interior design Archives - Page 7 of 20

2014 Brian Gluckstein Princess Margaret Lotto Showhome | PART THREE

So without further ado, let me share my favourite space in the Princess Margaret Lotto Showhome. It is – in one sense – the simplest space in the house.

A desk.

Two chairs.

A tree.

That’s it.

Well, unless you count the endless windows and decadent abundance of natural light. At the end of the day, that’s all I really need. NATURAL LIGHT. In fact, it’s my favourite Designer luxury.

Turns out, the chairs were scooped up at a thrift store and reupholstered. My kind of find!

And have I mentioned those windows?! 16 feet high and capped off with a skylight above to basically make this as outdoors as you can possibly get while still being inside the house. The third wall is mirrored so that it feels like a glass box and just reflects the light even further into the space, and the fourth wall is just open to the house. THIS is the sightline at the end of the hallway from the entrance you would use daily as a family. Can you say inspired? Talk about a welcome home for the senses.

L O V E.

I don’t know about you, but I think a lot of dreaming and planning and world dominating {in the most feminine, kick-ass way possible, of course} could happen in this space. Sign. Me. Up.

What do you think? What’s your favourite space in this house?

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 2nd, 2014|0 Comments

2014 Brian Gluckstein Princess Margaret Lotto Showhome | PART ONE

I’ve been putting a lot of thought of late into what my Dream House Wish List looks like, assembling mental pictures and thinking through styles and historical periods for reference. There are really three architectural periods – Georgian, Regency and Art Deco – that most speak my language, and this year’s Princess Margaret Lotto Showhome is a beautiful interpretation of a modern day Georgian classic.

Designed by Canadian Design Icon Brian Gluckstein, the house is awash with details and delights around every corner. I had the opportunity to chat with Brian as he graciously toured a small and privileged group of designers and design bloggers through the house before it’s grand opening. I loved hearing Brian’s insights into the nuances and design details of the process behind this beautiful South East Oakville home, and now I’d love to take you on a little tour as I share with you some of the details that are firmly planted on my personal Dream House Wish List.

SIGHT LINES

To make a house truly engaging for the mind – and to make it feel open and embracing of the hum and buzz of daily life – a dream house should have really beautiful sight lines. What does that mean, you ask? It means that when you look down a hallway or through a room, the place at which your eye comes to rest should be interesting, ideally extending to you an invitation to come in and see what is around the next corner. For me, this includes an abundance of natural light to draw you in and open you up to the possibilities. That is what an inspiring space should do, after all, isn’t it?

It was actually the view from the mudroom through to the Conservatory {see below} that first had me catch my breath a little. Yes, I just said Conservatory. Here’s a sneak peek of that beautiful sight line.

Note the rhythm created by the repetition of archways, the tray ceiling details and repetition of light fixtures down the hallway. Yep, you guessed it. Dream House Wish List details.

I’m going to make you wait for more details on the Conservatory {you can just make it out at the end of the hallway}. Just a glimpse for now, but we’ll come back to it, I promise.

The gracious curved staircase also offers beautiful site lines at every level of the house, and the window that extends through all three floors floods the staircase with natural light.

NATURAL LIGHT

For me, one of the ultimate indulgences on my Dream House Wish List is simply a house that is drenched-to-the-point-of-drunken with natural light. I think Brian and I speak the same design love-language in this regard, because wherever and whenever possible, he insisted that the windows come right down to the floor or function as garden doors to keep the flow of indoors to outdoors as effortless as possible.

Isn’t the rear elevation of the house gorgeous? Totally a modern classic.

These doors were swung wide for the little fête we enjoyed together, showing off this house’s true design destiny: a lifetime of effortless entertaining. Dream House Wish List? Check.

HANDMADE CRAFTSMANSHIP

There are a couple of ways in which this year’s Princess Margaret Lotto Showhome exemplifies my personal passion for handmade craftsmanship. The first is the fireplaces. Not only did Brian design a beautiful two-way fireplace for the front hall entryway and living room to share as a warm Canadian welcome on a cold winter’s night {pictured below}, but he also appointed a decadent and refined marble fireplace to serve as the focal point for the family room and the Master Ensuite. All of the fireplaces in the house were hand-carved in Portugal. {Note to self: Design trip to Portugal for inspiration = a must!}

Detail of the Art Deco inspired fireplace surround in the Family Room.

Is unwinding at the end of each day in a classic cast iron tub while mesmerized by the hypnotic sway of flickering flames on your Dream House Wish List? Yes? Me too. Check and Check.

Note the master vanity floating in front of a large window – the perfect spot for flawless makeup application!

The second brilliant touch of hand-made craftsmanship in this house is found on the wallpaper in the dining room. From afar you might think it is “just pretty,” but this wallpaper is anything but “just pretty.” It’s actually the secret gem in the house, which you realize when you get up close to it. The beautiful chinoiserie of flowering branches and birds has been painstakingly hand embroidered onto the silk paper by artisans from England’s Fromental. The colour palette was customized just for this house. It’s truly exquisite! Just look at the feathers on the bird in the second photo below.

FLOOR PLAY

One of my design signatures for many years has been detailed floors – specifically with the use of mosaics inset as tile carpets and with the use of larger tiles to create herringbone and chevron patterns. Naturally, Brian features both in this spectacular Showhome.

