Can you Believe it?!
That time has come again and with what feels like just the snap of our fingers it is fall. Our construction season hasn’t slowed down just yet but we wanted to take you back through some of the projects that the team here at Joel Loblaw Inc. worked so hard to complete this past summer. We wrapped up some great jobs with wonderful clients. Here are some snaps of just a few!
Party in the Front
Last year we completed the backyard of this modern reno and this year we kicked off the season by completing the front yard. Weathering steel is used as a feature material and a bold sloped lawn calls you to sit on it and watch the street. This front yard definitely warrants a double take as you pass by. Keep your eyes peeled for some professional shots of this property coming to the website soon (and just wait until you see the backyard too!).
Modern Twist
This Roncesvalles renovation was beautifully designed and we were excited to compliment it with our landscape. The backyard is an intimate space for entertaining and the front yard packs a punch with a lush mass of carex sedge and a dark wood feature wall that doubles perfectly as a bench.
Made to Entertain
Warm cedar sets the tone for this large but cozy outdoor space that is perfect for entertaining. The upper bar is perfect for drinks and barbecuing before you descend down to the lower deck for dining and lounging.
Formal Front
This beautifully shaded front yard got a transformation that included new retaining walls and the addition of a formal front walkway and porch. Our crews spent weeks hand chipping the stone for the beautiful natural stone retaining walls. We think the result looks pretty great! Do you agree?
Joel Loblaw Inc. would like to extend a warm welcome to Jeff Johnston, the newest member of our JLI design crew! Jeff is a graduate of the University of Guelph Landscape Architecture program and comes to us with 10 years of experience working with other great landscape firms in the city. His work experience and keen eye for classic design makes him an invaluable addition to the team. Jeff dove in head first helping us with our installation of our booth at Dinner x Design at the Design Exchange (more to come on that!) and has already come up with some great designs for our 2016 projects. We’re looking forward to another season of creating beautiful gardens for our clients and happy to have Jeff on board!
We had an incredibly busy summer this year here at Joel Loblaw Inc. Here are a couple of our projects that will soon make it on our website that we are really proud of.
Gordon Residence – The client wanted a quiet outdoor retreat that includes a swim spa. No problem! The sunken backyard allowed us to add a modern deck with a post and beam arbour for lounging. The rest of the yard was split into a clean grass quad and a nook for a swim spa wrapped with wood screens and yew hedge for privacy. The planting consists of Miscanthus grasses as well as Feather Reed to soften the edges of design elements. Overall the client’s got everything she needs for a staycation!
Wise Residence – This one turned out to be a perfect marriage between landscape and architecture of the house. The low corten walls break up the space into lounging and dining. The new deck projects into the backyard and gently steps down into the clean lawn and planting at the back. The clean modern geometries organize and expand the outdoor space making the yard bigger than it used to be. Can’t wait to see it transform as the perimeter planting grows in and the corten gets its patina to give the space a pop of rustic orange colour.
Check back for more projects from this summer in our future posts!
We are expanding! Currently doing some fix ups to this new 3 story Victorian house, to make it our new home. Don’t worry we are not going to far, just a few blocks down from our current office. Be sure to visit in 2 months time once we are all moved in!
We are especially excited about the backyard, which will become our little outdoor oasis!
Stay tuned for more updates.
Don’t let all the snow and cold weather fool you. We’ve been busy at work indoors all winter! The break from construction gives us time to get inspired, work on designs and get projects in line for the spring. Below are a few of the concepts we have been working on. Seeing something go from concept to the real thing is the best part of the job so we are itching for the warm weather to break. For now…back to the drawing board!
We’re providing plenty of space for outdoor leisure in the back of this traditional home with a cool contemporary addition
There are many options in the air for this edgy new build…this is just one of them!
Keep your eyes open for updates coming at you this month. We’ll be hosting an evening gallery event on April 9th to showcase Joel Loblaw’s original paintings and all items will be for sale.
