PO KU: A Living Legend

Born ready for the building industry, Po Ku has been constructing exclusive architectural masterworks across Toronto for over 20 years. He learned the ropes early on, visiting job sites in Hong Kong with his father, a renowned luxury custom homebuilder who built for French and British residents across Shanghai in the 30s.

Like father like son! Ku is a classicist living out his late father’s legacy by skilfully building luxury custom homes fit for royalty.

“It’s in my blood ? I’m just continuing what my father started,” says Ku, who brings history to life by specializing in classical, Tudor, gothic and traditional homebuilding styles, some of which date back 2,500 years.

“When you drive by a house that I’ve built, you won’t be able to tell whether it’s old or new. I don’t want my houses to look like they were built today ? I want them to look as though they were built in the 20s.”

In 1984, Ku founded Quess Homes and Furniture after attaining degrees in chemical engineering and architecture from acclaimed Canadian universities. The name of his company derives from the word quintessential – the most essential part of anything.

116A creator at heart, Ku’s inherited talent and wide education play a vital role in every project he’s assigned, whether his clients yearn for a French classical home or old Victorian touches. “We show them pictures, drawings, photographs of all sorts, designs and files, because it’s impossible to figure out these things with words,” says Ku, whose homes can cost up to $7 million and more.

Known for his expertise from start to finish, Ku has the means to achieve architectural feats for clients who search for the unique in their endeavours.

“The detail in my work starts with correct proportioning, the use of faÁade, the materials and joining brick to limestone ? All these things have to come together so precisely that at the end, my idea of the perfect job is that house.”

With a deep appreciation of beautiful buildings and as an aficionado of the Jazz Age, Ku keeps his designs traditional by constantly exploring architectural styles that he can apply to today’s world.

“The most beautiful designs and architecture came with the Roaring Twenties,” says Ku, who ignites his passion for design by travelling to artistic cities such as Rome, Paris and London when he gets the chance.

“I did a lot of research on old Grecian and Roman architecture. I draw my inspiration from those periods in time ? I get bored when I have to start drawing straight lines,” says the ambitious Ku, whose love of classical Greek and Roman designs influenced the 1999 launch of his furniture line.

Fitting your home with luxurious details inside and out, Ku applies his skill in putting things in the right sequence and his knowledge of all architectural periods with flair.

“I keep abreast of what’s happening in the world of architecture today. This is what I wanted to be,” says Ku.

www.quess.net