John Shnier and Martin Kohn started their practice together in 1990, and now work together with a new partner, Maggie Bennedsen. While the studio's work ranges from commercial interiors to large schemes for civic centres, they're also adept at turning out modest modern dwellings for space sensitive Torontonians.
The Laneway House in Toronto was originally designed for a family of four, with ground floor sleeping areas - including ultra-compact 'couchettes' for the children - and a living space above. At 120 square metres, this is no sprawling McMansion.
'There are more families who are not opting to go the suburban route when they have children, and as a result are getting comfortable with the smaller places generally available, and affordable, in the city,' says Martin Kohn.
At the other end of the scale is the Muskoka House in Ontario, a paean to the practicalities of prefabrication. Constructed from wooden modules, the house is raised up on columns and threads its way through a spectacular wooded site.
The Bombardier Learjet
Interior of the Learjet
Read the article: Bombardier Learjet
The Bombardier Learjet
The Staircase House by Cindy Rendely, Toronto
Read the article: Cindy Rendely
Coast restaurant, Vancouver
Read the article: Coast restaurant
Supernova by Douglas Coupland
Read the article: Douglas Coupland's art
Talking sticks by Douglas Coupland
Penguin Pretty Vacant by Douglas Coupland
Coyote by Douglas Coupland
Patricide by Douglas Coupland
Penguin Cumshot by Douglas Coupland
Penguin Clash by Douglas Coupland
Matricide Silver Skate by Douglas Coupland
Matricide Beer by Douglas Coupland
Drip Maple Syrup
Read the article: Drip Maple Syrup
Form & Forest by D'Arcy Jones Desig
Read the article: Form & Forest
The Keefer Hotel, Vancouver
Read the article: Keefer Hotel
Laneway House, Toronto, by Kohn Shnier architects
Read the article: Kohn Shnier, Toronto
Richmond Olympic Oval by Cannon Design
Read the article: Vancouver Winter Olympic architecture
Territory table and chairs by Samare Design, Montreal
Read the article: Samare design, Montreal
Territory desk and chair by Samare design
R-Mountie bench and throw by Samare design
Still House by Level Design, Vancouver
Read the article: Level Design, Vancouver
Sunset Cabin by Taylor_Smyth Architects, Toronto
Read the article: Taylor_Smyth Architects, Toronto
40R_Laneway House by Süperkul, Toronto
Read the article: Süperkul, Toronto
SHIFT Cottage by Süperkul
The Trans Canada Trail
Read the article: Trans Canada trail
Nylon Haneda by WANT luggage
Newberry White by WANT luggage
Dumont black by WANT luggage
Carl Phare's wooden rollercoaster, designed in 1958, Vancouver
Read the article: Wooden rollercoaster
Carl Phare's wooden rollercoaster, Vancouver
Fashion by Ying Gao
Read the article: Ying Gao, Montreal
Fashion by Ying Gao, Montreal
-
Could reimagining play reshape childhood? 21st Europe argues for playgrounds as infrastructureA new blueprint by think tank 21st Europe and Spacon calls for playgrounds to be treated as vital civic infrastructure – on par with museums, stations and energy grids
-
In Vietnam, Amanoi’s most indulgent residence yet is almost hidden on an East Sea clifftopAman’s ‘place of peace’ in Vietnam introduces the Amanoi Ocean Pool Residence, an architectural feat complete with its own private beach and spa
-
Yinka Ilori just teamed up with M.A.D. Editions on a trio of ultra-colourful watchesBut hurry – you'll need to enter a raffle to score one for yourself
-
La Maison de la Baie de l’Ours melds modernism into the shores of a Québécois lakeACDF Architecture’s grand family retreat in Quebec offers a series of flowing living spaces and private bedrooms beneath a monumental wooden roof
-
Peel back maple branches to reveal this cosy midcentury Vancouver gemOsler House, a midcentury Vancouver home, has been refreshed by Scott & Scott Architects, who wanted to pay tribute to the building's 20th-century modernist roots
-
A spectacular waterside house in Canada results from a radical overhaulSplyce Design’s Shoreline House occupies an idyllic site in British Columbia. Refurbished and updated, the structure has been transformed into a waterside retreat
-
Hilborn House, one of Arthur Erickson’s few residential projects, is now on the marketThe home, first sketched on an envelope at Montreal Airport, feels like a museum of modernist shapes, natural materials and indoor-outdoor living
-
This Canadian house is a precise domestic composition perched on the Nova Scotian coastBishop McDowell completed a new Canadian house overlooking the Atlantic, using minimal details and traditional forms to create a refined family home
-
In Canada, The Nest is a three-dimensional puzzle redefining remote livingOn a wooded site on the country’s West Coast, this prefabricated retreat designed by Daria Sheina Studio is a nurturing space for low-impact living
-
Discover Canadian modernist Daniel Evan White’s pitch-perfect homesCanadian architect Daniel Evan White (1933-2012) had a gift for using the landscape to create extraordinary homes; revisit his story in an article from the Wallpaper* archives (first published in 2011)
-
A new Québec house blends open-plan living with far-reaching viewsThe Mountainside Residence is anchored into its sloping site by a concrete plinth, above which sits a main living space with tall ceilings and walls of glass
