Decorating & Design
Step Inside A Neoclassical Revival Home By H&H’s Designer Of The Year Anne Hepfer
Published on December 28, 2021

An ambassador for classic decorating and bold color, Anne Hepfer designs rooms with staying power. Anne’s history with House & Home stretches back for more than a decade, and that kind of longevity isn’t an accident. For starters, the designer — who grew up in leafy Greenwich, Conn., but regularly made pilgrimages to galleries, museums and showhomes in New York — has a serious design pedigree. Following a bachelor of science at Vanderbilt University, she attended Parsons School of Design and was hired by esteemed Manhattan architect Daniel Romualdez right after graduation. She started her own design business in 2003 and, the following year, after marrying a Canadian, she moved her firm to Toronto.
Anne excels at translating a client’s vision into something that suits them so perfectly, it becomes an enduring style statement. “I’ve been tagged the Queen of Color,” says Anne, chalking up the title to her willingness to take risks. “I create customized interiors and, when I design, every element is intentional and has purpose and function.” It’s something she explores in her first book launching next August, Mood: Interiors & Inspiration, which opens the doors to spaces she’s created for an international clientele (with locales from Muskoka to Miami to San Francisco), as well as for her own family. “It’s very hard for me to define what my style is since it’s constantly evolving,” she says, “but it’s classic and timeless. I look back at projects I did 15 years ago, and I think they still stand the test of time.”
Anne designed a neoclassical revival home for a blended family with five teenagers that’s full of Anne’s signature touches. Primary colors, vibrant art and plush, curvy furniture are amped up by bespoke flourishes including edge trim on triple-fold drapery and headboards embellished with pleating or black piping. “What I love about this house is that it’s sophisticated, but you can’t take it so seriously,” says Anne. “It’s a fun house, ready to host joyful family moments.”
Scroll down to tour this colorful Toronto home filled with bursts of color!

In the living room, good friends can catch up over cocktails on the curvy seating that makes everyone feel engaged and welcome — and no one would change a single thing. There’s no greater compliment for a designer than creating a space that can’t be dated, or where homeowners wouldn’t swap out one chair or vase because every element is in perfect harmony.

The home, built in 2014, didn’t require a complete overhaul, but the bathrooms and flooring were updated and a new sauna was installed. “The project was more decorative,” says Anne. “We painted the entire house, and there’s new wallpaper, mirrors, furniture and lighting.”
This family room is a major hub for gathering, with a pair of plush barrel-back chairs and vibrant custom art.

The coffee table in the family room is prime real estate for books, objets and fresh flowers.

Gabriel Scott’s Prong bench and colorful art enliven the entry hall.

The communal spaces are electrified by other power moves including the red and white breakfast nook with Fireworks pattern drapery by Albert Hadley (a big influence for Anne) and a juicy, red lacquered light fixture. The equally color-saturated family room is party-ready, with a color-blocked modular sectional and psychedelic accents.
In the kitchen, shades of red on the pendants and stools continue the berry palette seen throughout the home.

“This space is a bit of a throwback,” says Anne, referencing the Saarinen chairs. “I used the rug as a canvas to make the sculptural shape of the chairs stand out.”

The lemon yellow velvet dining chairs hearken back to cobalt blue seating around a dining table that appeared in H&H’s December 2018 issue. “I guess you could say that’s an Anne Hepfer move,” says the designer. The clients, a couple she describes as dynamic, energetic and cool, were willing to take risks and weren’t color shy, either. “In the dining room, the stars were the bold yellow chairs, the wow-factor chandelier, the dark walls and ceiling, and the striped drapery. We kept the table and rug simple and quiet to let the other elements speak to each other.”

The principal bedroom is wrapped in a midnight blue patterned wallpaper with a navy ceiling (it’s like sleeping under a night sky). A pleated linen headboard and plush rug add pure luxury to the principal bedroom while textured metallic wallpaper makes the space cosy and sexy.

Meanwhile, a daughter’s white and black bedroom is as chic and timeless as a Chanel perfume box. The teen girl who occupies this bedroom requested a fashion-forward, graphic look, so Anne trimmed the bed in black piping for a couture detail.

A backlit mirror gives a space-age glow to a teen’s bathroom.

Anne wanted to play up wild 1970s-inspired furniture on the lower level, where the family hosts parties and plays games. She not only thinks about what her clients value today but envisions the home as a stage for memories, where well-loved items play a key role. The kids may recall an epic family game night showdown or a holiday meal around the table, where the furniture and conversation are equally lively.
Virginia Macdonald
Anne Hepfer