Eatons Home Department

In a country loaded with natural wonders, Eatons Department Store is one of Canada's man-made national landmarks. The retail giant, originally called T. Eaton Co., has been around since 1856, creating a history and tradition transcending many generations.At one time, 64 stores spread throughout the country. Only seven remain, and they're now owned by Sears Canada Inc., which bought the bankrupt company in 1999. When Sears Store Planning decided to renovate the stores, it enlisted several Toronto design firms to redesign the various departments, including Design Vision Inc., Luc Wintzen Design Inc., II By IV Design Inc. and Sears Store Planning. West 49 handled the three floors of the Home Fashion departments –furniture, home accent, housewares, appliances, draperies, flooring, bed/bath and lighting under the banner “e-home.”

The newly renovated Yonge Street flagship occupies 730,000 square feet over seven floors. To appeal to a new target market — the upscale urban consumer — West 49 used fresh ideas and trends that would speak to these customers. Contemporary materials, such as stainless-steel floors melding into checkerboard-patterned VCT, intersected by mid-stained cherry wood planks, infuse an upscale, urban feel. Custom, textured finishes add a sense of depth, and mosaic-tiled niches create visual points of interest. The designers also played on sensory perception and the feelings associated with each of the Home departments. In the Bath area, for example, a soft aqua and cobalt-blue palette combined with bubbled and frosted glass evokes freshness and cleanness. Unexpected features like wall water fountains aim for a Zen-like serenity in the Bath and Furniture departments.

Client Team: Eatons, Toronto — Kathleen Toman, national design manager; Gary Adamkowski, general manager, store planning and visual merchandising; Greg Paliouras, senior designer/merchandising – Eatons; Placido Dias, general manager, visual presentation, in-store marketing; Rick Sorby, executive vp, marketing

Design Team: West 49 Parallel Design Inc., Toronto — Bev Moroz, president/principal-in-charge; Stanley Kedzierski, vp/principal-in-charge

Suppliers: Canadian Gypsum Co., Oakville, Ont., Armstrong World Industries, Lancaster, Pa. (ceilings); Wm. Prager Ltd., Toronto, J.F. Gillanders, Toronto, C. to C. Group, Orangeville, Ont., Custom Metal Ltd., Toronto, Planit, Toronto, G.S. Woodworking, Toronto, Art Magic, Mississauga, Ont. (fixturing); Architectural Systems Inc., New York, Janastone Consulting, Toronto, Olympia Tile, Toronto, Armstrong World Industries, Lancaster, Pa., Custom Metal Ltd., Toronto, Perfection Carpets, Toronto, Kraus-Melmart Carpets, Mississauga, Ont., Daltile, Dallas, Genuwood-Flortech, Markham, Ont. (flooring); Nelson Garrett, Toronto, Eurolite, Asbury Park, N.J., Lightolier, Fall River, Mass., Eurospec, Toronto (lighting); Metro Wallcoverings, Concord, Ont., Ralph Lauren Paints, New York, Para Paints, Toronto (wallcoverings and paint); Hanson House, Sacramento, Calif. (fountains)

Photography: Design Archive, Toronto