My favourite room: Marco Pecota’s library

Deirdre Kelly

The Globe and Mail

Industrial designer Marco Pecota purchased a 100-year-old factory in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood in 2008, then immediately began converting it into a live/work complex. Today, it houses the retail store Metropolis Living (in which he has an interest) as well as his 1,280-square-foot loft-style apartment on the upper storey. A multidisciplinary artist (and Renaissance man) who makes furniture, publishes Rue Morgue magazine and produced the 2012 Vanessa Redgrave film The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh, Pecota naturally took over the redesign of the home, which he shares with his partner, Ilse Gudino. Among other interior design ideas, he introduced a five-metre-long library that has become his favourite room in the unit. “I love the height, the light and the airiness of the room,” Pecota says. “I love having so many books at my fingertips for design ideas and inspiration.”
1. The railing “This is my own design, inspired by the sea, Antoni Gaudi and Picasso’s Guernica. I penciled the design and had it transferred to schematics for cutting and folding. It is about 25 feet long and made from hand-waxed, hot-rolled steel.”
2. The overhead light fixtures “I bought these locally at Post and Beam Architectural Reclamation in Toronto. They came from a church where they were used to illuminate the bell tower. ”
3. The aircraft wing “I bought this in Northern Ontario. It’s from a Cessna and measures 15 feet long. The wing was stripped of its factory paint to leave the bare shiny aluminum. It is big, but only weights about 70 pounds.”
4. The artwork “I picked this up at Smash, a Toronto store specializing in vintage finds. I love the contrast between the black and the white. It is an image of the spine and the spinal nerves and dates back to the early 1960s.”
5. The orange chair “This was passed down by my parents. It’s cozy, comfy and softens the masculinity of the room.”
6. The carpet “The carpet is a luxurious piece bought in a Kabul market. It covers a floor made from hand-hewn engineered hardwood. Both cost about the same.”
7. The coffee table “It is made from concrete and cast iron. I bought it in Winnipeg.”
8. The desk “This is a 1960s tanker desk, which I bought in the Queen Street West area. It was stripped of the exterior paint, but the drawers still retain the light blue paint inside. A classic.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/decor/my-favourite-room-marco-pecotas-library/article16107810/