Page 34 - Canadian House & Home - xxx 2010

LIVING
BEFORE

A reimagined
A simple MDF
mantel is an
affordable update city house

marries sleek

minimalism and

organic finishes.

Text by LAURA MUIR
Photography by ANGUS FERGUSSON

Making

Modern Warm

MAKE THE FIREPLACE THE
FOCAL POINT
Replace outdated architectural elements
THE BACK STORY “It was a reaction to living in New York,” says Stacey with easy-on-the-eyes focal points. Here,
of the open, uncluttered style of her midtown Toronto house. After calling a bulky, Art Deco-style fireplace with
bulging, rounded sides and an outdated
a cramped Manhattan apartment home for seven years, she and her
grey and pink granite hearth and surround
husband, Kelly, wanted to create an airy space that would suit their busy was replaced with a minimalist surround
lifestyle and wide range of interests: Kelly loves to play guitar and is a constructed of black granite and a crisp
consummate cook, and the couple loves to entertain and garden. This white-painted wood mantel. The new
fireplace boasts soothing clean lines
typical 1930s two-storey, which they bought in 2005, was a surprisingly that complement the contemporary
good fit. “It was a little ‘plain Jane,’ but a really solid house,” says Stacey. look of the rest of the house.
“It hadn’t been renovated, so we didn’t have to deconstruct someone else’s Rug, Carpet Villa; large wooden piece
(on mantel), The Door Store; coffee table,
reno.” With good bones, a practical, clean-lined layout and original features
Structube; red bowl, Hollace Cluny; large
like a fireplace and a lovely sunny back garden, it served as a clean slate for photograph, Love, Beer, Shinjuku Tokyo
the design-savvy pair. To transform the home, the couple — she works in 5/13 by Kenneth Laing Herdy, medium
advertising, and he in media — enlisted architect Christopher McCormack, photo, Cuba #59 (1) by Elaine Ling, Art
Interiors; wall colour, White Down
plus designer Harvey Wise to help with decorative touches. Reinventing
(OC-131), Benjamin Moore.
the house, which took two years, meant expanding the footprint slightly,
opening up spaces, adding clean architectural details and incorporating a
natural palette of wood, stone and metal to ensure a warm and inviting
aesthetic. Here, tips on creating a personalized contemporary home.

32 H&H FEBRUARY 2010 SEE SOURCE GUIDE

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FEB - City Living.indd 1
FEB - City Living.indd 1 12/8/09 6:48:15 PM