Page 30 - Canadian House & Home - xxx 2010

VIEW
Our favourite
shot of John
and Sophia, at
home in 1992.

A Design Hero

Remembered

Lynda Reeves pays

tribute to designer

John Schofield Manuel.

John’s favourite valance was the star
Thirty years ago, names like Bob Dirstein, Jim of this ad campaign for Absolut Vodka.
Robertson, Budd Sugarman and Harold Babcock were
synonymous with the most beautiful and fashionable
rooms in the country.
Light, airy and new in 1992:
A scarlet dining room from The best of the best, most talented, outrageous John had reinvented his style.
1995 was a JSM signature. and dapper of the club was John Schofield Manuel.
John died this past fall at age 75. His work has graced Photography by Gabor Jurina (Lynda’s portrait)/Ted Yarwood (dining room)/Robert Burley (John with Sophia, living room)/Taffi Rosen (Showhouse photo)
our pages many times over the past 25 years. Rooted
in the classics, quietly correct and never trendy, his
rooms held a suave appeal that felt fresh and
polished — and still do today.
I first met John in 1978 when I moved to Hazelton
Avenue in Toronto to start my own design firm. I had
heard that the perfect stone Victorian with the black
iron gate across the street belonged to John Manuel,
the famous designer. Recently divorced, I was working
hard on my apartment, trying to make a statement on
a small budget, scared I would not get even one client.
So it was a huge day when John approached me
at a cocktail party and said, “I’ve been watching you.
You’re doing interesting things with your place.
Keep going.” John was always encouraging, kind
The 1988 shot that and tons of fun.
produced bags of mail.
A few years later, when I was relaunching
House & Home and needed a fabulous CONTINUED ON PAGE 90
28 H&H FEBRUARY 2010

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