1 Hotel Toronto | Sustainable retreat opens in Canada

The modern 1 Kitchen embraces a vintage vibe inside a glass-walled, conservatory-style space

Nature-focused brand 1 Hotels puts roots down in Toronto and reveals its eco-friendly interiors as part of the city’s downtown urban regeneration. 

The design concept for 1 Hotel Toronto, by leading New York architecture and design studio Rockwell Group, places focus on reframing the city to place the outstanding, surrounding nature at its forefront. The interiors scheme mirrors the colours and textures found in local attractions, such as Lake Ontario and its vibrant waterfront, and Trinity Bellwoods Park.

The lobby features 4.5 metre-high ceilings, reclaimed Elm wood flooring, and shelving sourced from a dismantled barn in Ontario

Purposeful reuse of existing structural and reclaimed materials gathered from the local community, including timber, driftwood, local limestone, and native plants, creates an inviting and textural palette. Working with the local community to support smaller businesses and ground 1 Hotel Toronto in its environment was important, as Shawn Sullivan, Partner and Studio Leader at the Rockwell Group, tells us…

“We collaborated with Just Be Woodsy, a local woodworking studio with exclusive rights to collecting and reclaiming fallen trees around Toronto, on furnishings made from tree trunks, which were hand selected in their lumber yard, throughout the public spaces and guest rooms. They helped us source our host stand (among many other pieces throughout the hotel) at Casa Madera, which is crafted from an immense reclaimed tree.”

Dual aspect rooms take advantage of the impressive city views

“Inside the restaurant, remnants of the same tree were used to create the furnishings, including live-edge wood table tops. In the guest rooms, art pieces and bedside tables feature fragments of tree branches, stumps or bark, sourced from the remnants of Just Be Woodsy’s furnishings,” he adds.

When you step into the guest rooms there’s an air of contemporary calm, but the wow-factor comes from the sweeping city views that can be enjoyed through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Organic linens in neutral shades create comfort and keep the scheme feeling fresh. 

Locally made artwork and furnishings celebrate Toronto’s ecology throughout the hotel

An ideal place to relax and recharge, the guest rooms have sliding wooden barn doors that divide the bedroom and the bathing space for an element of privacy. The deluxe beds are adorned with soft leather headboards which are fitted onto feature wood panelling to bring a sense of warmth into the room. Whilst in the bathrooms, Carrara marble and Hickory wood create a spa-like atmosphere. 

A large mirror bounces light around the bathing space with double sinks and an inviting bath

Once you’re feeling pampered, rested, and relaxed, there is plenty to explore with five dining concepts to try out. “While each location has its own atmosphere, they all share the same approach to celebrating fresh Ontario-grown ingredients and sustainable practices,” the Rockwell Group enthuse. You can try organic Mexican cuisine at the Madera restaurant, or venture up to Harriet’s the open-concept sushi bar on the hotel’s rooftop with sliding glass walls and a retractable roof. Day or night, there’s always a view to remember.

Harriet’s is the city’s latest rooftop hotspot and the go-to place for breathtaking city and lake views

Check availability and book your stay at 1 Hotel Toronto.

Read about more hotel openings and design news on enki.


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