fluid living settles in on king
Fluid Living is taking going green one step further. Not only is owner Roy Banse sourcing Canadian hardwoods from sustainable sources, he is working to make his new store at Bathurst and Niagara Sts. environmentally friendly. With Mark Knopfler's catchy licks playing in the background, Banse explains that the reception desk is created from reclaimed wood from palettes and skids that otherwise might end up in landfill.
He plans to use it to clad the concrete walls of the store. He's also installing overhead metal halide lighting, which is vastly more energy efficient than halogen or incandescent. Even products used to clean the store are environmentally friendly, he says.
This past summer, Fluid Living relocated from its 6,000-square-foot home in the Distillery District to 35 Bathurst St. at the corner of Niagara St. With skirt large windows on the west and south, "what's really exciting for us is just the pure exposure," Banse says. Though he liked the Distillery's feel, the emphasis was more on entertainment than retail, he says.
"We wanted to be where, strategically, we would be easily found by our customers." The King St. west area has a "Soho" feel, with a series of new, midrise condo projects, restaurants and independent stores drawing people to it. "King West is the new Queen West," says Banse, whose first incarnation of Fluid Living was at 622 Queen St.
W.
"It's a great lifestyle mix for condo dwellers down here." With his store enshrined in the base of the Thompson Toronto, a 102-room boutique condo hotel slated to open in summer 2009, Banse is collaborating with its design firm to create a unique brand of furniture for its rooms. Though he sees this as a complementary service under his Fluid Design banner, he's mainly interested in growing his own rBanse furniture line.
Banse, 45, was inspired to create his own furniture after a stint in London as a currency trader. Influenced by Terence Conran, who brought the Scandinavian style to the masses, Banse began taking furniture design courses part-time. He says he always knew he was going to make the transition, but wasn't sure when.
London was a great hub and it was there he encountered French designer Christian Liagre and Australian Mark Newson, whose styles he admired. Relocating to his hometown of Toronto in 1998, Banse wanted to open a store to showcase his own lines and those of other emerging designers, such as Montreal's Daniel Perez. He still has one of Perez's first pieces: the Hampton sofa.
"I was pretty much his first customer," Banse says. Later, he added some Hampton chairs, which adorn his New York style apartment-turned-condo, The Clarendon. Banse says Perez's quality compares to European lines and offers value for Canadians.
A three-seater sofa, for example, sells for $2,500 to $3,000; chairs cost around $1,800 to $2,000. Sectionals, such as the vibrant red components showcased on the floor, range from $5,500 to $6,000, denim depending on fabric choices. Calligaris makes another favoured line. These Italian-made chairs have fabric coverings attached by Velcro, which makes them easy to take off and clean.
Banse believes there's a flight back to quality, so he carries no cheap Asian imports. "We believe in longevity," he says. He sources wood for his furniture from suppliers in remote parts of Ontario who demolish old barns. The clapboard siding and pine beams add texture and lend a rustic air.
His hardwood tables are sourced from sustainable forests, too. "You can easily blend the furniture with more traditional pieces," he explains. Twenty years from now, they will still be in style.
He tries to steer people away from trying to match dining chairs to tables, for example. "People are now open to new ideas," he says. "People are being a bit more experimental.
We like to encourage that.
" One advantage of his own line is that tables can be customized. "We're open to that sort of thing," says Banse, who adds that it's a big advantage for customers with smaller spaces. The standard size is six feet by three feet, but he has customers with 650-square-foot condos as well as 2,000- to 3,000-square-foot ones.
It's important that customers choose furniture with the correct scale for their living space. Many of his customers are empty nesters, who have sold a big house and want to experience the downtown lifestyle. With it comes new furniture. "It becomes a makeover process," he says.
Others are repeat clients, adding to their collection or furnishing summer denim homes. His in-house line of hard case goods is manufactured in Toronto and his sofa line will be produced by a noted Montreal manufacturer. Pieces in the rBanse line are named after streets or areas in London.
For example, The Clerkenwell Table, which is eight feet long, starts at $3,995, and goes up depending on choice of woods; a six-foot version is $3,595. The Savoy Mirror, which is surrounded by textured white oak, is $1,495. The Islington Table, with notched leg, starts at $3,595 and runs to $4,495.
A coffee table version starts at $1,895.
The platform, queen-sized Belgravia Bed, starting at $3,495, has a lip on the headboard to make it look as if it's flush with the wall, to leave room for baseboards. No box spring is needed. The Finsbury Bed, also platform-style, starts at $3,495. All furniture comes in white oak, walnut, or cherry.
