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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The Elevation Empire


In December 2009 we bought a 90 year old, 3 storey commercial building on Queen Street East. It was a noble pile, but in need of care and attention - basic maintenance was an idea last visited in the 1970’s.  We moved from our Kingston Rd storefront to a   cozy, non-hierarchical office space (ie: small) on the second floor. However, without a retail presence on the ground floor we worried about visibility. We didn’t need a storefront, but we needed a sign.  It had to say “Elevation Architects lives here”.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Live/Work Loft on a Lane - A Modern Design!

THE SET UP
This 2 storey, 3000 ft2, light industrial building was zoned live/work.   It was being used as a prop house on the ground floor and living space on the second floor. There were two enclosed staircases to the second floor and many small dark rooms. An unstable spiral staircase led to the 3rd floor catwalk entrance to the roof deck. A rotting green house with leaky window sat on the roof.

 With the 11 foot ceilings, exposed steel structure and unobstructed floor plate this pile of bricks had potential! Originally the clients had planned to make just a few small changes....move a few walls, change a few fixtures, update the kitchen, a good scrub and a coat of paint...... It became apparent through a brief design investigation that a bolder intervention would be required.



THE CLIENTS DESIGN BRIEF

The owners needs were simple – a couple of bedrooms, a multi-media studio, professional kitchen, expansive walls for a fantastic  art collection, massive and uninterrupted living space for soirees,  and roof deck capable of accommodating 50 for dinner...and possibly dancing.



OUR CUNNING PLAN
We decided to turn the space upside down.  With the bedrooms, studio and storage on the ground floor, the entire second floor could be devoted to living/entertaining space.  The existing steel structure allowed the design to be entirely open concept.  And, of course, a big space screams out for a big stair – an organizing element that ties all the spaces together – from the ground floor entry hall to the 3rd floor roof terrace.  The stair became the star of the space.

 THE DETAILS
The five foot wide switchback steel stair with glass rails was expertly fabricated by RealeBorn




The existing ground floor concrete slab was a bit of a mess.  We levelled it with a lightweight concrete topping and included in-floor hydronic heat.  The floor was polished and sealed. 

The smaller bedroom has a sleeping loft with walk-in closet and ensuite bath below – it’s very cool.

Rolling barn doors and pocket doors are custom sizes



The kitchen cabinet doors and gables were constructed out of resin (Olympic kitchens, “parapan” high gloss acrylic)....it’s very cool.
Brilliant green paint finish on the drywall window returns eliminated the need for casing/trim – yeah.







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Friday, February 4, 2011

Welcome!

We've finally dragged Julia and Maxine (the partners), kicking and screaming, into the blogosphere.  On our blog, you'll find useful ideas to help you design your space for work, family or leisure. We'll be posting news from architectural publications and stories about adventures in renovating ... our own space and our clients'. And since we all love food -- you can find us here at the office, noshing on delectable tidbits almost any day of the week -- maybe we'll even share a recipe or two. We're really looking forward to receiving your comments and questions. Check back to see what's happening here at Elevate Your Space.