Page 72 - Canadian House & Home - xxx 2010

FRENCH RETREAT BEFORE
FROM BUILDER BASIC
TO CUSTOM COOL.
When designer Jill Kantelberg
overhauled the ensuite bath in
her Toronto home, she had a tight
timeline but plenty of inspiration
from her store, Kantelberg Antiques
& Interiors. “I wanted the bathroom
to flow with my overall style, which
is French and contemporary,” she
says. She saved time and money by
working with the room’s original
footprint, just removing the tub.
“I was using my old tub as storage,
so I decided to keep only the
shower,” Jill laughs. To achieve a
retreat-like space devoid of visual
distraction, she focused on elements
that would have the biggest impact.
She installed both recessed fixtures
and glam sconces, hung a wall of
mirrors instead of artwork, and
retrofitted an antique buffet as a
vanity, which added tons of storage.
“It’s perfect!” she says. “I’m a
satisfied customer.”

BEFORE
REPURPOSE TREASURED PIECES
Jill’s handsome Art Deco buffet —
originally used as a dining room
sideboard — was transformed into a
double vanity, perfect for anchoring
the room’s French theme. She laid a
wool rug over the original hardwood
floors. “Rugs add an unexpected layer
of sophistication,” she says. Vast
frameless mirrors bounce light around
the room and visually enlarge it.
Sconce, Luminart; rug, Kravet; bowl, vase,
RENO WHERE TO SPLURGE Cynthia Findlay Antiques.
IDEAS
• Tyndall stone for
shower floor ALLOW AMPLE SHOWER SPACE
• Hand-tufted wool rug
Tyndall stone, quarried in Manitoba,
WHERE TO SAVE has a dappled look that was perfect for
• Maintaining original the floor of the shower; Jill also hung it
footprint
• Inexpensive white as art over the toilet (top right).
Marble for bench, surround, Marble Trend;
porcelain subway tile
• Buffet repurposed as vanity bath products, Ginger’s.
• Simple chrome fixtures
• Installing affordable wall see houseandhome.com
mouldings
Get photos and decorating tips in our
Bathroom Design Guide. Click DESIGN.

70 H&H FEBRUARY 2010

12/8/09 6:26:25 PM
FEB - Bathrooms.indd 5
FEB - Bathrooms.indd 5 12/8/09 6:26:25 PM