Other woods are available upon request.
Fluid Living is at 35 Bathurst distressed
He plans to use it to clad the concrete walls of the store. He's also installing overhead metal halide lighting, which is vastly more energy efficient than halogen or incandescent. Even products used to clean the store are environmentally friendly, he says.
This past summer, Fluid Living relocated from its 6,000-square-foot home in the Distillery District to 35 Bathurst St. at the corner of Niagara St. With skirt large windows on the west and south, "what's really exciting for us is just the pure exposure," Banse says. Though he liked the Distillery's feel, the emphasis was more on entertainment than retail, he says.
"We wanted to be where, strategically, we would be easily found by our customers." The King St. west area has a "Soho" feel, with a series of new, midrise condo projects, restaurants and independent stores drawing people to it. "King West is the new Queen West," says Banse, whose first incarnation of Fluid Living was at 622 Queen St.
W.
"It's a great lifestyle mix for condo dwellers down here." With his store enshrined in the base of the Thompson Toronto, a 102-room boutique condo hotel slated to open in summer 2009, Banse is collaborating with its design firm to create a unique brand of furniture for its rooms. Though he sees this as a complementary service under his Fluid Design banner, he's mainly interested in growing his own rBanse furniture line.
Banse, 45, was inspired to create his own furniture after a stint in London as a currency trader. Influenced by Terence Conran, who brought the Scandinavian style to the masses, Banse began taking furniture design courses part-time. He says he always knew he was going to make the transition, but wasn't sure when.
London was a great hub and it was there he encountered French designer Christian Liagre and Australian Mark Newson, whose styles he admired. Relocating to his hometown of Toronto in 1998, Banse wanted to open a store to showcase his own lines and those of other emerging designers, such as Montreal's Daniel Perez. He still has one of Perez's first pieces: the Hampton sofa.
"I was pretty much his first customer," Banse says. Later, he added some Hampton chairs, which adorn his New York style apartment-turned-condo, The Clarendon. Banse says Perez's quality compares to European lines and offers value for Canadians.
A three-seater sofa, for example, sells for $2,500 to $3,000; chairs cost around $1,800 to $2,000. Sectionals, such as the vibrant red components showcased on the floor, range from $5,500 to $6,000, denim depending on fabric choices. Calligaris makes another favoured line. These Italian-made chairs have fabric coverings attached by Velcro, which makes them easy to take off and clean.
Banse believes there's a flight back to quality, so he carries no cheap Asian imports. "We believe in longevity," he says. He sources wood for his furniture from suppliers in remote parts of Ontario who demolish old barns. The clapboard siding and pine beams add texture and lend a rustic air.
His hardwood tables are sourced from sustainable forests, too. "You can easily blend the furniture with more traditional pieces," he explains. Twenty years from now, they will still be in style.
He tries to steer people away from trying to match dining chairs to tables, for example. "People are now open to new ideas," he says. "People are being a bit more experimental.
We like to encourage that.
" One advantage of his own line is that tables can be customized. "We're open to that sort of thing," says Banse, who adds that it's a big advantage for customers with smaller spaces. The standard size is six feet by three feet, but he has customers with 650-square-foot condos as well as 2,000- to 3,000-square-foot ones.
It's important that customers choose furniture with the correct scale for their living space. Many of his customers are empty nesters, who have sold a big house and want to experience the downtown lifestyle. With it comes new furniture. "It becomes a makeover process," he says.
Others are repeat clients, adding to their collection or furnishing summer denim homes. His in-house line of hard case goods is manufactured in Toronto and his sofa line will be produced by a noted Montreal manufacturer. Pieces in the rBanse line are named after streets or areas in London.
For example, The Clerkenwell Table, which is eight feet long, starts at $3,995, and goes up depending on choice of woods; a six-foot version is $3,595. The Savoy Mirror, which is surrounded by textured white oak, is $1,495. The Islington Table, with notched leg, starts at $3,595 and runs to $4,495.
A coffee table version starts at $1,895.
The platform, queen-sized Belgravia Bed, starting at $3,495, has a lip on the headboard to make it look as if it's flush with the wall, to leave room for baseboards. No box spring is needed. The Finsbury Bed, also platform-style, starts at $3,495. All furniture comes in white oak, walnut, or cherry.
Other woods are available upon request.
Fluid Living is at 35 Bathurst distressed
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