Decorating & Design
September 7, 2021
Sculptural Furniture & Contemporary Art Give This Home Gallery Appeal
When your father is prolific Canadian artist Paul Cade, there’s a good chance your home will be filled with original art. Designer Emily Cade used a neutral envelope and sculptural furniture to showcase her collection of his paintings. “I wanted it to feel like a livable gallery,” she says of the Victorian house she shares with her husband, Phil, and two kids, Ella, 9, and Oliver, 4, in Toronto’s Leslieville neighborhood.
The 1,800-square-foot house was built in the 1930s and has a brick exterior reminiscent of a Brooklyn townhouse — apropos, given that Emily’s style has a lot in common with that of New York lifestyle guru (and brownstone dweller) Athena Calderone of EyeSwoon. “I gravitate toward interiors that are curated, eclectic and layered,” says Emily. “Athena is poetic in her approach to design and we have a similar aesthetic.” Emily has even coined a term to describe her own decorating style: “Glam-modernism.”
She used a palette of black, gray and white to create a backdrop that can easily adapt to changing furniture or accessories. One of the biggest splurges and nonnegotiable elements was the white oak herringbone floor that runs throughout. “I use it often in my clients’ homes, and I will forever be in love with it,” she says.
The home’s boldest moments come by way of art (and there’s no shortage of it!). “I naturally gravitate toward abstracts,” says Emily, who is a huge modern art enthusiast. She spent many years helping her father curate his shows. “The man is talented beyond words and I grew up surrounded by paintings, sculpture and art books, so creativity runs deep in my veins,” she says. But, while Emily is passionate about incorporating different art pieces into her spaces, she admits she never designs a room around the art itself. After all, having the flexibility to move pieces and continually restyle means that there’s always room to expand her collection.
Scroll down to tour this artful Victorian home!
Emily may be a fan of neutrals, but she doesn’t shy away from more bold, shapely silhouettes for visual oomph. “I love using sculptural furniture,” she says. “I look at it as functional art.”
In the foyer, an artistic vignette is also a place to drop keys or put on shoes.
A double-tray ceiling conceals air ducts and is one of Emily’s most-loved elements in the living room. A channelled sofa (a 40th birthday present) and a Noguchi-style coffee table steal the spotlight.
The hand-carved marble mantel, which Emily stored for years, turns the fireplace into a wow moment despite it being nonfunctional. “The mantel has a 1920s style, and I felt like it was meant for this house,” says Emily, who painted the iron firebox (actually from the ’20s) herself when the budget didn’t allow for the chimney to be rebuilt.
A 1980s vintage chandelier and sconces from HomeSense illuminate the dining room.
Neutrals extend into the narrow kitchen with white Shaker-style cabinets that feel clean and expansive. Instead of pricey marble, Emily chose a look-alike quartz for the counters and backsplash.
Emily created an airy office space in the kitchen, toward the backyard.
Graphic wallpaper energizes the second-floor hallway.
Mirrored wardrobes reflect the original brick in the principal bedroom.
In the principal bathroom, oversized terrazzo tile by Ann Sacks adds a creamy white hue underfoot while gray-veined Statuario marble climbs up the shower walls. A large tub was a must for the young family.
Art by Emily’s father hangs above Oliver’s Scandi-style crib.
Stephani Buchman
House & Home September 2021
Emily Cade