Page 60 - Canadian House & Home - xxx 2010

BEFORE

ABOVE: A black and white FAR LEFT: In the front hall, a
dhurrie rug is a graphic hit layered vignette of unique
in the principal bedroom’s and exotic furniture and
sitting area. A roomy sofa objets is set against an airy
and chair are a cosy landing backdrop of creamy walls
spot at day’s end. Adding and wood floors. The
a sitting area like this gives bold Asian-style table and
a bedroom a real boutique ornate Venetian mirror are
hotel feeling. a fitting stage for more of
Sofa, chair, Ikea; coffee Alan’s blue and white china.
table, Neal Small. Table, Neal Small.
BEFORE

“I wanted the spaces to be as open and light as possible,”
he explains. To wit, he enlarged the window at the top
of the staircase and added a Palladian arch, and also
added an extra window in the principal bedroom. He left
windows throughout the house bare to maximize daylight.
The home’s original wide-plank pine floors were largely
intact — under “layers of stinky carpet” — and Alan had
them sanded and refinished. To get rid of the yellowish
cast of the old pine, he had a white pickling stain applied
and rubbed off, and then sealed the wood with a matte
urethane to give the flooring a pale, almost unfinished
look. The result adds to the lightness of the interior and
gives the home a truly current look. Various tones of soft
off-white paint on walls and trim offer a light neutral
backdrop that best shows off Alan’s eclectic furniture
and numerous collections.

58 H&H FEBRUARY 2010 SEE SOURCE GUIDE

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