DesignTO Futures Fund – Final Stretch

Join DesignTO and Akb Architects for an exclusive evening in support of the DesignTO Futures Fund, now in its final stretch. Guests will enjoy locally brewed drinks, fresh oysters, seasonal bites, and Ontario spring water sponsored by Lark, a closed-loop bottle shop and concierge. Mingle with fellow supporters and DesignTO creatives inside Akb’s stunning atelier – a former auto body shop transformed into a luminous west-end studio.

The evening will feature the debut of a 25-foot natural tapestry by Hayley O’Bryne of Carmel Floral, suspended from the atelier’s double-height ceiling and handwoven from birch bark forged from trees felled by a northern Ontario ice storm. This floral commission reflects Akb’s deep interest in natural materials and its passion for exploring the emotional connection between art and design.

This gathering is open exclusively to DesignTO Futures Fund contributors and supporters. To receive your invitation, please make a donation to the Futures Fund by September 15, 2025.

DesignTO Futures Fund

This event is in support of the DesignTO Futures Fund, our first annual fundraising campaign that fuels the future of Canadian design. Your ticket directly contributes to the non-profit organization’s public programming and annual design festival.

About Akb

Founded in 2004, Akb Architects is the Toronto-based residential architecture studio of Robert Kastelic and Kelly Buffey, architects dedicated to the practice and art of building. The quest to capture the poetic and ineffable qualities of space manifests in Akb’s design process, which prioritizes a clarity of vision, attention to detail, and a rigorous commitment to conceptual intent. The work of the studio benefits from Robert and Kelly’s extensive training in both architecture and interior design; a comprehensive strategy results in buildings of exceptional resolution and an uncommon level of refinement. A unified and holistic approach to interior and exterior space merges building and landscape into a seamless experience, transforming the ephemeral into the tactile.