The Toronto International Design Festival kicks off today for a week of seemingly non-stop showcases, schmoozes and symposiums (see full schedule here). Many of the world’s most distinguished designers are jetting into town to take part in IDS 11 (January 27 – 30), the prestigious design fair at the centre of TIDF.
Hometown talent is taking full advantage of the buzz to strut their stuff alongside the international influx. Last week, I was treated to a tour of the brand new Templar Hotel (348 Adelaide Street West) where things were surprisingly calm considering the amount of work necessary to get the construction site ready for Thursday night’s coming out party. The 27-room boutique hotel won’t be open for business until spring but designer Del Terrelonge (rhed), above left, and partner John Wee Tom aren’t missing this chance to pull back the curtain on their proudest achievement yet.
Terrelonge will also be a star on the IDS convention floor where he has not just one, but two major installations, a 600-square foot pod modelled after his work for the under-construction Prince Edward Country resort, Templar Lake on the Mountain, and a specially constructed Tea House, part of a Corian exhibition featuring the work of five Canadian design teams.
Terrelonge’s otherwise Zen demeanour was at odds with his obvious excitement as he showed me around his new hotel last week. The rhed team designed everything from the building, left, right down to the soft furnishings.
Terrelonge and Wee Tom purchased the small Adelaide Street plot back in 1998, demonstrating remarkable foresight; their hotel is now just two blocks away from TIFF Bell Lightbox and the rest of the John Street Cultural Corridor.
“When we bought the property people thought we were out of our minds,” remembers the designer, “but to me it was a no-brainer. When you can stand on a corner and look down to the financial district and walk there in 10 minutes, how could we go wrong? We figured that eventually the action had to come here.”
Terrelonge started out as a graphic designer then moved on to interiors and ultimately to architecture. It’s an audacious stretch in an industry that puts a lot of emphasis on credentials.
“It’s taken a lot of years to get here and it’s been an interesting journey,” confirms the designer. “We have a full staff at the office including architects, as well as outside consultants from engineers to heating and electrical specialists, you name it.
“The kind of work we’ve done has kept us above the fray, has allowed us to do our own thing. I don’t have to go through the standard channels of acceptance. I admire the great designers and architects we have here in Toronto but we’re doing our own thing with Templar and the company represents our vision. THIS,” he says, motioning to the hotel taking shape around us, “is our validation.”
Terrelonge has travelled and worked around the world but he’s a major booster for Toronto, a place he has always believed “could and would become an international city; it’s a small city still, but it will grow into that.”
Events like IDS and TIDF can only help.
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looking to speak to the owners of the Lake on the Mountain property. Thanks
Gail