a 1919 structure at 19 Dundas Street. Giaimo has lit up the facade, displaying an abstract interpretation of the many different historic narratives and unique features associated with the site. Read more about it here.

COFO and Stacklab

Saturday, January 22 to Sunday, January 31

Two of our favourite local furniture (and art) studios come together at Stackt Market (28 Bathurst St) to show off their latest work. From COFO we get a peek at its “Module at Home” collection which consists of a mount-as-you-like work-at-home solution, and from Stacklab we see the evolution of the studio’s Felt series. One visit to Stackt, two awesome collections!

Land is Life: Oasis Skateboard Factory x Aura Last

Saturday, January 22 to Sunday, January 31

The Oasis Skateboard Factory is an alternative TDSB high school program where students earn high school credits by building and selling skateboards and running a small design business. Aura Last is an art-maker and visual storyteller currently based on Dish with One Spoon Territory (Tkaronto). Together, Last and the students present a series of hand-made, beaded skateboards inspired by our relationships with nature. Read more about the installation here.

Night Drive Series: Furniture & Design Objects by Stoneface Co.

Saturday, January 22 to Sunday, January 31

‘Night Drive’ is a collection of black and white upholstered parallelogram-shaped seats punctuated by mahogany details brought to you by – the new to us – Melbourne/Toronto studio Stoneface Co. We’re especially excited to see how the mahogany details mimic gem cuts while saluting the varied aesthetics of the 1970s (think: hippie and glam). Stoneface Co. is one to watch. Read more here.

Tables, Chairs & Other Unrelated Objects 10 Retrospective

Saturday, January 22 to Sunday, January 31

TCOUO is an exhibition of work by OCAD University industrial design students. Now in its 10th year (!), this show has always been a favourite of ours due to the sheer abundance of creativity and surprising craftsmanship. The show is a great opportunity to see the work of past students and especially those working away on their designs now, in the same city, under lockdown. Note: this installation has moved online. Read more about it and see the work here.