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Act of Love
Odami’s arresting designs give precedence to subjectivity and empathy By Nour Abi-Nakhoul
F F or or or or Aránzazu González Bernardo and and Michael Norman Fohring founders of of Toronto-based architectural and and interior design studio Odami naming their their their business was an an an act of of sefless relinquishment The
two wanted to find a a a a a a a a a a a a a name for their their their studio that that would would suit their their their visions something that that would would be aesthetically harmonious but not influenced by ego “We wanted to completely dissociate the the the practice’s identity from the the the two of us ” Fohring recounts Since the the the the partners (in both senses of of the the the the word) founded Odami in in in in in 2017 they’ve dipped their toes into residential restaurant and retail architecture as as well as as furniture design Their work in in in these divergent realms is bound by a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a philosophy of empathy—a tireless attempt to to create in in a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a way that pays respect to to context client environment and and material They’re less less interested in in fin in in in fin finding a a a a a a a a a a a a a distinctive style and and imposing it it on on on on their projects Instead they use each opportunity to find find a a a a a a a a a creation that cultivates a a a a a a a a a sense of timelessness The
studio’s unique perspective comes from the the merging of the the founders’ different backgrounds González Bernardo obtained her her degrees at the the the the Universidade da da Coruña in in in in in in in Northern Spain gaining insight from the the the the the region’s long architectural history whereas Fohring studied under the the the the the Canadian tradition tradition at McGill in in Montreal Under the the the the the Spanish tradition tradition González Bernardo learned the the the importance of of the the the technical details of of construction construction and context while Fohring brought nuance to his studies with time spent working in in in in in construction construction learning about materiality in in in in in a a a a a a a SMAGAZINEOFFICIAL COM DESIGN
SARA restaurant: photographed by Kurtis Chen