To say there's something missing in this new five-bedroom, 6,500-square-foot luxury home in Hamilton would be misleading. Still, the absence of almost anything round or oval warrants mention.
The homeowners had very specific tastes, says Toronto-based interior designer Lori Morris. In addition to favouring comfortable, open spaces, they like "very clean, straight lines, nothing curved or ornate."
From one room to the next, the linearity of this architecturally driven interior becomes as clear as crystal — that is, of the Michael Lee-Chin variety.
In the family room, which is a handsome mélange of walnut and stainless-steel Shaker-styled cabinetry and boxy suede sofas and leather chairs, there's not a curve to be found — save for the curtain rings, recessed halogen lighting, odd decorative accessory and stainless-steel door knockers-turned-pulls, which reveal bar and CD/DVD media storage areas cleverly concealed behind stainless steel-veneered sliding columns.
The streamlined adjoining kitchen is no different with its multifaceted millwork, custom sculptural stainless steel exhaust hood, 36-inch farmhouse sink, mitred picture-framed backsplash, checkerboard-upholstered counter stools and almost boardroom-like dining table.
"It's what my eye goes to if I were to pick out a piece," says the homeowner, a former schoolteacher and mother of four full-grown children. "It's interesting because I'm not opposed to the round pieces we have. But even if you go to the knobs on my cupboards, they're square or rectangular."
Having previously lived in a more modern, open-concept home for 20 years in neighbouring Dundas, she says she and her broadcasting executive husband have always been partial to contemporary design but love the many classic architectural details Ms. Morris introduced. "It's a very, very easy home to be comfortable in," the homeowner says.
Ms. Morris says she tends to put a classic spin on modern design to deliver "the warmth and homey feeling of a traditional style" without introducing antiques, fussy patterns or clutter.
To this end, she used subtle hints of curves throughout the home to add interest without diluting the linear approach. She also established a colour palette of chocolate, tobacco, tomato and cream to infuse elegance and warmth while keeping things neutral, as also evidenced in the spacious living room and adjacent dining room.
As in the family room, the lines of the oversized furniture are square, as is the commanding floor-to-ceiling gris pulpis marble fireplace. Working silently in the background are a solid bronze oval side table and small-scale circular motifs in the toss cushions and juxtaposed tea-washed-styled Persian rug and toss cushions. The majority of the space is finished in a layering of textures in tone-on-tone cream, browns and, if you look down, a hint of red in the rug.
The artistry continues in the soothing, monochromatic ground-floor master bedroom with its large-scale, linear pieces, such as the plush chaise lounge (the homeowner's favourite piece in the house); nine-foot walnut headboard, upholstered in the same chocolate brown abstract floral fabric as the foot bench; and weighty walnut bedside tables, whose drawer's grid-like inlays mimic the muntins on the wall-to-wall built-in cabinetry, not to mention the bedding's quilting pattern.
"It's a square Mondrian-inspired design with bronze details," Ms. Morris says, adding that the room has a boutique-hotel look, albeit darker than the white and beige scheme often used.
Steps away, the walnut cabinets in the master bathroom are in keeping with the rest of the home, but here Ms. Morris upped the contemporary ante with flat panel doors and bronze pulls. The chunky black honed marble countertop and matching bath surround ground the space, meshing nicely with the black-and-grey honed octagonal mosaic marble floor below.
Being "shower people," the homeowners love their new large glass-enclosed steam shower, which has a rain-shower showerhead and body jets. The grain of the oversized silvery-grey travertine tiles runs vertically to create a waterfall effect, adding to the appeal of the classic, modern design.
It is the layering of all these subtle details within the wall coverings, fabrics, accents and furniture that really gives this contemporary home its warmth and charm, Ms. Morris says. "(The layers) don't have to be ornate," she explains, "but the more interest you bring to a room, the more interesting the room becomes."
Special to The Globe and Mail
