Best of Design Week, Day 4: Stylish Spectacles and Student Prototypes

Throughout Toronto Design Week, we awarded the top 100 products (& other cool stuff) we spotted with our custom Designlines Loves tags, specially designed by Sali Tabacchi.

Below is the fourth batch of designs that caught our attention. Keep track of everything we tagged in our master list.

Titled Moravian Remediation, this proposal is part of a Ryerson Department of Architectural Science show collecting students’ ideas about how to improve a stretch of the Thames River in Moraviantown. Acknowledging the ways the Delaware Nation who call the surrounding area home have been wronged over the years, the team behind this scheme designed a “bridge over troubled waters.” A marshy water filtration system creates a small pool for swimming or skating, joined by a pavilion that celebrates indigenous culture. We were impressed by the thoughtful concept, and appreciate how it addresses all of the seasons.
Tagged by Eric Mutrie at Collaborative Exercise 2016: Water, at the Paul H. Cocker Gallery, 325 Church St

Another Ryerson student project, this glowing cylinder houses its own microclimate. Duck inside to activate gentle drumming mechanisms that mimic the pitter patter of April showers. Dubbed Rainmaker, the installation is one of seven high-tech designs included in the school’s Digital Prototypes show.
Tagged by Eric Mutrie at Digital Tools Prototypes 2016, at the Ryerson Department of Architectural Science, 325 Church St

Talk about a bright idea! Artist Giorgio Cecatto (AKA Cek)’s concrete bust Eureka lamp, on display in the window of Suite 22 Interiors, would make a great addition to any mad scientist’s mod laboratory.
Tagged by Eric Mutrie at CEK – Concrete Pieces, at Suite 22 Interiors, 429 Richmond St

Featuring recessed LEDs diffused with frosted acrylic, the Baldwin light is part of a collection of Hollis+Morris designs being showcased at Klaus. Sure to be a hit with Bowie fans, the lightning bolt-shaped sconce brings rock n’ roll attitude to any wall.
Tagged by Eric Mutrie at hollis+morris @klaus, at Klaus, 300 King St E

We love learning about Toronto’s production capabilities and how local designers push them forward. Primary, a new product collection at Made – initiated by industrial designers Shaun Moore & Kate Tessier with members of Toronto Made – does both. See Tessier’s acetate glasses, inspired by the “O” of typeface Garamond. Midtown manufacturer Guild Eyewear uses its proprietary software to adjust the form to face type.
Tagged by Tory Healy at Made Primary, at Made, 394 King St E

Designed by Coolican and Company and produced in collaboration with Turn of the Century Lighting, this pendant is another of our favourites from Made’s new Primary collection. An elegant mix of brass and walnut makes for a look that is both contemporary and timeless.
Tagged by Eric Mutrie at Made Primary, at Made, 394 King St E

RADform stages several scenes with Ibride’s made-in-France, fairytale-esque furnishings. Sculptural crows peck at side tables & swoop from the ceiling; bears & rams host books & baubles and wall-mounted valets conceal foyer storage – there’s even secret drawers – behind Renaissance-style portraits. All are made from high-pressure laminate.
Tagged by Tory Healy at Mobilier de Compagnie, at RADform, 201 Frederick St, Ste #103

Mass LBP’s installation encourages viewers to read between the dots. Produced by moimoi Design, the graphic portal offers a glimpse into what the public consultancy does: delivering policy-makers with citizens’ opinions on topics like transit investment, cancer care, land-use planning, mental health policy & public housing. The dots represent data accumulated since 2007.
Tagged by Tory Healy at En Masse, at MASS LBP, 392A King St E

Spotted at OCAD U‘s student show, Tables Chairs and Other Unrelated Objects, Parya Vahdat’s Rock-A-Bounce rocker has a playful, subtly Bauhaus vibe. We like the conversation taking place between the mahogany veneered-wiggle board seat back and cutout headrest, and appreciate how the top has been spun around so the curve better fits the form of the sitter.
Tagged by David Dick-Agnew at Tables, Chairs & Other Unrelated Objects 5, at OCAD U Student Gallery, 52 McCaul St