In the Studio

Safoura Zahedi is a Toronto-based artist, architect, educator and geometry expert. She is the founder of her interdisciplinary eponymous studio, Safoura Zahedi Studio (SZS), where she uses geometry as a spiritual design tool to create spatial experiences, objects, and art that inspire new ways of seeing and connecting to each other and our natural world.

A tenacious leader with a passion for bringing great minds together on complex projects, Tatiana is highly focused on design research and business strategy. She co-founded Syllable Inc., a multidisciplinary firm that works with global brands to create holistic corporate spaces, multi-unit residential, and retail.

Noam Hazan, founder of Noam Hazan Design Studio (NHDS), sat down with us to share his lessons on starting his studio, his world-acclaimed architecture; and his unique and international perspective to Toronto's architectural landscape.

Based in Calgary, Canada, Alykhan Velji and his team have developed a reputation for creating spaces that are comfortable and sophisticated, while always incorporating elements of the unexpected. For almost 20 years ‘AVD’ has poetically transformed hundreds of spaces, collaborated with top brands, and appeared in countless design publications from around the world.

We spoke with Russell Greenberg is the founder of interdisciplinary design firm RUX Studios, and the creator of Stickbulb and Gradual. His work ranges from award-winning mosque master plans to water purification systems, porcelain statues, mobile devices, jewelry, vending machines, and sustainable LED lighting.

Camille Mitchell is an Architect with SvN Architects + Planners and a speaker at IDS Toronto. Her work spans award-winning projects from interior design to master planning. Camille is also Chair of Black Architecture and Interior Design (BAIDA).

This time we spoke to Chad Burton, a multifaceted stylist and writer, based in Toronto, who works across interiors and fashion. Chad spoke on the Keynote stage at IDS 2024, in a Globe & Mail panel discussion on “Living in the Multiverse”.

We caught up with Omar Gandhi, who founded the award-winning eponymous practice, Omar Gandhi Architects. A past speaker and participant in IDS, Omar has worked on projects across Canada, including Toronto’s Prime Seafood Palace, and the upcoming Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.

Ranee Lee 郭恩琳 is an industrial designer and an Associate Professor of Industrial Design at OCAD University. She is the founder of DESIGNwith, a design lab for the democratization of design learnings in environmental and social sustainability.