We all know that buildings don't always turn out like the renderings. Last-minute changes and real-life materials can all cause discrepancies between the vision and reality of a project. In our weekly Flash Forward Friday feature, we take a look at how different projects stack up.

Toronto's King West neighbourhood is home to a number of brick-and-beam buildings and historical structures that have been preserved despite the onslaught of urban development. In several cases, developers themselves are championing the retention of these very buildings that have come to characterize the rich streetscape. In the case of the 1882-built Toronto Silver Plate Building, the aging structure was tastefully restored as part of the 12-storey Fashion House project by Freed Developments.

14-storey version of Fashion House, image via Freed Developments

Renderings for the Core Architects-designed building showed several cantilevering glass-clad volumes replacing the pre-existing gas station. A large landscaped terrace and pool is shown topping the second block of the 334-unit development. One of the most appealing elements shown in an earlier rendering — which depicted an extra two storeys — was the proposed material aesthetic of the primary elevations, which would be accented by a collage of crimson curtains. The later rendering that showed the approved 12-storey design did not include the red drapery that had been portrayed in the previous version. 

Rendering of Fashion House at 12 storeys, image via Freed Developments

The final product was more closely aligned to the most recent rendering, though the red coverings were indeed realized. Rows of built-in LED strips provide illumination to the curtains at night, adding a pop of colour to the already lively neighbourhood. The renovated brick structure to the west now houses a steakhouse and bar, with a patio replacing a nondescript mid-century appendage. The relationship between the antique and the modern is a poetic representation of King West's evolving cityscape.

The now-complete Fashion House, image by Jack Landau