"Now you can't forget me", he told his surprised host and sperm bank recipient.

Tony Bennett's favourite thing about the place is that there are "at least 12 spots where you can sit and be alone".

But show business impresario Gino Empry loves it because it's home – "and I think I've made it mine - made my mark on it".

Empry bought his downtown 2,600-sq.-ft., 15th floor, two-bedroom condo in April of '85 for $200,000.

"It was a completely unplanned move", he says. "But I'd been living in about 600 square feet. A friend who's also a real estate agent came to me and said, 'You've got to come quick and see this place. It's a real bargain.'"

Empry and a friend, interior designer Donna Brock of Rose D'Or Interiors, set to work – and have been working together, off and on, ever since.

"Everyone has a definite idea of what they want," she says. "My job is to streamline and simplify things. Gino is very open to suggestion, very easy to work with."

	FLOWER POWER: A vivid floral painting by singer Tony Bennett, above the condo's two-sided fireplace, has became a focal point and decor inspiration.

"Our goal basically was to give the condo a very uptown New York look," she says. "We definitely didn't want anything country – we wanted a slicker, urban feel. Given that Gino entertains the likes of Bennett and singer Peggy Lee, you want them to understand that Toronto is a very sophisticated city."

Empry loves his view of Maple Leaf gardens, the Toronto Islands, Allan Gardens and the CBC tower. Light from all directions flood the apartment.

"You don't have to leave the city to enjoy the trees and the fall colours," Empry points out. "You can see it all from here."

The indoor foliage is equally impressive and has been admired by some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Jack Lemmon used to buy all kinds of plants when he stayed in town to make his hotel rooms feel less sterile. When he left, he would contribute them to the jungle of houseplants, trees, vines and orchids that Empry watches over like a proud parent.

Actor's Eartha Kitt, William Hutt and singer Petula Clark have all been houseguests.

"I love Eartha," Empry says. "She's a wonderful lady. But all the famous people I've had here have been friendly, easy and so surprised when you do anything for them."

The charm and character of the apartment are punctuated by thickly cushioned white carpeting, magnificent furnishings, dramatic decor accents, plants everywhere and Empry's many collections.

There are so many collections, one, in the spare bedroom, is simply called "the green collection".

URBAN JUNGLE: In place of an outdoor balcony, Gino Empry has constructed a cozy, greenery-filled solarium complete with fruit-bearing orange tree.

	PLATE DATE: Among his many collections, Empry has assembled 24 hanging plates in the eating area of the kitchen which he designed himself.

Two rows of slightly weary looking teddy bears doze in a corner of the master bedroom and a big wicker basket on the kitchen floor holds dozens of matchbooks. Painted plates depicting Jesus Christ, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Snow White, Elvis Presley and Wayne Gretzky – among others - hang on one wall of the kitchen eating area. "It's funny how you can mix up movie stars and Indians and Christ," Empry says of the 24 hanging plates.

Friends, some famous, some not, have left their mark, too. The paintings by Ken Danby are signed with the artist's best wishes; the funny little clock in the spare bedroom was a gift from Brenda Lee.

Empry is proud of his black and white kitchen, which he designed himself. "Everyone said I shouldn't use black everywhere," he says. "It was supposed to be too morbid or something. I just went ahead and did it."

Empry enjoys his time in the kitchen. "I'm a natural cook," he says modestly. "I watched my mother when I was a kid."

He likes to prepare "all kinds of spaghetti, risotto and veal picatta. And I'm good at eggs."

The radio in the kitchen is tuned to Classical 96. "There are seven radios," Empry says. "Half are tuned to easy rock, half are on classical. But as you walk in from the entrance, one sound fades into the other. "They don't fight," he says.

Indeed, tranquility reigns here. "You can be very uptight but you will relax just walking around watering the plants", says Empry. The airy home is a result of his collaboration with Brock.

