Cozy Toronto Home Tour
This homeowner, who is also a designer, chose large pieces of furniture for her space. She says that in a smaller home it is best to use large pieces of furniture, but to have fewer pieces.
She painted one wall a dark feature color, then added lots of white accessories. The over-size white decor pieces create the illusion that the ceiling is taller.
The pops of turquoise on the coffee table draws the eye to the center of the room.
White accessories are placed against colorful artwork instead of the other way around, which is a relaxing feature in this cozy home.
In this awkward nook next to the kitchen, she added a comfortable slipper chair for reading.
Mirrors are always a good choice in a small home because it creates the illusion of more space. She stacked old books underneath the mirror to give it more height.
She painted wide horizontal stripes on the wall. Instead of hanging the artwork, she chose to stack the art on the sideboard. She says the large pieces of artwork prepares the eye for the large scale decor throughout her home.
When entertaining, she pulls the settee up to the dining table for additional seating. Otherwise the settee is placed against the wall so it doesn’t interrupt traffic flow in the room.
One of her favorite small space tips is to use paint for depth and dimension rather than color. In the narrow galley kitchen, she painted the walls a charcoal color, which creates the illusion of shadows.
She selected the table lamp, artwork and headboard of a similar low height in her bedroom in order to make the small bedroom appear taller.
The room colors in this home have a similar palette that moves easily from room to room, which creates a sense of flow for the eye instead of being broken up by clashing colors. In my opinion that is what makes this small home live large.
Love the wide horizontal stripes on the wall and that she has placed pictures on the sideboard instead of handing them. It is just something different that appeals to me. I have to agree I do not like the large mirror placed on top of the books, rather see it on the floor and leaning.
I have so many fun memories of Toronto that I’m biased and I am not a very good judge: I loved this home even if it’s very different than mine. And I agree with your idea that in a small home, the colours should flow from one room to an other.
I love the mirror but in my house with my Boxer/Labrador and 3 kitties it would not last long propped in the books ! The house is pretty but your home appeals to me so much more Brenda. Yours looks like it was made with love and exudes a sense of peace and says, “Come and sit awhile.”
I agree with Kris and the large pieces of furniture in the small space BUT the accessories are on-point
I see that mirror falling if not anchored…scary…..too big for me….I do like the yellow tone in the bedroom.
I like the mirror idea,its very different.
I wonder if she was trying the candles in front of the mirror and just pushed them to the side?
I thought the same thing, when I saw that huge mirror, next to the 3 small candles. Just looks odd to me. I do love the colors used in all the rooms tho, very pretty.
Beautiful. Loved her use of white with the wood furniture pieces. Great designer.
Pretty home, but not cozy to me. Too modern, perhaps. I’ve heard some designers say you can use large pieces of furniture in a small room, but I think if you use more than one large place, the room simply looks smaller. A large sideboard or hutch of some sort, yes, but not a large couch that takes up the whole room. Unlike some of the others who commented, I actually like the mirror on top of the books. I think that’s a cool and interesting feature. With the candles on the floor, I think she was trying to fill in that space. Perhaps a plant would’ve been a better choice.
IT LOOKS COLD AND UNINVITING TO ME.
BOOKS ON FLOOR UNDER THE MIRROR LOOKS STRANGE AND OUT OF PLACE, AN AFTER THOUGHT. NOT A GOOD ONE.
I agree with Ķris about the large pieces of furniture in a small space. I have some large pieces in a small space and I think they make the space seem even smaller. I also think the very heavily framed mirror on those books looks odd. It looks like it overwhelms the space. And the candles on the floor look out of place to me. They appear awfully small to set on the floor, especially next to such a large mirror. Otherwise her home is attractive and her choice of colours are very pretty.
What a pretty space. There may be limited space but there appears to be lots of light and the colors used look so nice. I really like the pops of color throughout and the dining area is so darned attractive.
This is very pretty and I like the choice of color with the white. I also live in a smaller home. I am in the process of replacing most of the carpeting with wood floors. I find that the wood really opens up the rooms to appear larger. (I cannot replace all of the carpet due to the awful noise and stress for my kitties.)
Very sweet home. I am not sure I agree with the larger pieces of furniture in a small space but she has done her very nicely. Large pieces of furniture do not feel cozy to me in small spaces.
I love her choice of colors. Happy Monday.
Kris