Yorkville Design Centre was established in 1972, a Downsview Kitchens retailer from the beginning. Throughout its 40-plus years of existence, YDC has designed hundreds of kitchens, and lived through many periods of kitchen design, including the "Yellow Period" of the 1970s, the white-on-light-hardwood of the 80s, and the Bavarian castle traditional craze of the 1990s. But throughout it all, the taste of the designers at YDC has always skewed contemporary, so when architect Thomas Tampold bought the company in 2008, he was happy to see that the rest of the world was finally catching up to them.
Thomas bought Yorkville Design Centre to pair with his architecture company, Tampold Architects Inc. He believes that "the interior should serve as an extension of the exterior, and vice versa. They should be separated by no more than necessary walls and panes of glass." This contemporary belief matched up very well with the newly changed attitudes of 2008 - traditional kitchens cost more money to build, and in the wake of the Great Recession, unnecessary expenditure was the last thing anyone wanted. Flaunting opulence has gone out of style, somewhat to the delight of the new owner of YDC.
After a 2009 showroom remodel, Yorkville Design Centre was ready to show off its stuff to the world, and show off it did. Since Thomas took over the company, YDC has designed nearly 100 kitchens, including over 40 full interiors. They realized a transformation of a century-old suburban house's exterior into a stunning contemporary piece (see here), and designed a house in North York from the ground up (pictures coming soon!). Professional clients have flocked to them, as well. YDC designed the corporate kitchen for the Onex head offices, working with the interior design firm Raymond Chiappetta Associates. They also created the fabulous interior of the upscale steakhouse, Michael's on Simcoe, which plays host to numerous dinner parties for many stars during TIFF. Speaking of celebrities, they've designed home interiors for a couple of those, too!
Regardless of whether you want to redesign your kitchen, interior, or entire house, YDC's experienced team of designers will be there to give you the best advice possible. Senior designer David Neff has been working at YDC for over twenty years, drawing interiors at his desk in the front of the showroom through many periods. their team also includes designer Eliana Diamond and general manager Ragini Chopra, not to mention Thomas himself, who has been a practicing architect for over twenty-five years.
Yorkville Design Centre enters the second half of this decade with exciting opportunities ahead. Right now, we are designing 12 interiors for a new chain of juice bars with an urban contemporary style, and have many other projects lined up as well. If you want your home to be redesigned by one of the premier up-and-coming Toronto design firms, make sure to put YDC at the top of your list!