Empry guides a visitor from the kitchen, past a niche that houses a bar, to the dining room. The round table is glass, the chairs have just been redone in a small, charcoal and taupe herringbone pattern. On the opposite wall, a Jackson Pollock painting hangs over a table. Under the table sits a magnificent antique inlaid ebony trunk from India. It vies for attention with a brass trunk from India that Empry says is at least 500 years old.

Leaving the dining area through one of two wide entranceways, the space seems to open up, drawing a visitor into the huge but inviting living room.

One corner is dominated by a black baby grand piano. A vivid floral painting by Tony Bennett hangs above the two–sided fireplace.

"Tony's painting became the focal point of the room," says Brock. "It's so beautiful and it has a lot of red tones – Gino's favourite colour."

One side of the fireplace faces the living room; the other faces the den. An oversized white cotton jacquard upholstered curved couch sits by the windows.

"It wears like steel," says Brock. "It's been through so many parties, you wouldn't believe it."

Two comfy chairs, one with an ottoman, are covered in a dramatic red and white abstract print.

By repeating the colour scheme, basically white with red accents – from room to room, Brock says they were able to emphasize the way all the rooms feel connected. "It's important too, that the connecting areas are spacious and wide," says Brock.

'Gino takes a trip around the world every year. I've told him, when you take the next trip, don't buy'

The fireplace opens to the den as well as the living room. "I wanted to be able to see the fireplace from my bed," Empry says. "So I knocked down the wall. Now I like the way the space is opened up."

Another wall that would have separated the den and the solarium was sacrificed in the name of beauty. "I knocked this wall down, too," Empry admits with pleasure. With the wall gone, the living room, den and bedroom open on to the space that would have been the balcony."

In place of an outdoor balcony, Empry has constructed a cozy, greenery-filled solarium. An orange tree, bearing large fruit, overhangs a deep rose-coloured bamboo chaise. Antique Chinese chairs of ebony inlaid with mother-of-pearl are arranged nearby.

"Gino takes a trip around the world every year," says Brock. "I've told him, when you take the next trip, don't buy anything, or we'll have to take down more walls and expand into the next-door apartment. But he has so many friends and people are always giving him things."

Empry's favourite retreat is the master bathroom, where peach indoor/outdoor carpeting covers the wide steps up to the Jacuzzi and the plant-filled deck surrounding it. A tall glass-shelved stand holds towels in Gino colours – orange, red, tangerine.

The bathroom is a work in progress, though. Empry explains that he's ordered two gold-plated sinks so they'll match the taps. "Like I need them," he says. But what's need got to do with it?

In one corner sits a device that fascinates a visitor almost as much as Empry's collection of objects d'art. It's shaped like a torpedo; one end is black and fuzzy, the other red and fuzzy. It's – what else? – an electric shoe polisher. The black ends whirs around and around as it applies polish; the red applies the shine. All in a matter of seconds.

The second bathroom, the "yellow room" is another surprise. An enterprising Empry has kept the bathtub and turned it into a sauna, complete with cedar ceiling. Only problem is, the light keeps going out.

On a quick trip back to the kitchen, Empry stops in front of the three bronze statues of gladiators atop the piano. "One I bought in Brussels, one came from Rome and the third I found at a garage sale," he says. Picking up one, he asks, "have you ever seen a gladiator with a moustache?"

Brock has a few changes in mind for the apartment, which is in a permanent state of evolution anyway, as Empry buys and is given more treasures.

	BED WITH A VIEW: A wall was knocked down to open the view from the bedroom to the fireplace, which is double-sided and faces the den and the living room.

"We may change the draperies to silk balloons," she says. "Something fresh looking. And I'm thinking about velvet throw pillows for the couch. They're subtle changes, small things." A new granite top for the bar is also in the works.

Brock's mission, to streamline, edit and pare things down may be a little easier, at least for a while.

"I take a vacation from Dec. 15 to Jan. 10," Empry says. "I usually go around the world, but this year I think I'm going to take a cruise."

Surely, Brock speculates, Empry's ports of call won't offer as many shopping temptations, or as much time to buy, as a world tour. She's not counting on it though.