As the president of Curated Properties, Adam Oschshorn has used his 25 years in the development business to upgrade the old boiler factory on Bartlett, which was originally going to be used as a site to build townhouses, into a vision of beautiful, genuine loft spaces—Lanehouse.
“When I toured this building, I felt like I was in New York in a loft building…so I was like screw that, we’re going to save this building,” said Oschshorn.
By visiting the birthplace of lofts—Williamsburg, New York—Oschshorn was able to bring different elements and new ideas to this Toronto location, while keeping the original exposed brick and steel accents.
“The location is very unique because we’re in a lane way…you don’t see any cars, you don’t hear any traffic, so you’re within the middle of the city, but you still have peace and quiet.”
Curated Properties is an innovator in its field and showcased their creativity during a showcase on March 27, 2014. The company brought in local designers and artists to accentuate aspects of the building and Jano Badovinac’s yarn bombing project was the star of the show. Badovinac is an industrial designer and head creative director of Fugitive Glue, which primarily focuses on reclaimed materials.
“I look at extending new life to products that would previously go to scrap or just get smeltered,” said Badovinac. The creative focus for this project was to reclaim the space, which was originally a yarn factory before it was even a boiler factory. “The idea was to incorporate yarn bombing into the space,” by bringing in certain highlights such as knit-covered pillars and a yarn bar. According to Badovinac, this “created nice dynamic flow to the space and took advantage of the height of the ceilings,” adding that he was very impressed by the seclusion the alleyway provides and said that the building has “true loft bones.”
“I find that a lot of properties in Toronto try to force the loft aspect, where this is a true loft. They didn’t do it in a cheesy way, didn’t do force exposed ducting.”
When it came to yarn bombing the coveted alcove, the young artist described it as a type of graffiti, although Badovinac said it seems “less destructive in the fact that it’s temporary,” adding that he thinks people have more appreciation for it because not only is it a team effort, but it’s very versatile and adaptive.
Samer Shaath and partner Kevin Chan—owners of interior design company, Nivek Remas—are the brains behind the residential facet of the property to life. “These spaces offer so much more character, the building itself is asking for a particular type of design and direction in design,” said Shaath. Having only started his company two years ago, Shaath said their main goal is to bring something new to this market of real estate. “We want to let a little bit of luxury, but not be pretentious and keep things very approachable and not scare people of.” Comfort in the spaces is a large factor in the design phase.
Finally, amidst all the yarn work, it is hard to miss the few models playfully meandering around the swing installation in the middle of the main room. Dressed in up-cycled wearables, the fashion statements made by the models are all thanks to regenerative designer, Sara Torrie—founder of her company, Sartoria. Using cashmere and merino wool, Torrie was able to create a “base layer collection for winter that is fun and functional and also a little sexy.” Torrie is especially excited for this project because the wool she uses is in fact perfect active wear (hence the swings) and actually helps keep moisture off the body, while keeping the wearer warm.
With initial approval from the city of Toronto and the neighbourhood on side with the project, Curated Properties hopes to begin construction this fall.
By: Julia Ho
