By Suzanne Wintrob – National Post

How can one less cooktop burner make for more living space? Ask the folks behind King+ Condos, a 17-storey, 132-unit boutique-style glass condominium set to rise in the heart of Toronto’s Design District.

In what interior designer Mike Niven claims is a Toronto first, the project’s chic kitchens will feature an inline induction cooktop by manufacturer AEG that has just three burners instead of the standard four. The burners are situated in a row, which is not only sleek but also saves much-needed space.

“The linear three-burner cooktop allowed us to shrink the depth of the lower cabinets by almost six inches, which allowed us to increase the width of the living areas by the same amount,” Mr. Niven explains. “That’s pretty important when we need to use every inch when designing condominium plans. Also, it appears more streamlined and more integrated.”

Judging by European design magazines, shallow kitchens are all the rage over the pond. Now Toronto condos are getting in on the act, with King+ Condos leading the charge. The cooktop and other appliances — which hail from AEG, Blomberg and Panasonic — are built in to the millwork to create a cleaner design. Mr. Niven says that is particularly important since the kitchen is visible from the main living areas.

“We panelled them to hide the appliances so they vanish on the elevation,” he says.

To boost efficiency, he says the cooktop has induction heating and is perfectly flat “so when it’s off it can be used as counter space.”

The kitchen is being offered in three flavours: walnut and cream lacquer with grey back-painted glass backsplash; washed oak with white lacquer and taupe back-painted glass backsplash; and, black-and-burgundy lacquer with black back-painted backsplash. The cooktops come in black ceramic.

King + Condos, designed by Prish Jain of Tact Architecture, will include 4,000 square feet of retail space on the ground level, along with a third-floor fitness centre, guest suite and lounge. The first three floors will retain the heritage component of the existing building and will be topped by a modern glass tower. Partners include Plus Development Group and Terracomm Consulting. A construction date hasn’t been set but occupancy is June 2013.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416-388-1960

Laurin & Natalie Jeffrey are Toronto Realtors with Century 21 Regal Realty.
They did not write these articles, they just reproduce them here for people
who are interested in Toronto real estate. They do not work for any builders.
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