Behind the Build

Chantal Philippe is the founder and principal of NuNu Interior Design, based in Toronto, Ontario. Growing up in a family deeply rooted in construction, Chantal was immersed in the industry from an early age. Over time, her passion for interior design blossomed, leading her to land a pivotal role at a high-end design firm in Toronto.

The invaluable experience she gained there set the stage for her next big step—partnering in her first successful practice. With growing confidence, Chantal eventually branched out on her own, launching her independent firm, NuNu Interior Design.

But she didn’t stop there. Recently, Chantal acquired one of Canada’s top ICF companies, pushing industry boundaries with a quiet tenacity that belies her kindness and determination.

In this episode of Behind the Build, we dive into Chantal’s inspiring journey—from her early days in construction to leading the way in sustainable building practices.

Follow us on Instagram: @behind_the_build_podcast.

Naama Blonder is the mastermind behind Smart Density, an architecture practice in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. After moving to Toronto from Israel, she acquired the necessary certifications to start her practice, aiming to bring density to the city. Naama not only holds her architecture degree, but also is a certified urban planner.

Combining both professions, she has become a largely vocal and to some, controversial advocate for density along transit lines, creating more opportunity for city growth than a single family home can provide to the community.

Her eagerness and disposition lend themselves to a highly engaging discussion throughout our time together.

Worth noting is that the audio on my side was not great, but the conversation was so meaningful and Naama's audio was so clear, it was totally worth sharing.

Enjoy this installment of Behind the Build with Naama Blonder of Smart Density.

Paul Raff is the founder of Paul Raff Studio, an architectural practice that seamlessly integrates interior and landscape design. Before establishing his studio, Paul practiced as an artist and worked for several international firms, contributing to elegant and thoughtful designs across the globe after graduating from the University of Waterloo with degrees in Architecture and Environmental Studies.

Drawing upon his diverse experiences and global insights, Paul founded his practice in the early 2000s, officially launching Paul Raff Studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the beginning, Paul admits to having started without clients or projects. Yet, through perseverance, he secured his first commission: a garden pavilion.

This initial project gave him the confidence to sculpt his architectural vision for clients who appreciate the art of architecture. His work soon began to focus on Passive House principles, non-toxic living, ecological design, and healthy environments. This led to Cascade House, his first ground-up project, which integrated solar technology and embraced Passive House standards.

Since then, Paul’s career has been nothing short of remarkable. His unique integration of color, light, materials, and even smell, along with his commitment to high-quality environments, sets him apart. I would even call him a modern-day renaissance man.

Enjoy this special episode with my guest, Paul Raff.

Cathy Garrido is the co-founder of Altius Architecture, recently (since recording) re-named as Sustain Design Architects Inc., alongside fellow Waterloo grad Graham Smith. While there were four partners initially, Cathy and Graham are the two remaining.

Cathy took to architecture as a profession, in some ways, as a part of a destined path.

With building in her blood, both her father and grandfather being builders, she had always been around construction. That formalized into a pathway leading her to study Architecture at University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Canada - also, her hometown.

With a keen interest in forward thinking when it comes to architecture, she has acquired LEED accreditation and Passive House Canada.

Find out how the practice has right-sized over the years and how they’ve established themselves as one of the long-standing and highly reputable practices in the city both in residential, commercial, prefab and more…

Born on the outskirts of Edinburgh in Scotland, Gillian Gillies found her love for design. As she began her career, she was invited onto a trip where she met her lifelong partner and husband, Dean.

When she eventually moved to Toronto, she ultimately started Gillian Gillies Interiors. Now, 20 years into the international award-winning practice, she has not only an incredibly successful interior design practice, that not only works in single-family residential construction, and multi-residential projects, but also an entire collection of products that she has created and designed.

Her business has flourished as a result of satisfying clients and having them bring her back into design for their next project, be it the next new home or reno, or a vacation home. She has a motto in her design for "frictionless living."

Gillian's team is fully committed to each other, too. Find out what makes her small team so special by listening to this week's edition of Behind the Build.

Kelly Buffey and Robert Kastelic founded Atelier Kastelic Buffey (AKB) in 2004. 

Celebrating their 20 year mark, at what has become one of the more celebrated studios in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, AKB has lamented themselves as a highly sought after modern architecture and interior design practice.

Having received international awards for their work, Kelly and Robert both have overcome intense challenges in life, and continue to push forward with a charisma that is so indelible and infectious, you simply want to learn more and more about them and their practice.

Kelly has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Interior Design from Ryerson (Toronto Metropolitan University), a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University and a Master in Architecture from University of Toronto. She runs the creative vision for the studio.

Robert has a degree in the Bachelor of Environmental Studies and Bachelor of Architecture from Waterloo. He is the technical lead within the studio.

What makes AKB incredibly special is that it's a family run business. Robert and Kelly have been madly in love with each other since working together at KPMB in their youth. 

Kelly always wanted to pursue a career in architecture, from her time in high school to university. Her tactile and practical degree at Ryerson really set her on her path, connecting her to sculpting of space.

