Style Files Ideas, tips and trends

Style FILES

AFTER FROM LEFT: Designers Fenwick Bonnell, Victoria Garofalo, Albert Limshue and David Powell.

BEFORE

3 3 R E ASONS TO FINA LLY R EPA INT YOUR ROOMS

1 | 75 NEW COLOURS Benjamin Moore’s just-launched Century paints push the potential of colour. Herbs, gemstones and rich minerals are only a few of the natural elements the palette tips its lid to. From mid-tones to deeper hues such as Cobalt (U8), shown here, the transformative shades give walls surprising depth and dimension. 2 | A TRENDY MATTE FINISH There’s no sheen to be seen here. Century’s special matte finish leaves walls feeling velvety soft. Use the formula for lowtraffic zones. 3 | SMALL-BATCH PRECISION Each gallon is premixed and sealed ahead of time by Benjamin Moore, rather than in-store, guaranteeing the paints are ready to roll with zero colour discrepancies. Approx. $125/gal.

Colour-blocked panelling painted in Off Black (57) by Farrow & Ball gives the hallway a focal point.

MINI MAKEOVER BOLD MOVES

TORONTO FIRM POWELL & BONNELL DESIGNS A GRAND ENTRANCE AT THE KIPS BAY DECORATOR SHOW HOUSE.

BEFORE: The hallway of the 1905 neo-Georgian mansion in midtown Manhattan already had gorgeous herringbone wood floors and handsome panelling masking several doors, but the all-white walls felt too plain for the space. No natural light filters through the passageway, and because the house was most recently a commercial building, exposed sprinkler pipes snake across the vaulted ceilings. AFTER: Painting the panelling black created a dramatic backdrop for a collection of faux tortoiseshells, which the designers connected to cerused oak blocks with brass rods to mimic the look of a museum display. The result transforms the hallway from a plain passageway into an artful gallery space. Overhead, a welded-steel sculpture by Ridgley Studio Works hides the sprinkler pipes and casts branch-like shadows that mimic the feeling of natural light.

FUN FAC T FARMERS IN EUROPE’S BASQUE COUNTRY USED TO MARK THEIR OXEN BY DR APING THEM IN LINEN WOVEN WITH THE ESTATE’S UNIQUE HOUSE STRIPES.

EVENTUALLY, the durable fabric moved indoors as table and kitchen linens, and the patterns began to reflect fashion more than family. With the style pendulum swinging into colour (hello, Millennial Pink!), these quintessential summer stripes are once again a go-to for city and seasonal homes. Now that they’re offered in endless combinations, we love them for brightening everything from deck chairs to drapes. Fabric, from $80/m.; deck chair, $264. At Maison-Basque.

WELL-EQUIPPED FROM $25,995*

ROOM FOR EVE RYTH I NG, INCLUDING YOUR WEEKE ND PL ANS.

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