The NEW Design Hotspot

Urbanscape’s (2959 Dundas) move here a year back has been a huge boost to the vitality of the neighborhood. But The Junction has always been a hotbed of creativity. Here’s a sampler.

At one end you have Martin Scott [or Shrek as Rita Zekas of the Star calls him], the proprietor of Forever Interiors (2903 Dundas). Martin sells furniture, but he’s no Bad Boy. Part artist, part visionary and all green, Martin not just recycles, he reinvents. A stack of floorboards has an avatar as a beautiful hallway mirror. Wood from a bowling alley floor comes back to life as a coffee tabletop. Martin counts Rachel McAdams as a client btw. So dont be surprised, if you’re in his store, and you get to rub elbows with film celebrities.

At the other end of the spectrum you have the cornerstone to the furniture business in the neighborhood. Actually that’s their name – the Cornerstone Interiors (2886 Dundas). You also have Post & Beam Reclamation (2869 Dundas) for whom the business has been so good, they are opening another store just across the street.

While Urbanscape is the newest entrant, they are not the only players on the arts scene in the neighborhood. Before Urbanopathy there was Latitude 44 (2900 Dundas) that carries original art by some of Canada’s best artists.

It may be too much to expect Karim Rashid or Tobias Wong to set up shop here, but we believe we are slowly gaining the critical mass to be THE hotspot for avant garde design in Toronto. Queen street, frankly, has jumped the shark.