Now you see it... Now you don't

This majestic dining room is as comfortable in its downtown setting as it would be in an exotic chateau. A feeling of luxury and affluence prevails with the artful blending of warm colours, rich fabrics and contrasting wood tones. Tall, gracious armoires flank the hand-painted mural designed to transport us to another place and time.

The Challenge: To provide elegant storage, complete with serving capability that would allow the owners to view their work of art, unobstructed on a day-to-day basis. The Solution: Concealed parson tables are easily accessed through the right and left panels of the armoires, and lock together to provide a strong, temporary serving surface. Camouflaged, electrical outlets are painted as part of the mural.

Now you see it... Now you don't Testimonial

Dear Shaila

Despite your two broken ankles, you managed to see our renovation through to the end and gave us the Mediterranean feeling that we so much wanted. You pulled it off with flair and ingenuity. Your designs were fabulous. We love everything! We hope you will join us when we entertain... we can't wait to show off our new home. We loved working with you.

Ralph and Marcelle

Global Influence

Whether your once beloved possession hasn't quite made a comeback, or whether its time has come again and gone, if you can make it work...use it! While deciding which items to transfer from her house to her new condo, the owner of this fixture opined that her attachment to it was growing dim. After some coaxing, she agreed that the various heights of the globes would create vibrancy and movement in an otherwise narrow and static space. Coincidentally, shortly after moving into her new condo, several variations of this fixture began to appear in the marketplace.

Yours Mine and Ours

New relationships are challenging enough without the additional complication of combining furniture styles and tastes. The newly married couple that lives in this space have opposite design preferences. She prefers clean contemporary lines, while his sensibilities are firmly entrenched in the traditional camp. Adding mirrors to the back of his dining room hutch and replacing his cane back chairs with these spoon chairs in this large scale contemporary paisley pattern gave this dining room new life and the compromise satisfied both parties.

Eclectic Mix

Before you decide on a glass topped dining room table, decide how many people you want to seat. Only a few styles come with extensions. This hard working table seats 14…5 down each side and 2 at each end. The acrylic pedestals were designed to hold the weight of the 60" x 100" tempered glass top. There are no legs to straddle, so guests can comfortably gather around the table even when the seating is maxed-out. The toughest spills are no match for this easy- clean zebra print ultra suede, and the faux antler chandelier casts a warm glow on the festivities.

Testimonial

Shaila,
You are the most talented easiest to work with designer in the universe. We love you!
Anna and Sam Spivak

Bringing the Office Home

When my client called in a panic informing me that her husband had brought his board room table home to be used in the dining room, I had no idea what was in store for us. But the birds eye maple was the perfect starting point for this eclectic mix. Since they needed to seat a lot of people, we chose Chippendale chairs. The open back gives a light, airy feeling. They are comfortable, and fabulous in this orange/red lacquer finish. The colour is repeated in the screen, which was divided in two and mounted as sides and doors on this custom storage unit, which flanks a black granite server. An antique crystal chandelier and Venetian mirror add sparkle.

Testimonial

Thanks for being so open, flexible and mindful of our needs. We love the way you blended styles, periods and different influences.

Earl & Elly Miller

These Boots are Made for Hiding

Before the renovation, this foyer had a low ceiling and had two narrow impractical spaces. The closet was far from the entrance, and there was no place to sit and deal with boots and shoes. The space was reconfigured and the client's reupholstered antique bench now greets the homeowners and guests, offering a welcoming, safe to perch. Elegant antique mirrors made into closet doors, grace the new entry, camouflaging the spacious closet, whose roomy interiors boast ample hanging space and special boot trays provided for both the clients, and their guests. The inlaid mosaic floor tiles, echo the coffered ceiling, and serve to draw us into the rest of the living space.

Open Door Policy

Builder's closet doors were replaced with these fibreglass and resin art forms to add an unusual but welcoming touch to this foyer.