Design Experts
These 6 spaces showcase design at its best
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
Design Experts
These 6 spaces showcase design at its best
Fun pattern, bold colour, unexpected textures and fab design bring dynamic zing to each of these spaces. Whether it’s a kids’ bedroom, dreamy dining room or chic kitchen, these six spaces are guaranteed to make you smile.
Go big or go bold
Tamara Honey, House of Honey
Photography, Laure Joliet. Hicks Grand WALLPAPER, Cole and Son.
The brief
Canadian expat designer Tamara Honey used bold pattern, bright colour and fun textiles to give major wow power to a guest room in a Los Angeles home originally designed by Reginald Johnson, the architect of the iconic Bilt- more Hotel. The goal was playful sophistication. Turquoise, tactile textiles and abstract art deliver the chic, while a spirited sense of fun and freshness is evident, too.
Favourite features
- Layering design elements from different decades was key. Hex wallpaper has a retro ’70s vibe that works with midcentury-style furniture and the shag carpet.
- A woolly sheep welcomes guests in a lighthearted way; gold accents add glamour.
Regency revived
Odette de Lucia, Interiors by Odette Design Group
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
TABLE, Woodbridge Furniture. SIDEBOARD, Bernhardt. Chartreuse CHAIRS, White Glove Furniture. SCULPTURE, Anthony Valin Studios. Le Jardin Mystique MURAL, Arte Wallpaper. Grasscloth WALLPAPER, Phillip Jeffries. PENDANT, Regina Andrew. TABLE LAMP, Accents for Living.
The brief
Designer Odette de Lucia had free rein to design the interior of her clients’ custom-built home. Their one request for the dining room was to incorporate their beautiful 18th-century Chippendale chairs. Odette bravely mixed the very old with the very new for an elegant effect that doesn’t feel overdone but is clearly elevated.
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
Favourite features
- An evocative landscape mural was the jumping-off point for the dining room. It’s like a modern version of a Chinoiserie mural from the Regency period. Its blues and greens are repeated in accents and in the newly upholstered antique chairs. Grasscloth paper on the other walls is subtle and has a pistachio undertone.
- A plaster sculpture above the sideboard doesn’t compete with the stunning mural. Two chartreuse accent chairs bring a punch of fun.
Culinary courage
Odette de Lucia, Interiors by Odette Design Group
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
MILLWORK, G Custom. STONE, Stone Tile. STONE FABRICATOR, World Stone. CABINETRY HARDWARE, Myoh. FAUCET, Kohler. LIGHT (over island), Visual Comfort. Custom COUNTER STOOLS, custom DINING CHAIRS, White Glove Furniture. DINING TABLE, PENDANT (over table), RH. WINDOW COVERINGS, Maple Drapery. TILES, Decotile.
The brief
A marriage of refined design elements and a playful approach to pattern brings a happy harmony to contrasting features in this dream kitchen. The big story is the palette. Green was a natural choice, representing the client’s work in the forestry industry and the design team’s love of nature. Gold and copper accents bring a luxe look and add warmth.
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
Favourite features
- A mix of patterns and textures in tiles, textiles and millwork, such as the fluted range hood and solid panel doors, creates a new hybrid aesthetic midway between classic and modern.
- This room is a perfection of patterns: note the fluted millwork, vertical tilework, striated backsplash and fab fabric on the chairbacks.
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
The shape of things
Erica Gelman, Erica Gelman Design
Photography, Valerie Wilcox. Custom BUNK BED, Erica Gelman Design. Ceiling WALLPAPER, Phillip Jeffries. Patterned PILLOWS, HEADBOARD FABRIC, Designers Gallery. Yellow vinyl dome seat UPHOLSTERY FABRIC, Maxwell Fabrics. Yellow PILLOW FABRIC, JF Fabrics.
The brief
What kid – or adult! – wouldn’t love this super-fun bedroom with its brilliant reading nook? The owners wanted a space where their two young boys would feel “at home” and one that would feed their children’s imaginations. Designer Erica Gelman responded with a skillful mix of shapes and colours.
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
Favourite features
- The round reading nook invites curling up with a book. The use of a contrasting colour for its upholstery brings even more attention to this feature. Bonus: It’s got storage drawers!
- A stairway instead of a ladder makes the top bunk feel like a room within a room.
“We wanted to make sure the room felt youthful, yet it was still a space the boys could grow into.”
Splashy patterns
Erica Gelman, Erica Gelman Design
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
The brief
The parents wisely wanted the design of this kids’ bathroom to encourage autonomy. Designer Erica Gelman happily complied with hooks and handles at kid-friendly heights and fun patterns that bring dynamic, youthful energy.
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
FLOORING, Artistic Tile. SCONCES, Etsy. Custom MIRROR, Erica Gelman Design; FABRICATION, Anthony Valin Studios. Custom VANITY, Erica Gelman Design. Rubinet FAUCET, Aquavato.
Stripes, squiggles, straight lines and triangles get this bathroom in shipshape for two siblings.
Favourite features
- Each element has been chosen with an eye to appealing to kids through shape or colour, including the terrific triangle tilework PHOTOGRAPHY, VALERIE WILCOX floors and the tone-on-tone stripes of the vanity. The sinuous funky yellow mirror is perhaps the most fun.
- All the materials used are highly durable and easy to maintain, from the natural stone counter to the ceramic tile floor.
Play on!
Erica Gelman, Erica Gelman Design
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
The brief
The parents of two lucky young boys ordered up the ultimate playroom from designer Erica Gelman. She scored with this imaginative play space complete with slide, climbing wall, tree house, chalkboard and tons of storage. Blues and greens predominate, but it’s Erica’s mix of patterns that we think earned her MVP.
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
WALLPAPER (lacquered paper on the blue walls), Phillip Jeffries; (printed pat- tern behind bench), Memo Showroom; (on ceiling), Wallpaper Mural. TABLE, Crate and Barrel. CHAIRS, Wayfair. CARPET, FLOR.
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
Favourite features
- A ladder leads to the “tree house” tucked into a former closet. In a hurry to get down? Slide into the main space where a big play table and chalkboard await your next masterpiece. Lots of cushions and rounded corners keep kids safe.
- The multicolour bench with fun cloud-shape backrests provides storage for board games, blocks and more.
Photography, Valerie Wilcox.
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