The Upstarts

Featuring to-die-for amenities, of-the-moment locales and an international cadre of architects and designers (paging Philippe Starck)—surely if they build them, the hipsters will come.

For the design name-dropper

Seventy5, 75 Portland St., www.seventy5portland.com
Neighbourhood: Waterfront Communities-The Island
Buzz factor: Yoo, who? Surely hardcore aesthetes recognized the mug of bushy-haired über-designer Philippe Starck on the teaser billboards. The 11-storey building will be the first Canadian project by Yoo Ltd. — the London-based design firm headed by Starck (gratuitous name-drop alert: Jade Jagger is creative director).
Thought the Louis Ghost chair was cutting-edge? How about a 100-foot long table that runs from the lobby right out into the courtyard? While the building will be high on Starck’s trademark quirky style, expect purposefully few amenities to keep maintenance fees low.
Starting price: $199,900 for 500 square feet.

For the resolute east-ender

Queen City Vinegar Co. Lofts, 19 River St., www.vinegarlofts.com
Neighbourhood: Regent Park
Buzz factor: Far-east dwellers (we’re talking beyond Parliament, people) looking for authentic loft conversions—but wary of abandoning Bonjour Brioche brunches—need only amble over the bridge to still-emerging Corktown. The century-old vinegar factory will contain 38 units (choose from acidic-named floorplans like “Balsamic” and “Red Wine”) boasting all the usual loft trappings: exposed brick, wood beams, warehouse windows and polished-concrete floors.
Talkin' ’bout my gentrification: The builder, Streetcar Developments, has three other east side properties in the works.
Starting price: $211,900 for 624 square feet.

For the pamper-me-please set

550 Wellington West, 550 Wellington St. W., www.550wellington.com
Neighbourhood: Waterfront Communities-The Island
Buzz factor: Come narcissists, come pleasure-seekers and hedonists—not that there’s anything wrong with that—this development’s motto is, “It’s all about you.” The fabulosity starts with the pedigreed design team: Elaine Cecconi and Anna Simone, Toronto’s current condo queens and the whip-cracking duo of HGTV’s Design Interns, will handle the residential suites while Barcelona-based Javier Mariscal, he of Bilbao’s Gran Hotel Domine, imagines the 101-room hotel. It’s all just a platinum card’s throw from Susur and the Spoke Club—but who needs ’em when you’ve got a rooftop bar and infinity pool at home?
Most drool-inducing amenities: Room service, housekeeping, laundry service and even pet service—but with these perks, the condo fees won’t be for, well, kitties…
Starting price: $179,900 for 500 square feet.

For the New York state-of-minded

One St. Thomas, 1 St. Thomas St., www.onestthomas.com
Neighbourhood: Bay Street Corridor
Buzz factor: The grand 29-storey tower designed by legendary New York architect Robert A.M. Stern recalls deco buildings of the 1920s and ’30s. Park the Bentley downstairs and wander up to spacious suites appointed with the best money can buy: Downsview Kitchens cabinets, Waterworks bathroom fixtures, Miele dishwashers, Wolf ovens and Sub-Zero refrigerators.
Pseudo-celeb endorsement: Author and U of T philosophy prof Mark Kingwell has called it “the one building going up right now that I’d actually like to live in.”
Starting price: Around $1 million for 1,200 square feet. For a mere $9.6 million more, the 7,400 square-foot penthouse is all yours.

For the commuter-cool suburbanite

Absolute Condominiums, Mississauga, www.absolutecondos.com
Buzz factor: Developers Fernbrook Homes and Cityzen Development Group held a international design competition and it was Beijing-based architect Yansong Ma who scored the $125,000 prize. His vision? An undulating 56-storey tower instantly dubbed “Marilyn” for its va-va-voom curves.
Some like it bought: After the first tower sold out the second it went on the market, a slightly smaller sister tower was added to the plans. Absolute City Centre, as the complete compound is called, will contain a jaw-dropping 30,000 square feet of amenities space, including a two-storey gym and private cinema.
Starting price: $222,900 for 585 square feet.