Who: Carrie Hayes, 26, fashion designer and currently a resident at the Toronto Fashion Incubator.

What: A three-storey Victorian house in the film district.  “It’s old, but I’m not sure how old,” says Hayes, who occupies the first floor and the basement.

The story: Hayes’ apartment opens up into her at-home work and teaching studio, which doubles as part of her entertaining space. Seven wooden folding chairs and a wooden table hang on the wall, relieving the room of unnecessary furniture when Hayes isn’t teaching her corset-making class, or spreading out designs for her upcoming 2009 spring collection.

Within this room is a sitting area with a couch and a chair, but Hayes draws a curtain to separate this space when she needs some privacy. Old-school newspaper printing is a central decorative theme to the apartment, with at least four 1970s typewriters tucked in the corners. Hayes’ mother is a graphic designer at the Owen Sound Sun Times, and souvenirs from her mother’s career are on display, such as an old wooden newspaper box and a framed drafting kit her mother used to design layouts. Other relics have been picked up from various flea markets, farmhouses or going-out-of-business machine companies. Her favourite piece is a “turtle,” an industrial table used to transport forms filled with heavy lead type to and from the printing press, which she has turned into an end table by shortening its legs.

Hayes’ backyard garden helps her relax when she’s not working hard at home. “It’s a great space to design, because I have lots of natural light, and it allows me to be away from the hectic pace at my office,” she says. “The serenity helps me design beautiful clothing.” 

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