{I’m beginning to think he has been reading my Dream Home Diaries!}

I particularly love the use of these simple subway tiles {above} to create the striking yet subtle herringbone pattern featured on the main floor of the house. The tiles look like natural stone but are in fact a quartz composite called Technoquartz, making them perfect for high traffic areas.

The herringbone pattern, as you know, is my all-time favourite and I feel it grounds and elevates the main floor all at once with an approachable sophistication that is just my cuppa. Brian shared that he found these tiles stacked in a discounted section of the showroom and started playing with them while everyone else was chatting. He knew they were the perfect choice the moment he’d laid out the herringbone pattern. Now, you’ve got to love a man who scoops up a deal and creates something as beautiful as this with it!

I hate to be a tease, but I’m going to leave you hanging on until tomorrow for the next instalment of details from this gorgeous house! There’s truly too much to squeeze into one post, and I want to do it justice. I hope what you’ve seen so far will fuel some dream house dreaming tonight.

xo
s.

All images courtesy of The Princess Margaret Welcome Home Sweepstakes

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|September 30th, 2014|0 Comments

Project Nursery Update | Art Grouping #1

With the bones of the room just the way I want them, it’s time to get on to the one of my favourite parts: the art! I have so enjoyed curating the art groupings for this nursery. I wanted the art to mark the space with a sense of joy and delight, not to mention a healthy dose of whimsy. This is the grouping that now sits over the change table. Here’s what it looked like all laid out on the change table itself before we installed it:

And here’s how we installed it, along with a bit of the story behind each piece!

The central piece is by far the most storied. It just happens to be Graham’s favourite bear from when he was a little boy. This bear was/is undoubtedly besties with the Velveteen Rabbit, because his formerly velvet paws were rubbed raw by Graham’s sweet little baby hands. Seriously, just picture that for a moment. Cue heart melting. I swoon at the sight of his roughly stitched patches, matted fur and cock-eyed smile, especially knowing that he comforted my man when he was just a little man! This bear has seen some really good lovin’ in his time.

I commissioned my furniture maker to craft the beautiful natural walnut shadow box for Graham’s bear to nestle into, and I love the way it turned out. Because the solid wood shadow box is heavy, we put two anchors into the wall and drilled screws right through the back of it, hiding the mechanics with a simple board that I covered in a piece of blue and cream abstract modern linen from Kelly Wearstler for Kravet. I love the modern backdrop it creates for Graham’s vintage snuggler. A sweet little nest for this very “real” bear to call home.

Once the central piece was installed, we moved on to installing the two whimsical wood prints from Big Bear’s Den that I picked up at this year’s Christmas One of A Kind Show. I once again had my furniture maker craft the frames for these two little lovelies {which he then generously gave me as a Christmas gift! People are so kind!}. I’m thrilled with the result and love the way the walnut frames create a sense of warmth and connect with the wood on the change table/dresser. He made the frames to be installed with a wood block cleat on which to hang, and I love how stable this makes them. {See Graham installing the wood blocks above.}

The piece on the right says “wisdom begins with wonder,” and I don’t know about you, but I could use more awe and wonder in my daily life. I also think babies – and kids in general – are an invitation to be present and utterly mesmerized by simple beauty, observers of the oft-missed wonders in the world around us. It’s a good little mantra for life, really!

From there it all came together rather perfectly with a few final pieces, as you can see below:

TOP RIGHT: A dollar store DIY of mine, simply mounting two feathers in a shadow box frame on a remnant piece of oyster coloured shagreen wallpaper. {Total cost: $1.50}

BOTTOM RIGHT: The most charmingly debonaire faux taxidermy rabbit from Felt Factory, which I also picked up at this year’s One Of A Kind Show. I simply couldn’t leave that booth without bringing one of her sweet woodland creatures home with me! It was love at first sight.

BOTTOM LEFT: A gorgeous piece by printmaker Emma Nishimura from Art Interiors, floated on top of a heavy piece of watercolour paper in a simple but lovely black shadowbox frame. I’ve secretly been coveting this piece for a long time and LOVE how it connects with the birds in flight on the drapery panels. I also love the sophistication and refinement of this delicate print.

TOP LEFT: These bocce balls are also from Art Interiors. I’ve actually owned this piece by artist Erin Vincent for a few years now. It used to sit on a bookcase in another room in the house, and I have to take this opportunity to once again make a case for the value of buying smalls. {I know, I’m a broken record!} But really, you can rearrange smalls endlessly, reinventing the look and feel of a room simply by moving around the art. I love the sense of play this little piece infuses into the overall look of this grouping, and the fresh pop of colour is quite welcome.

Overall the grouping is rather soft and gentle. A little bit sophisticated, a lotta bit whimsical, and it totally makes me smile. With each addition to the room I have the growing sense that I’m really going to enjoy spending time in here. It’s a good feeling.

I promise to show you more photos of this grouping above the finished change table below. I’m thrilled with the beautiful change table topper that Graham made for me. It’s simple, good looking and super functional. As if he hadn’t already, Graham has quite firmly planted himself at the top of the super-husband list for life around here by making it. I am seriously so grateful for all of his talent and hard work!

And of course, there’s also the art grouping on the panelled wall that sits above the crib to show you…and the crib itself…and the rug and the chair and the ottoman…and the baby. Oh yes, that small matter of meeting the petit oeuf for whom all of this has been created! I’d say he’s the biggest reveal yet, wouldn’t you? All in good time {she says calmly while secretly thinking “soon, I hope!”}.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|January 10th, 2014|2 Comments