Our Top 10 Design Stories of 2017, as Chosen by You
The votes are in. These are the most read, dog-eared and shared design stories of 2017. Spoiler alert: It was a very good year
They say you vote with your dollars. Around these parts, we only count clicks.
2017 was a landslide for design stories of all types, with inspiring home tours, the frenzy of Design Week and a tiny-but-mighty architecture firm coming out on top.
The Digs
Our ode to industrial Sterling Road, the site of our current office, was one of the most popular stories of the year. It’s no wonder: our rhymes are tight and our new neighbours – such as Coolican & Company, Brothers Dressler and Noble Coffee – crazy bright. Pictured above is our view of MOCA’s future home from our rooftop.
The Belle
You couldn’t get enough of this magical home in Lesliville, including this brass Tom Dixon pendant. Honestly, we’re still not over it. Built for an athletic family with impeccable taste by Arriz + Co and Altius Architecture, every inch of the expansive abode is worth re-visitng.
The Firm
Last year, architecture studios like Firma looked to the city’s 300 kilometres of public laneways to help alleviate the housing shortage. For these local talents, the tighter squeeze, the more inventive the project. Take the multi-generational Boyer House, which was built on the back lot of a single family home to provide housing for a client’s ageing parents.
The Fête
Our coverage of Design Week caught your attention. You followed us along as we trudged through the snow to see striking exhibitions of new, mind-expanding work, and to be seen in our winter finest at parties all across town. Come Up to My Room, the annual artsy Gladstone Hotel takeover was as enchanting as ever, while the Toronto Design Offsite Festival‘s (TO DO) Outside the Box expanded our view of North American design.
The Loft
We chose this loft as one of our all-time favourite renovations last week. Looking at the metrics, you agreed with our choice. The secret to achieving the airy feel of this living space? Buckets of cloud white paint, layered over pre-existing bricks and a black accent wall.
The Hearts
Each year, during Design Week, the editorial team at DL showers the city with our Loves tags. In 2017, we handed them out to 100 fascinating, beautiful and zany things at the Interior Design Show and TO DO. Look out for our newly designed tags this January in our newest issue, and haging out about town. We made them together with the master of reflections, Jordan Söderberg Mills.
The Yard
We’ve seen many of the most adept designs stumble at the threshold to the outdoors. This slated canopy space by Anya Moryoussef and Gregory Beck Rubin in Bloor West Village is a graceful continuation of thier client’s living room, as if the open air enclosure where merely another room in the house.
The Kitchen
It’s pretty clear why you loved this kitchen reno in Trinity Bellwoods. Who wouldn’t want to take the bistro experience home with them? The striking tin ceiling, painted black for a high-contrast look, is a standout. But it’s the classics, such as a subway-tile backsplash and trio of pendant lamps that make the source material accesible to all.
The Hearth
A wood burning fireplace both unites and divides the living room in this Leaside new build by Sixteen Degree Studio, designed for a young family accustomed to living in airy loft spaces. Their light-filled achievement was one of your favourite home tours of the year – we loved its restrained approach to open-concept.
The Songbird
One day we’ll stop talking about how much we love Martina Sorbara’s renovated house in Bloorcourt Village, and maybe we’ll stop playing her soulful music on loop. Today is not that day – we loved this home tour, and so did you.
We’ll see you in 2018.
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