Zibi, Ottawa/Gatineau’s most innovative development project, and 4té, the formidable interior design firm, found harmony in this conceptual design. The Zesde unit is part of Zibi’s first residences at Kanaal – a collection of 71 urban condo flats, two-story towns, and flow-through penthouses with private rooftop terraces. Presented for the first time on March 2nd at Zibi’s Phase II launch event, we had a chance to visualize living in the The Zesde unit, with everything from warm, earthy textures to sleek, inspiring surfaces. Imagine sustainable fabrics and air-purifying plants in a unit that’s surrounded by the river and waterfalls that connect Ottawa and Gatineau. That’s the balance and beauty that this project evokes.

To learn a bit more about this collaboration and what brought 4té to make some of the design decisions, we talked to Interior Designer Nikki Steele.

Your team made many sustainable design choices for this concept, is it easy to find fabrics and materials that are environmentally conscious?

Yes! Finding fabrics that have a recycled content or are from a rapidly renewable resources is very easy to do. Wool, felt cotton are all great starting points. Most contract fabric manufacturers have products with an environmental element to them to meet the market demand for it. Other materials are just as easy to source, such as reclaimed wood floors, laminates and porcelain tiles with recycled content.

The cork wall coverings are a very unique and interesting choice, how does a treatment like this change a room?

By applying a natural element like cork to your walls you instantly infuse a bit of nature, a bit of warmth into the space, and it can still look high end! The tiny bit of metallic sheen in the wallcovering we showed adds a sophisticated element rather than a rustic feel. Cork also has some acoustics properties which is an added benefit. Going sustainable doesn’t mean saying goodbye to an upscale look and feel.

In a condo unit, what tips or tricks do you take in to consideration when keeping spaciousness in mind?

In this case we wanted to keep it light and bright. But you might be surprised to know that painting a wall that has windows a dark colour will allow your eye to focus past the wall to the outside view. So it really depends on the aesthetic of the inhabitant. For this condo, we were going for a serene feeling, since it is already quite spacious in terms of square footage, and we interpreted through a very neutral colour palette. Flooring is another big trick to keeping your space feeling open and roomy. If you have too many transitions from one floor type to the next, it tends to chop up your floor plan.

Finally, what’s your favourite item or element in this design conceptualization?

We love the concept of incorporating an herb garden into your kitchen millwork. It provides a pop of colour, a natural element to keep us connected to the outdoors all year round and is appealing feature for the health conscious owner. Honestly though, this suite allows for many interpretations of the concept, it’s hard not to love it all!

Learn more about this this gorgeous unit – Suite 601 “The Zesde” – which is currently listed for sale.