SF Cribs: The places behind the clothes

Are there any swinging '70s bachelor pads in Toronto? You know the type with lots of chrome and state-of-the-art in 1975 technology--reel-to-reel players, dictaphones, wall-installed intercoms, etc.

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Well, I can't vouch for individual 70's electronics taste within apartments, but there certainly are the vintage era infrastructure to work with. While most big NA cities were seeing their inner city cores imploding, Toronto was in its halcyon days...about 200 highrise apartment buildings were erected in 1968 alone in the city. You know...the ones with the swanky lobby "lounges" with either very Scando, Jetsons or Baroque decor. Toronto had a bit of elbow room, so these buildings tended to have landcaped "grounds" and grand entrances with those parabolic arches over the entrances, fountains, etc....and really over-the-top names for the buildings.

They're still around...and some of them are even enjoying a renaissance after a couple of decades of neglect. This kinda thing...........
















And speaking of 70's electronics...I have an eye on one of those sleek, touch sensitive 70's B&O receivers for my mom's condo...she's not really into audio, but I remember her thinking they were so cool back when she saw one when they first came out.

Freshcut, you ever see the inside of the Colonade units? What are they like?

Never been inside a unit, but my retired barber who worked out of Yorkville used to tell me about his wild parties when he had an apartment there in the 70's....quite the hip place. Bachelors start at $1600...wonder what the penthouse with the private pool costs?

I know I love that little fountain with the gilt sculpture inside...






Speaking of swank apartments, right across the street, on top of a 60's office building, is the 10,000 sqft Torno Penthouse...apparently designed by Phillip Johnson. When I was a little kid, I used to visit my mom's office at the top of another office building right across from it, and used to look over at it and wonder how cool it was to have an one-off apartment on the top of an office building....even cooler to have it completely custom-furnished with wall-to-wall T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings!

A friend of mine who is a photographer stayed with us over the weekend and took a bunch of shots of our house. I thought that the photos turned out really well and wanted to share.

Exterior:





Living room:







Study:



Dining room:



Breakfast room:



Kitchen:



Master bedroom:





Guest bedroom:



Hallway:

cool place spertia, i like your living room especially - looks very comfortable
its different to see a sink placement like that in the guest bedroom

^^Your study looks especially nice

Very cool house spertia. A little too 70's retro-"themed" for my personal taste but without a doubt great execution on that theme. I am particularly impressed by how clean and uncluttered the house is.

Too bad most of the interior pics are taken at night - would be nice to see how much natural light comes in

There is no way that a house that cool exists in Tennesse.

Explain yourself man!

K

Nice house, kind of 70s but also modern. That white unupholstered couch in the master bedroom looks uncomfortable though.

How far from the city -- whichever city that is -- do you live?

I like the common spaces the most. The bedrooms are a bit extreme. Also, your art seems a bit too matchy-matchy with your furniture, and too many walls are just bare.

A stunning place nevertheless.

Spertia,

Your house is a bit modern for my own tastes but it looks really cool. Very consistent in design and quite liveable.

Thanks for all of the comments and compliments, guys. A few responses:

Originally Posted by FlyingLotus

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its different to see a sink placement like that in the guest bedroom

There is a story behind that. When the original owners commissioned the house, they requested a "teenager wing" for their two oldest kids. As a result, there are two bedrooms across the hall from each other, with a bathroom in the middle at the end of the hall. Each bedroom has its own sink/vanity, because the parents didn't want the kids arguing over the lone sink in the shared bathroom when they were getting ready for school.

Originally Posted by gdl203

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A little too 70's retro-"themed" for my personal taste but without a doubt great execution on that theme.

Thanks, we have been collecting late 60s and early 70s furniture for about 10 years now, thus the apparent "theme." The house was designed in 1972, so we were happy to find an appropriate place to house our collection.

Originally Posted by VKK3450

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There is no way that a house that cool exists in Tennesse.

Explain yourself man!


Haha, see below....

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

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How far from the city -- whichever city that is -- do you live?

We live in a very small town (population under 20,000) about 75 miles from Nashville. The house is a real anomaly, as we are surrounded by traditional Southern homes. There are quite a few older brick ranch houses in the neighborhood as well as large clusters of newer McMansions. When we were looking to move to middle Tennessee (my extended family is in another town here), we were willing to consider any town but knew that finding a modernist house would be tough. Since I work from home, exact location was not important. We really couldn't believe it when came across the listing for this house.

Unfortunately my wife wants to move back to California.... It is depressing to think what sort of property we would be able to purchase there for the same price as our TN house.

A little too 70's retro-"themed" for my personal taste but without a doubt great execution on that theme.

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On the contrary, I find it to be dead-on authentic. If it weren't for a few minor tell-tale details (light switches, Newson vase, lack of plants, etc), I could easily be fooled to think those photos were circa 1973.

This is not your "Jonathan Adler" style retro interpretation of the early 70's at all.

It might be a bit atypical for the location...very north-east.

I like the fact that the house (inside and out) & grounds appear to be unmolested...you are so lucky to have found something in such vintage condition.

Still a work in progress? What are your future plans/purchases?

P.S. That high ceiling is screaming for a Calder (esque) hanging mobile.

Yes, you need some graphic wallpaper that covers up the light switch plates to get that full '70s effect. Maybe some large ferns and cigarette burns in the sofas.

Originally Posted by freshcutgrass

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On the contrary, I find it to be dead-on authentic. If it weren't for a few minor tell-tale details (light switches, Newson vase, lack of plants, etc), I could easily be fooled to think those photos were circa 1973.
I agree - I thought that's the point I was making