An Honest Farewell

Honest Ed's is one of Toronto's most iconic landmarks. Located in the heart of the Annex, Honest Ed's has been a Toronto fixture since it's opening in 1948. As fate would have it, the land was sold in 2013 to private developers to make way for condominiums - an all too familiar trend in Toronto.

To pay homage to this celebrated institution, the Centre for Social Innovation hosted An Honest Farewell, a four-day long festival of art, live performances, parties, and interactive installations, all within the Honest Ed's building. I was able to check out aMAZEment, and it was by far one of the coolest experiences I've ever had in Toronto. The many rooms, stairwells, and corridors of Honest Ed's were transformed into an interactive gallery of artwork and performances by local artists and members of the community alike. Honest Ed's would have made a fantastic permanent art space, and I hope in the future the City of Toronto puts more effort into maintaining our unique urban history.

Farewell Honest Ed's - you will be missed.

Interior Design Show 2017

The beginning of the year is always an exciting time for design. Trends forecasted over the past few months are finally being realized, bringing fresh new perspectives to designers and clients alike. The Interior Design Show provides a great opportunity to see what the year has in store for furniture, appliances, materials, and products. The energy on Trades Day is contagious; among the maze of eccentric booths, well-dressed individuals from all over the world, and energetic keynote speakers, it's hard not to feel excited about design.

This year's show featured a number of memorable booths. Ceasarstone, a leading manufacturer of quartz countertops, presented a fantastic collaboration with Spanish designer Jaime Hayon, in which cartoon faces made of stone were placed throughout their expansive exhibition space. The Design Boom Mart, a perennial favourite of mine, showcased talented Canadian designers such as Contour & Co and F&Y design. The star of the show, however, was the exhibit by Partisans. The architecture firm behind the decadent curves of Bar Raval teamed up with LightForm to demonstrate the process behind their whimsical light sculptures. It was amazing to see how they used heat to manipulate the shape and form of the plastic to create a work of art. A few trends I noticed at this year's show included fabric as art, modern classics, and luxe kitchens. The Miele appliances were just stunning.

As always, another great year at IDS. For more design inspiration, check out my recaps of 2014, 2015, and 2016.