IT TAKES A VILLAGE

TEXT BETHANY LYTTLE

PHOTOGRAPHY DONNA GRIFFITH

STYLING ANN MARIE FAVOT

IT TAKES A

Want a room with dimension and personality? Don’t decorate alone. There it was: the perfect bedroom.

Natural light poured in through large windows, heritage millwork flattered its doorways and spacious dimensions allowed more furniture than just a dresser and a bed. So why in the world was it so difficult to decorate? Baffled, the homeowner stood in the doorway and stared. After two years of decorating effort, the room still looked generic. “That’s when it occurred to me,” she says. “If I wanted a room with personality, I needed to make it about people – not objects.”

Enter a group of five cool design professionals. Long admired by the homeowner, each was invited to contribute his or her expertise – be it decorating, upholstery or artwork – to the room and had free rein to create something that would most enhance the space. The outcome was extraordinary, just as the trusting homeowner knew it would be.

Staci Edwards, the owner of design, upholstery and sewing shop Switch Studio in Mississauga, Ont., delivered a striking voluminous tufted headboard that earned centre stage in the room. Upholstery genius Jodie Merson of J&J Made in Toronto upcycled a faux-bamboo-framed bench that had a tattered woven seat using a sultry print that suggests world travel. Not to be outshone, Endeavour Neon’s

LEFT In a 1920s house, neon is delightfully unexpected, contrast- ing beautifully with the precise, tailored drapery beside it. A velvet-upholstered armchair sit- ting on a pale blue runner distinguishes this cozy reading nook from the serene sleeping area.

splurge A custom bed frame allows you to select your preferred plushness and the most fitting fabric for your space.

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Once destined for the trash, this bench was easily upcycled with a deep clean and a new cushion.

Breezy linens offer instant serenity. Their soft mix of prints and hues – mostly greys and blues – echo the feather-like pattern of the wallpaper. Custom drapery and a tufted headboard make large-scale statements. The bench fabric picks up on the natural tones in the sisal rug, wood shelves and brass sconces.

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A big-box-store desk looks totally elegant alongside painterly wallpaper and a mod stool. Andrew Hibbs of Surrey, B.C., hand-bent a cool wall sign that reads “Bisou” (“kiss”) in pretty loopy script. Part art, part light source, it gives off a subtle urban vibe. For Lindsay Woods of Q. Design Perfect Drapery and Shades in Mississauga, Ont., it was the room’s sharp angles that required attention. So she softened the space with tailored drapery, embellishing the folds of the linens with a warm grey patterned trim.

To frame and flatter these unique furnishings, savvy designer Stacy Begg (a for- mer Style at Home staffer) stepped in to bring it all together with a backdrop of gentle greys and blues that evokes morning mist.

splurge When you find a piece of art you absolutely love, it’s always worth saving up to buy it.

LEFT, TOP The elegant tufted headboard beautifully plays off the fanciful print wallpaper, brass industrial-edge sconces and a sisal rug that calls beachside living to mind. The combination strikes a perfect juxta- position of formal, whimsical, edgy and relaxed for a truly unique collected look. LEFT, CENTRE & BOTTOM In the anteroom, a slim-profile desk, a minimal modern stool and a bulletin board fashioned from the frame of a broken mirror make for a chic workspace to check emails or write thank-you cards.

ABOVE Nestled between two custom bookcases, a plump vintage settee entices readers and nappers alike. Graphic toss cushions with a circular print provide the perfect counterpoint to the large and linear water print overhead. To keep the aesthetic light and airy, the shelves were kept spare with objects in tones of white, blue and tan.

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From the subtle yet confident pattern play in the bedding and wallpapers to the luxe textures and open shelves that put personality on display, it’s almost impossible to imagine this room as generic. The contributors made their mark with collective cleverness and great taste, and the bedroom now echoes the spirit of its makers. You might even say the decor has become a visual conversation – each design element talking to the others, none saying the same thing but all always in harmony.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

On trend without being trendy, a brass light fixture casts a warm glow and matches the sconces flanking the bed; combining different picture frame finishes (gold, almond and featherwork) brings subtle variation to the streamlined gallery wall; in lieu of nightstands, minimalist floating shelves offer just enough space for bedtime necessities; a vase for fresh flowers, a succulent requiring minimal care and a shallow dish for everyday jewellery form a striking trio beside the bed; an open shelving unit is adorned with books and objets that reinforce the room’s palette; grey stripes, scallops and wovens mingle in the mix of bedding.

Blackened 2011 WALL PAINT, All White 2005 TRIM PAINT, Yukutori WALLPAPER (in desk area), Farrow & Ball; Cole & Son Mimosa WALLPAPER (behind bed), Thom Filicia Fabius LUMBAR CUSHION FABRIC (on settee), T30628 DRAPERY TRIM FABRIC, Kravet Canada; Ellis Herringbone BED FRAME UPHOLSTERY FABRIC, Laundered Linen DRAPERY FABRIC, Juniper Ogee Embroidery TOSS CUSHION FABRIC (on settee), Thibaut at Kravet Canada; custom BED FRAME, Switch Studio; DESK, DESK LAMP, CARAFE, IKEA; STOOL, Muuto;

DRAPERY SEWING & DRAPERY RODS,

Q. Design Perfect Drapery and Shades; custom BENCH UPHOLSTERY, J&J Made; LIGHT FIXTURE, Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.; SCONCES, Rejuvenation; NEON SIGN, Endeavour Neon; RUNNERS (in desk & sitting areas), Elte; BEDDING, Au Lit Fine Linens; TOSS & LUMBAR CUSHIONS (on bed and sidechair), PRINTS (above settee & on gallery wall), PICTURE LEDGES, Minted; VASE (on side table), THROW (on settee), H&M Home; brass and glass OBJET (on bedside shelf), elephant PRINT, Indigo; blue SPEAKER (on bedside shelf), Vifa.

FOR SOURCES, SEE OUR WORKBOOK

A gallery wall of artwork leaned on shallow shelves offers the opportunity for ever-changing views from the bed. The velvetupholstered chair cozies up to a timeless table that once belonged to the homeowner’s father.

5 SIMPLE STEPS

to a gorgeous Gallery Wall

Mariam Naficy, founder of Minted (a favourite online marketplace of works by artists around the world), tells us how to arrange art in a magazine-worthy way.

1. TAKE YOUR TIME

“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” says Mariam Naficy, Minted’s founder. “And the same is true of a gallery wall.” Collecting takes time, especially if you have an eye for expensive art. In the meantime, build on the works you already own by using inexpensive prints as fillers.

2. VARY THE SIZES

Variety lends interest, so be sure to include pieces large and small, tall and short. And don’t overlook orientation – a mix of horizontal and vertical options keeps the eye engaged, advises the expert.

3. MAKE IT PERSONAL

In addition to displaying meaningful artwork – such as something picked up on holiday – incorporate family photographs in your gallery wall. But avoid the standard pose with everyone simply smiling at the camera and instead select pictures that are candid and artistic.

4. PICK YOUR PALETTE

Have a colour scheme in mind. Choose a piece with a strong signature colour and then find others that feature the same hue in a more subtle way. It’s also important to balance the light and the dark, even if you’re drawn to one over the other.

5. MIX OLD AND NEW

For a collected look, pair modern and vintage pieces. Mariam suggests even going a step further: “If you have a contemporary medium like a photograph, frame it with something vintage. And if you have a vintage medium like an oil painting, counter it with a more modern frame.”