With construction wrapping up at Studio on Richmond, UrbanToronto toured the 31-storey tower, already becoming home to the Entertainment District's newest residents. Taking in the amenities and the soon-to-be released penthouse suites, our tour of the Quadrangle Architects-designed development took us from the ground floor up to the 9th floor amenity area, before culminating in a wealth of penthouse panoramas.

Studio (left) and Studio2, image by Marcus Mitanis

Together with the under-construction Studio2 just to the southwest, the Aspen Ridge Homes development spans between Richmond and Nelson Streets just west of Simcoe, taking up a prime position in Toronto's growing Entertainment District. While interior work on the 41-storey Studio2 has just begun, the first tower's interior spaces already boast a polished and elegant aesthetic.

Studio's playful ground-level colour pattern on Richmond Street (looking east), image by Marcus Mitanis

Entering the Richmond Street lobby from the podium's colourful base, we are met with a uninhibited collection of textures and colours, which lend the Mike Niven-designed interiors a decidedly post-modern aesthetic. As part of a Section 37 agreement, the Studio's base will also house a gallery space for OCAD University, which will be open just west of the lobby.

The concierge desk, image by Marcus Mitanis

Behind the concierge desk, graffiti-pattern wall covering stands out against the elegant wood desk and luxurious polished floor. Despite the stylistic tension, the disparate elements nonetheless come together to form an eclectic—if somewhat edgy—whole.

A look inside Studio's gym, image by Marcus Mitanis

The grafitti motif is carried through to the spacious gym that neighbours the lobby (above), where many of the exercise machines look out directly onto Richmond Street to the north. Graffiti wallpaper-decorated pillars reinforce the street-level ambiance of being intimately close to the city. While many lobbies act as a sort of pristine gateway—and perhaps a barrier—between the public and private realms, Studio's street-level amenities and decor seek to incorporate a representation of the urban reality into the design. 

One of Studio's sleek elevator areas, image by Marcus Mitanis

Looking west across the shared second-storey podium, image by Marcus Mitanis

On the second floor, an expansive shared podium terrace joins together the Richmond Street and Nelson Street buildings, where seating and a green roof creates a tranquil outdoor garden. In the middle of the terrace, a stone chessboard acts as a centerpiece for the shared space (seen above), and is soon to be outfitted with metre-tall chess pieces. Located directly between the two buildings, the chessboard playfully puts the towers in conversation with one another, with each 'player' turned towards their side of the board. 

The eastern side of the podium features hot tubs and beach-style recliners, image by Marcus Mitanis

Higher up, Studio's private ninth floor podium houses most of the tower's individual amenities. Two under-construction lounges face out onto each side of the podium, with the east-facing 'winter lounge'—decorated in warm tones, and featuring a heated floor—looking out over outdoor hot tubs and an upcoming water feature (above). On the west end of the tower, the 'summer lounge' faces out to a large patio of barbecues and outdoor seating (below).

The western side of the 9th story podium features barbecues and outdoor dining space, image by Marcus Mitanis

The ninth floor amenities are rounded out by a large media room, men's and women's saunas, a yoga studio, and a billiards room, which are now in the closing stages of construction.

Continuing to the penthouse floors, we arrive at the 31st floor and two 3,000 square foot penthouse suites, still in a mostly raw state. 

Looking northwest from the western penthouse suite, image by Marcus Mitanis

Not yet released to the market, the penthouses will only be brought to the drywall stage before becoming available for sale, allowing discriminating high-end buyers to customize the three-bedroom suites to their exact specifications. Both suites boast expansive open-concept layouts, five balconies (each), 10 foot ceilings, and impressive views of the city:

Looking south from a penthouse suite, image by Marcus Mitanis

The units also both face out to the south and north, with the tower's entire east and west faces spanning the length of one unit. In this configuration, each of the luxurious penthouse suites enjoys panoramic views in three directions (above). Wrapping up our tour, we leave you with a video that captures  the highlights of our visit:

We will return in the coming days with a follow-up story covering our tour of the neighbouring Studio2. In the meantime, check out our dataBase file and associated Forum threads for more information. Feel free to share your thoughts about the project by posting in the Forum, or by commenting below.