Dee Dee Taylor Eustace's family room
For the last seven years, award-winning architect and interior designer Dee Dee Taylor Eustace has lived in the house she built herself in Toronto's leafy Forest Hill neighbourhood. As the Globe Style contributor and star of HGTV's upcoming Real Designing Women, a reality show, calls it, it's "a strong seven-bay house with references to Georgian architecture." Working closely with Montclair Construction and Ellis Fine Cabinetry, companies she runs, in addition to Taylor Hannah Architect, with David Strathy, the gregarious mother of two made sure that the elegantly proportioned, 6,000-square foot home contained a family room where she can kick back after a typical day of attending to the needs of her clients, kids and dogs. "I love this family room because of the pure north light. I made it for us," she says. "I did it all."
1. The colour scheme
"A soft, light blue colour on the furniture mixes well with the mid-sea-green grasscloth on the walls. The blue on the sofas has a warmth to it, while the carpet is green with a soft beige in it as well. I find the combination timeless and elegant."
2. The chairs
"These are for my son, the coolest light blue leather recliners that are not La-Z-Boys. I got them from South Hill Home in Toronto. There used to be a sofa where the chairs are now and I always felt I needed an ottoman when it was there. Now I don't."
3. The print
"This Butterfly Bird Fauna Linen print is one of my favourite fabrics. I love the colours and I also love butterflies. Repetition of a fabric pulls a room together, lends it a sense of unity."
4. The coffee tables
"I think these two narrow tables are better than one large one which would take up all the space in the room. I love the white lacquered panels on their lower shelves."
5. The matching sofas
"I designed them myself. They're part of my THA Lounge Line. One-armed sofas are so perfect for TV viewing and chilling. This is my 12th rendition of the design and I finally have the proportions down. Pairing them lends strength to the room."
6. The antique-mirror alcoves
"These paneled antique mirrors have rosettes where the glass panels meet. They give an illusion of depth to the room. The silver leaf of the antiquing also lends the overall space a patina, as if the room were older than it is. Plus, when you see yourself in the mirror, you seem to go on and on and on, into infinity. I like the effect."
7. The bronze sculpture
"This statue came from a previous neighbour who sat it outside with her on her verandah and then took it back in every night. I love the memories it evokes and I love the figure."