February 18, 2016

Food and Design Merge at Toronto’s Dinner by Design

Dining room by Moriyama + Teshima. Photography by Scott Norsworthy.

Monogram Dinner by Design Presented by Caesarstone returned to Toronto, Canada, last month for a six-day exhibition and fundraiser at the city’s Design Exchange museum. The second-annual event showcased nearly a dozen dining rooms created by some of the country’s top interior designers and architects.

Eleven members of the A&D community were tasked to each create individual dining rooms in 12-by-12-foot spaces that could accommodate 10 diners comfortably and would showcase their individual style, taste, and personality. This year’s participating designers included Janette Ewen, Jef Hancock, and Patrick Delanty of Parker Bower; Moriyama & Teshima Architects; Commute Design; Design Agency; Joel Loblaw; Gensler; architectsAlliance; Ashley Botten; Guido Costantino; BORTOLOTTO; and Jenny Francis.

Dining room by Design Agency. Photography by Ryan Emberley.

On January 20, a gala dinner was held and 150 guests were invited to enjoy multi-course dinners prepared by Bill Osbourne, chef de cuisine of America Restaurant, in the dining installations, fusing together art and food.

“Culinary arts are very much about design,” says Shauna Levy, president and CEO of Design Exchange. “Designing an area for eating is one of the most intimate spaces you can design. Just like cooking, design is about creating a moment, and it’s about the preparation and the actual experience.”

Proceeds of the event will support the Casey House, a specialty hospital in Toronto that specializes in HIV/AIDS. Other major sponsors included Vitra and Monogram.

Dining room by Joel Loblaw. Photography by Ryan Emberley.

Dining room by architectsAlliance. Photography by Lisa Logan.

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