Decorating & Design
November 16, 2020
Learn How This Century Home Got A Thoughtful Makeover
Having built, designed or refinished six homes from Denver to Muskoka over the past 17 years, Aly and Alf Douglas are no strangers to intensive planning and process. But when they recently moved back to Toronto, the couple was keen to try something new: they wanted to live in an older urban home with easy access to shops, restaurants and walking paths — and they didn’t want to build it or decorate it themselves. They found an elegant, 1,900-square-foot red brick townhouse in Rosedale that perfectly fit the bill. But even though the 93-year-old, ivy-covered exterior was lovely and timeless, the interiors, which had been redone by a developer 10 years prior, needed some TLC.
Enter designer Gillian Gillies. They loved her style, her ability to make bold design elements work, and that her interiors cleverly used every inch of space. Over a six-month period, Gillian deftly revamped the interiors. New French oak floors laid in a herringbone pattern bring old world elegance to rooms, and original plaster walls are wallpapered — with an ulterior motive. “It makes sense,” says Alf. “Wallpaper hides a lot of plaster’s imperfections.” Gillian loves playing with texture but so, too, do cats, and the couple has both a cat and a dog. With that in mind, the designer clad the backs of chairs with fabrics like velvet so claws wouldn’t be able to hook into them.
The overall effect is graceful and contemporary, a seamless dovetailing of the home’s classic features with a modern aesthetic, all against a black and white palette punctuated by hits of rich color. “I love a mix of pattern and texture, so there’s not a time stamp for when rooms were designed,” says Gillian.
Scroll down to take a peek inside this pet-friendly haven!
Aly and Alf in their front hallway, where classic engineered French oak floors are offset by a fun animal-print runner.
The fireplace surround in Nero Assoluto black marble adds gravitas in the living room.
The living room sofa, a plum-colored mohair sectional, is difficult for the cat to scratch. “I never dreamed I’d have a large purple sofa,” says Aly with a laugh, “but it’s become a real hallmark of the house.”
The dining area’s dark-hued table and chairs are a striking contrast to pale walls and white roman blinds.
The existing kitchen cabinets were resprayed in warm white and dark gray. Granite counters with Bordeaux-hued veining add a dash of color.
Originally from Scotland and later an interior designer in Edinburgh, Gillian has been well-versed in homes with good bones. “It was just beautiful,” she says of this space. “I loved the newel post and original stairs that gently turned at the bottom, the plaster crown mouldings and the deliciously high baseboards. So, it was about taking what had been there for almost 100 years and really letting it shine whilst adding in modern touches.”
“Gillian worked hard to find fabrics that would be cat-friendly,” says Aly. As such, four leather swivel chairs serve as den furniture atop a hide rug.
Lighting is one of Gillian’s design signatures: the hallway’s three-tier wooden chandelier delivers understated drama.
Aly worried the Graffito wallpaper was too bold for a bedroom, but Gillian reassured her that it wouldn’t feel too “bossy” when all the elements came together. “When something is right, your eye isn’t automatically drawn to it because it just feels in harmony,” says Gillian.
Alf asked for a space to put all his “stuff,” so the designer built a small drawer into the radiator cover in the principal bedroom.
Clad in natural quartz, the principal bathroom’s counter and shower bench complement the geometric black and white floor tile and classic white tile on the walls.
Aly and Alf’s daughter, Lily, is away at university, so her room, papered in beautiful Birds & Butterflies wallpaper, is mostly used for out-of-town guests.
The guest bathroom was left as is, except for fresh paint and a black-framed mirror.
Virginia Macdonald
House & Home October 2020
Gillian Gillies