The Bedford

Studio Paolo Ferrari

Short description

The Bedford’s Presentation Gallery is an unexpected haven of harmony, natural materials, and artistry. Studio Paolo Ferrari cleverly creates a sanctuary that instantly soothes the senses.

An immersive and multifaceted experience, The Bedford’s Presentation Gallery developed By Burnac and designed by Studio Paolo Ferrari defies expectations. The Presentation Gallery takes guests on a journey that artfully wavers between the familiar and the unexpected, demonstrating the exceptional offerings of the upcoming boutique Toronto property — The Bedford. Studio Paolo Ferrari was brought on by By Burnac to envision and design the interiors for both the Presentation Gallery and The Bedford property itself. The project pushes the boundaries of how marketing galleries approach sensorial experiences in unexpected ways.

Studio Paolo Ferrari and By Burnac entirely re-thought the conventional sales office, moving beyond the typical transactional experience. Instead, The Bedford’s Presentation Gallery was designed to be an intuitive and multifaceted journey with elements of surprise and magic, offering prospective residents a window into the considered offerings at The Bedford. The studio worked only with natural materials, in a colour palette of earthy neutrals, intended to express serenity and calm. The restrained design is brought to life with subtle textures, warm metals, and white oak woodworking.

The exclusive residential offering — The Bedford — is an upcoming addition to Toronto’s coveted Yorkville-Annex heritage neighbourhood — through an immersive, multi-faceted sales gallery experience. The 13-storey building stands out as a meticulous private residential offering, with a level of amenities that rivals the experience of the world’s top hotels. With high attention to detail, artfully curated interiors, and a deep intentionality, The Bedford’s Presentation Gallery goes far beyond the typical sales office experience.

“We looked to create a space that was emotional and visceral, instead of relying on text and written content. The Presentation Gallery is imbued with a sense of well-being, the space is designed to tell a story, sharing the interior architectural language in a gracious and approachable way,” explains Ferrari. “As guests move through the journey, we wanted there to be something to look forward to at each stage. We wanted to present each aspect of the project in a more dynamic and artistic way, creating an expectation of the unknown,” says Ferrari.

The Gallery perfectly encapsulates Ferrari’s approach to luxury and hospitality, offering a refined balance of space and materials, timeless and avant-garde, and grace and strength. Ferrari went on to create a calming and sensorial experience, based around the idea of an essentialist art gallery.

The Presentation Gallery was designed as a space for visitors to relax and find respite, with the design ethos of The Bedford imbued throughout the experience. Studio Paolo Ferrari has created a hybrid typology that combines design, artistry, and practical performance.

Warm and welcoming, the Presentation Gallery is designed to provide an intimate and personal level of attention to visitors. Guests move through spaces that range in size and proportion, each one carefully considered and presenting a unique facet of The Bedford experience. The experience was designed to feel both familiar and surprising, and to have deep levels of detail that become increasingly apparent the more time spent in the space. The aim is to evoke the qualities of The Bedford itself — a space that encourages guests to comfortably linger and have a memorable, curated experience.

“In the design, we wanted to express this quality of residential warmth in a way that feels unexpected,” explains Ferrari. “As a studio, we always want our work to exist somewhere between timelessness and courageous invention. We believe that finding a balance between these two facets — and allowing them to exist simultaneously — is what creates spaces that feel truly compelling.”

Visitors access the Presentation Gallery through a nondescript entrance, beginning their experience with a sense of intrigue. A welcoming reception room awaits as a greeting place before guests are guided through a hall of framed architectural sketches that demonstrate the creativity and process behind the building itself. Following, the model room spotlights the architecture — from Toronto-based firm Audax — with the room’s walls draped in limestone to further reference to the exteriors of The Bedford. At each touchpoint throughout the Presentation Gallery, small details are reminiscent of the property — the materials used, the sense of design, the thoughtfulness — all serve as hints and gestures to The Bedford itself.

“We really believe that projects have the opportunity to become an entire world unto themselves,” explains Ferrari. “As such, we love designing objects and interior architecture to create spaces that feel like a unified, distinctive whole.”

Guests then move through a theatre room, which provides a welcome respite and point of rest, as well as an opportunity to view short project films (exclusive to only those who visit the Presentation Gallery) and to be walked through the building plans and amenities offered. A quality of residential warmth throughout the theatre’s design prompts guests to rest and linger in the experience. A finishes gallery follows, a transition space that also allows guests to further envision the residences themselves, with material samples on display like marble, white limestone, and whitewashed and fumed oak.

Beyond, guests move through a vignette of the kitchens and bathrooms. A contrast to the expected is present here too, with a gallery-like feel and sculptural polished steel that refracts the spaces ahead, alluding at what’s to come. The journey concludes with guests entering a closing room, designed to emulate The Bedford’s porter lobby. Reminiscent of an re-imagined home office, here guests can mark the conclusion with a beverage as they formalize a transaction, or as the staff attend to any questions or requests they have.

Throughout the entirety of The Bedford’s Presentation Gallery journey, there are layers of contrast — from the familiar to the unexpected, from light to dark, from expansive to intimate — that add depth and interest throughout the experience. Ultimately, the Presentation Gallery demonstrates the extraordinarily high level of intention and consideration that was put into The Bedford, and allows for guests to be surprised and delighted throughout the entire journey.