Country Homes
Inside The 2022 Princess Margaret Showhome By Brian Gluckstein
Updated on January 8, 2024
Does this scenario sound familiar? You and your partner are both navigating Zoom calls when the kids burst into the room laughing, triggering a raucous barking fit from the dog. This year’s 2022 Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Home Lottery Showhome is an antidote to all that “togetherness.” It’s a return to spaces that can be made private: a cozy den with a roaring fire — and doors — and social spots like a bar, home theatre and formal dining room, when it’s time to throw open those doors.
In his 10th showhome design, Brian Gluckstein paid homage to what tops the requests of his roster of high-end residential clients, as well as a wish list of features he was eager to try out (hello dog shower for all those pandemic pups, and a climbing wall!). Sited on a quiet corner in South Oakville, Ont., the backyard of this year’s showhome has an expansive velvety lawn shaded by mature cedars and punctuated by a facetted pool and two patio lounge areas.
Scroll down to tour the Fall 2022 Princess Margaret Showhome!
This is Brian Gluckstein’s 10th Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Home Lottery Showhome design.
Inside, floor-to-ceiling windows and a dramatic two-storey wall of glass in the family room flood the house with natural light while providing definition. “I think lockdowns tested some marriages,” says Brian, with a laugh. “There’s something nice about having rooms to retreat to. In this house, we found ways to define spaces yet still see through them — there are beautiful views everywhere you look. Paneled in rift-cut cerused oak, the family room gets a modern, industrial hit from the metal doors.
Black-framed art, as well as a black table lamp and console table create a graphic vignette.
“To keep two-storey spaces from feeling cavernous, you need wall texture like paneling, and balconies make the levels feel connected,” says Brian. Mirrored faux French doors and built-in shelves give dimension and interest to the upper hallway. “We painted the face of the floor black to look like steel and match the railings.”
A study off the family room has a double-sided fireplace and can be closed off with glass doors.
Pale blue cabinets are a fresh counterpoint to the kitchen’s oak herringbone-pattern floors and smoky bronze mirrored backsplash. The island and counters are clad in Caesarstone, and incorporates a ledge to keep water from splashing on food and laptops.
The Signature Kitchen Suite cooktop incorporates a built-in sous vide function.
Matte black hardware and fixtures give edge to the soft blue cabinet doors that conceal the fridge.
“I want it to feel like you’re connected to the garden,” says Brian of the kitchen’s eat-in area. “I like floor-to-ceiling windows; it feels like dining in a conservatory.”
This year, Brian switched up his trademark grey palette for a soft blue (inspired by a dress he saw in Vogue), splashing it on the great room paneling and the kitchen cabinets. “I love to experiment with color, and this is the perfect opportunity. There’s a freshness to it,” says Brian. Two custom daybeds were designed to tuck neatly into alcoves flanking the fireplace. “In a monochromatic space, I like to layer details such as trims, paneling and caning,” says Brian.
Another new move was introducing curved walls in the great room, occasionally seen in Georgian or old French houses. “I thought, let’s shake it up a bit and do these beautiful curves because they’re rarely done in paneling; it makes a room seem a little less boxy.”
Stretched vinyl mimics a sky blue lacquered ceiling in the dining room, and the palette plays off the great room with a faux grasscloth wallpaper for subtle texture.
In the principal suite, an ebony four-poster bed draws the eye up to the high tray ceiling. A soft palette, rug and upholstered headboard create a serene vibe.
When it comes to private spaces, Brian always turns the principal bath into a major moment: this year, a custom installation depicts a garland of plaster leaves cascading down the wall over the freestanding tub.
Rounded corners and a curvaceous tile inlay in the principal ensuite are graceful touches.
The principal dressing room is spacious, with a dedicated spot for primping.
The second bedroom has dramatic angled walls and tonal drapes for a sunny, enveloping effect.
On the lower level, inset shelves in warm oak free up floor space and offer generous display.
Recognizing that some may still be wary of rubbing shoulders in big crowds, there’s plenty to tempt a showhome winner to stay in, such as a bar with restaurant-grade touches, a gym with a climbing wall and a home theatre with lighting that rivals some commercial spaces and can be changed to suit a mood or film genre. Iconic photography from Studio 54 makes the fluted bar in the lower level feel like a private nightclub. The Caesarstone floor can handle spills and plays up the graphic palette.
The lower-level homework area is orderly and bright. A long communal desk provides plenty of surface workspace.
A bird’s-eye window and whimsical canine wallpaper dress up the dog spa.
A graphic laundry room doubles as a craft area. Smaller wash loads can be laundered in a separate tub in the washing machine’s base.
The mudroom is outfitted with generous closets to stash gear.
A facetted vinyl pool with a fountain to muffle traffic noise is sited to allow for great views from the house. After Covid shut down in-person showhome tours in 2020 and 2021, Brian can barely contain his enthusiasm for welcoming visitors IRL. “You need to see it in person, to walk through the rooms, see the furniture and the finishes firsthand, see how we’re adventurous with materials,” says Brian. “After all, people come to this showhome not to see things they have in their own house, but for inspiration. We push the limits in a refined way. It’s not a mirror, it’s a door to something different.”
Alex Lukey
House & Home November 2022
Brian Gluckstein; Architecture, Richard Wengle Architect