Name: Garret
Location: Historic Distillery District — Toronto, Canada
Like many of my fellow Apartment Therapy readers, I lead a very busy metropolitan life in the city. Working in the marketing industry, I'm always on the go. I generally work hard and play even harder. Because of this, I need to have a sanctuary where I can take a few minutes to recharge my batteries. As with most major cities, the price of real estate in Toronto is astronomical. The skyline of Toronto is littered with new condo developments; many offering great amenities. Two years ago, I chose to purchase a new soft loft that has just been build right in the historic Distillery District of Toronto.
The area has very charming brick-lined streets and amazing restored Victorian Industrial buildings. There are great restaurants, cafes, shops and theatres. The area is almost always alive and vibrant. I chose the building because of the area and the great amenities, which included a large outdoor pool deck, perfect for summer barbecues, pool parties and entertaining!
When I took occupancy of my unit two years ago, I was completely shocked how much smaller it was than I had imagined. Even though my 550 square foot unit has a great layout, it was still a challenge to incorporate all the different functions into the space. It was important for me to be able to incorporate separate dining, entertaining, sleeping and working functions, while still maintaining the openness that first attracted me to the unit. The unit also has a large 60 square foot balcony overlooking the distillery district. It's a perfect outdoor space for enjoying a latte and watching the bustle of Distillery while reading a magazine with my dog, Hunter!
Inside, I chose to use warm orange and cream as the main colour palate for the space which complemented the chocolate brown floors very nicely. The exposed concrete ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows helped to create an industrial feeling which really makes the space fit nicely into the Distillery District community. Knowing that this space would be my home for the next 2-3 years, I chose to invest in some good quality pieces while using some other inexpensive pieces from IKEA and other big-box retailers. I've used stainless steel and other "vintage looking" accents to maintain the industrial feeling.
I'm not sure that I will ever completely "finish" working on this space. It serves as a canvas for me to constantly play with, serving as my creative outlet. This space, though not perfect, is a great environment for me to relax, entertain and work in. Until I decide to leap into a bigger place and start the whole process again, this is my home, and I am very proud of it.
Thanks Garret!
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I always wondered what those distillery district spaces were like - how high are the ceilings? The orange must be nice for those grey Toronto winter days. Nice to see another TO space.
(and weirdly, I have the same bedding in blue. Must be a TO thing.)
Your place is very well put together. I wasn't sure if I was going to be a fan of the orange but after seeing the whole picture I think you picked a great color scheme. My place is very similar to yours when it comes to neighborhood, layout, square footage....definitely taking some ideas I got from your pictures and applying them to my space.
Chic bachelor pad. Great job Canada!!
I love how close the bar is to the bed ;)
All joking aside this is a great inspiration for incorporating different functions in your space . Thanks!
i never liked those wine racks... but now i'm in love... very smart
how did you choose such a great orange??? Can you share what colour this is?
Just PERFECT!!!!! Great job!!!!!!
I like your modern sensibility: the colors are warm, yet the style is clean and uncluttered. It closely matches my own decor approach. Your views and the balcony are outstanding. I regret getting a place without a big balcony. The stainless table really fits in with your kitchen and the office area is perfect for a small space. Great job!
Lovely. And I've never seen one of those wine racks for laying flat atop cabinets (genius); where would I get one?
Elizabeth II, the wine racks are from Ikea. Usually they hang from the ceiling or underneath a cabinet, a cabinet... I like how Garret has used them on top of his cabinets instead.
I like the place except for the bedroom. The view with the deck is nice, and the chairs/stools at the table are great.
In the bedroom, the fake head is cheesy, you need to put away at least some of the booze, and most importantly I count EIGHT PILLOWS on your bed.
I LOVE the "fake head". Where did you get it?!
Too CB2 catalogue for me.
I still like it as a whole (as I wrote earlier), but I agree that the alcohol next to bed makes the area look like a unrefined hotel room. The busy pattern of the comforter does not seem to fit in with the rest of the design aesthetic.
It seems like some version of model animal heads on the wall is the "in" thing to do now. I just watch another episode of David Bromstad's "Color Splash" and this is the second or third project where he mounted a fake animal head on a wall.
TO reppin'.
Sorry, had to.
Everything is perfect up until the last picture. Not a fan of the tacky bedspread and worse pillows. Kind of pulls the plug on the general chic-ness of everything else. Just sayin.
I agree that you've really maximized the potential with the lay-out. Everything fits together really well. I like the orange a lot. I do agree about the headboard and the booze in the bedroom but maybe that's the only place for it. Also, I think the brown floral bed set is quite busy and kind of brings down the orange.
not a fan of a bar table/chairs as the dining furnitures.
You did a nice job with your space. I would not pick orange ever in life but you made it look really nice.
I always wanted to live in this area. Nice to see a place from here. There is great food and an amazing chocolate shop Soma. mmmm. Sadly, it is too far from subway line for me to consider when I lived in Toronto. And I thought prices in Toronto were decent, esepcially compared to Vancouver. However, I think the Distillery District is a little pricier (but still cheaper than Vancouver) than other areas (excluding the super pricy hotel ones like Shangri-la or Ritz, those don't even count lol)