This past fall the Drake Hotel opened the doors to their latest outpost- the Drake Devonshire Inn. Located in Prince Edward County, the Devonshire has already garnered much attention as a top destination for travellers. After our work with the Drake One Fifty and the Drake Hotel downtown we were enthused to be called on board to develop the grand landscape plan for the newest addition to the Drake brand. In the spring we shared some of our concept images, now we are sharing some images of the real thing. The site had many unique natural features such as the creek that meanders alongside the building and the beach of Lake Ontario that defines the whole back of the site. We are excited to watch the landscape grow in over the next couple of years. Annual visits to see how the landscape is evolving will be necessary (and we just might grab a cocktail and an appetizer while we’re at it!).
Photography by Robin Hamill
After many months of design and a few trips down to New York we are so excited to share with you some shots of the project in the Hamptons. We were brought in by the project architects atOMAS to come up with a design that would compliment the architecture of the home, open up views on the site, and provide this client with their outdoor wish list on this 2 acre parcel in Sagaponack. We are so happy with the end result and are looking forward to more trips down to New York as we begin phase 2 of the project – the front yard!
Thank you to OMAS for the photographs!
The Semaphore Group was at it again this year with another unique Nuit Blanche installation. Our shots from the night have just arrived from the photographer and we could not be more excited to share them with you. This year’s installation was called ‘Project Henge’ and we were located in Fort York along with many other artists.
Four transparent mesh cubes, filled with white balloons, were suspended from a 12′ x 12′ wooden frame. Some balloons were helium-filled and some plain old air-filled. The helium balloons rose to the top and the regular balloons fell to the bottom; thus creating a mysterious negative space between the two masses. In the dark night the lighting made marvellous shapes against the white balloons. ‘Project Henge’ was a play of light and form – 4 diaphanous cubes in the dark landscape.
On the Nuit Blanche evening the installation took on a whole new meaning. Our original intention was to simply fill the mesh boxes with the balloons – stand back and visually enjoy. But visitors and passers-by wanted to contribute. Soon enough we had lineups of people waiting to add a balloon and make a wish. Later that night visitors became more interactive with the installation – lying on the ground below the cubes or shaking the mesh cubes and watching the balloons fly.
One thing was clear – people wanted to interact with the art. The wheels are already in motion for our next interactive installation!
Until next year, here are some shots….
Photography by Brenda Liu
Semaphore Group is a collaboration between Joel Loblaw Inc. and Hudson Architecture.
Our Workman’s Creek property has a bold new addition – the Long House is finally complete!
It was great collaborating withOMAS, creating a dwelling that fits with the surroundings and yet has a strong presence. Some additions to the property are also underway like a new dock and an apple orchard. I cannot wait to landscape the property in full! This goes to show that beautiful things happen when landscape and architecture seamlessly integrate and work with each other.
With the arrival of warm weather we have broken ground on the construction of landscape design for The Drake Hotel’s new addition – the Devonshire Inn located in Prince Edward County. We are extremely happy to be contributing to the next chapter of The Drake’s cultural mandate of bespoke hotel, cultural community center and great food. It is a dream landscape to design – lots of sunlight, space and views to die for. The historic building, that literally hovers over Lake Ontario is now almost finished being renovated. It will include 11 hotel rooms stylishly updated in a rough-luxe design palette, complete with a cheeky nod to rustic Canadiana. The 2 acre property has a creek running through it and is full of history. The proposed landscape design reflects that through careful use of materials like corten steel, wood and modern stone elements, which will age gracefully, becoming inseparable part of site’s DNA. To maintain privacy and exclusiveness of the property we decided to beef up the planting and tree canopy along the perimeter. More native species will be added to the riparian vegetation along the creek, creating favourable ecological conditions and a fantastic backdrop to a one-of-a-kind hotel boutique experience. It is promising to be a unique version of a rural county retreat where travelers, culture enthusiasts, and neighbours converge to enjoy the thoughtful contradictions of high and low, new and old. Stay tuned for more updates as the summer rolls in!
For more information visit the Drake’s blog about the Devonshire Inn
http://www.thedrake.ca/blog/2012/11/our-story/
