Condos
October 5, 2020
A Fashionable Penthouse By Anne Hepfer Bursting With Color
Sometimes, the one thing you’re looking for is right under your nose. Like many busy professionals, no matter how much Toronto real-estate broker Justine Deluce thrived on her work and the frenetic pace of city life, at the end of the day, all she really wanted was to get away from it all. She was looking for peace. In 2017, she finally found her oasis seven floors up in the building she’d already been living in for nine years. She couldn’t help but fall for the 2,370-square-foot, three-bedroom penthouse apartment’s soaring 12-foot-high ceilings, the added space, and the idea that she didn’t have to leave the chic midtown Toronto neighborhood she loved. But it was the breathtaking views from the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city skyline that really clinched it.
“I wanted an apartment that felt calm and serene, a place where I could exhale,” says Justine. So, for help, she turned to Toronto designer Anne Hepfer, a close friend who shared her mindset and relaxed approach to risk. The down-to-the-studs renovation took more than a year to complete, but the result is a reconfigured floor plan custom designed to suit Justine’s lifestyle. An intrepid colorist, Anne used bold strokes of saturated hues and graphic patterns throughout the apartment to create spaces that, contrary to what one might expect, still read as calm.
Like many of us, Justine has adapted her idea of what makes a home a haven. “I’ve never spent so much time at home before,” she says. “A couple of weeks into the pandemic, I called Anne to say how lucky we were to have created this space, and how lucky I am to live in it.”
Scroll down to tour this colorful condo with style in spades!
The console in the entry sets the mood the moment you walk in the door. “Lucite is like jewelry,” says Anne. “It adds sparkle and glamour.”
The pièce de résistance — a huge abstract painting in the living room — seems like the kind of visual curveball that would quicken pulses rather than allay stress, but, says Justine, “there’s a serenity to it. I can look at it for hours.” Three different kinds of seating make the space flexible and functional. “Justine can seat a lot of people, but it doesn’t feel like a lot of furniture,” adds Anne.
In the living room, a swivel chair upholstered in a modern take on chintz cozies up to a wild side table.
Pale oak, white woodwork, brass hardware and black accents make the kitchen — and the whole apartment — feel calm and cohesive. “I love adding touches of black in every room,” says Anne.
Glass-fronted cabinets in the kitchen display a collection of Justine’s mother’s vintage china.
The marble-topped table and pleather-covered banquette create the perfect spot for home-alone meals and casual dinner parties.
Touches of gold create a jewel-box effect in the powder room.
The cozy den can be transformed into a dining room with a custom folding table and chairs that are stashed away when not in use.
The guest bathroom’s simple cabinets and floor-to-ceiling hexagonal tiles create a timeless vibe.
Crisp bed linens and vibrant pillows are in sync with the principal bedroom’s color scheme.
“I needed a pop of happiness,” says Anne of the sunny swivel chairs in a corner of the bedroom.
The principal bathroom is enveloped in white porcelain outlined with black metal strips. “It’s similar to how a fashion designer might accentuate the seams of a couture dress,” says Anne.
Virginia Macdonald
House & Home September 2020
Anne Hepfer