Robert filled out a form in high school when asked what he wanted to be, so he inserted: actor, engineer and architect. Since inserting that answer, he has gone on to become an architect, the technical director at AKB, and most recently, an actor. Robert is the face for Parkinson’s Canada in an ad with the slogan, “It’s not Parkinson’s. It’s Swagger.”

With a high value on social equity, they have always put their effort into ensuring the staff are looked after, with a health plan in place once they brought on their first staff member decades ago, to buying, designing and working out of their new office. Human connectivity matters to Rob and Kelly. They don't call what they design residences or houses, they call it "home."

Find out more about this softly-spoken, powerhouse couple running AKB on this week’s installment of Behind the Build.

Parkinson’s Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhDgQLw_RBc

Michael Amantea started his practice in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 2012. His family was instrumental leading him on his path into architecture. His father was a talented artist, and his mother taught him to value himself, while his grandfather was an iron-worker, working on the installation of the CN Tower, including its very challenging top assembly.

A graduate of University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design five year program. Throughout his tenure at U of T, he acquired summer jobs working at Montgomery & Sisam, Architects Alliance (formerly Wallman Clewes Bergman Architects & van Nostrand DiCastri Architects), as an electrical apprentice and then ultimately, in his fifth year, working as a Teaching Assistant (TA) to David Pontarini. 

It was during his time as a TA that he was offered a position to work for David at Hariri Pontarini. He then made his way to Ian McDonald’s practice, Ian McDonald Architect. During his time there, he worked on all that he loved, including architecture, interiors and landscape design.

Since being on his own, he has had incredible success. His early projects, including a pool pavilion went on to win awards in multiple publications and be internationally recognized. With a small team of four, including himself, Michael is now working on truly remarkable projects. From sprawling rural properties to dense infill, single family homes, his keen interest in modern architecture knows no bounds.

Find out more about his mighty practice, including his loyal staff that are so connected to the work that Michael actually calls Amantea Architects, ours and not mine, by listening to this week’s insightful installment of Behind the Build.

Jeffrey Douglas is the founder and sole principal of Douglas Design Studio, an interior design studio based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Don't think that just because Jeffrey's practice is based out of Toronto, that he isn't internationally renowned for his work, because he has won many international design awards, as well as nationally, in Canada.

Jeffrey began sketching space when he was 6-7 years old and followed his path of design through teenage-hood and into university, where he landed his first summer job in design.

He began his professional career working for Brian Gluckstein, where he gained a great deal of experience before starting his own practice in 1995. The first studio Jeffrey worked out of was in a "loft" immersed with artists on different levels of the building, including some highly reputable artists, including the late Lynn Donoghue.

The practice moved from the loft space in Roncesvalles to Cabbagetown, where it's been for the last 20 years. With a staff that started at two to three people and as many as 12, he's found that his sweet spot is 10 staff. He leans in heavy on his team and they are committed to delivering.

He utilizes his ability to extract complex problems that clientele are looking to solve by having them use adjectives to describe what they’re looking for, without using words like “functional” - because who doesn’t want to have functional space?! 

And, that sketching that started at 6-7 year old, continues today as an integral part of his design practice.

Find out more about his overcoming being bullied as a child and teen to becoming one of the more highly reputable and prestigious interior designers in Canada, and his unique interest in writing, by listening to this week’s installment of Behind the Build.

Lucas Maino Fernandez founded his practice, Lucas Maino Fernandez Arquitectos, with a focus on modern architecture to be designed and built south of his home town of Santiago, Chile. The majority of his work can be found more or less at the end of the inhabitable world, a few thousand kilometres north of Patagonia.

His designs are purposeful in that the material utilized is largely found locally, given the remote locations of the built structures. By working with wood products, Lucas has had to become very creative in his design efforts to promote unique experiences with the same material. The results are integrated screens, that in some scenarios, open with a hinge, while in others, roll on a track, providing shade and cooling in extreme sun conditions.

His demeanor and enthusiasm for architecture is prevalent throughout the discussion we had and his career path is only just getting started. He is most certainly one of the upcoming architects to rise out of Chile. Find out more about his 10-year-old budding practice on this week' installment of Behind the Build.

On this engaging episode, Jennifer Kudlats, one of the principals and founders of Studio for Architecture and Collaboration, or StudioAC, opens up about her path to creating the practice with business partner, Andrew Hill.

After graduating from Dalhousie University, in Nova Scotia, Canada, and completing her Masters in NYC, she worked at KPMB in Toronto, where she honed in on her craft and first met Andrew.

Having partnered on projects at work, the opportunity presented itself to work on some small projects outside of the practice, for family and friends. As the opportunities required more time and focus, Jen and Andrew made the leap. Since the inception of the practice, they have worked on residential, mid-rise, and commercial projects, and they were awarded the 2023 Architecture Practice of the Year with DesignLines.

With a focus on making an impact on the lived-in experience for their clientele by utilizing materials that are economical from a form and function standpoint, but also a financial standpoint, the practice mainly focuses on modern architecture.

Find out about stepping in concrete, working on their first project with an incredibly tight budget, and establishing themselves as one of the most respected architecture practices in Toronto by listening to this week's episode of Behind the Build with Jennifer Kudlats of StudioAC.

Enjoy!