On March 8, Curated Properties held a launch party for its latest townhouse development, Edition Richmond. The party drew 500 guests to the future build site, a Queen West auto garage, which was cleared, painted white, and dubbed the Edition Richmond Gallery for the event. “It was the opportunity to do something a little bit unusual because the space required it,” said Kim Graham, chief creative officer at Kim Graham & Associates, who planned the event for Curated Properties.
The intention of the affair wasn't necessarily to sell units, but rather an opportunity for the developer to communicate the aesthetic of the future property, which is inspired by the artsy Queen West neighbourhood. Model staffers became living art by lounging around the space with props like park benches and bicycles, common sights in Trinity Bellwoods Park across the street. “We’re really putting the user on display, not just the architecture,” Graham said. To further represent the neighbourhood, art inspired by local landmarks like Swan Restaurant and the 501 Queen streetcar hung on the walls. Graham brought in elements from the development, too. Artful building layouts popped on the white walls, unit flooring options hung like mosaics, and found objects from the auto garage were displayed in glass cases.
Absolut sponsored the event, and Graham, with help from interior design consulting firm Cecconi Simone, created a custom bar. “Everything we’re doing with this event is creative,” said Graham. "We wanted to build a bar specifically for [Absolut]." Colourful Absolut bottles hung from the ceiling over the all-white bar.
“I was really happy to see that people were really tweeting at the event,” Graham said, citing the uniqueness of the event and venue as the reason for the social media buzz. The space, which took six weeks to get ready for the affair, is available for event rental for the next six months, when construction begins on the town homes.