No sooner had I snapped the photo, left, of the entry hall in the 2009 Junior League Toronto Showhouse, than I was informed that photographs are not permitted. The JLT has an exclusive arrangement with Canadian House and Home magazine, which will produce an orgy of coverage in its October issue. The story will be long past stale at that point but the photos will no doubt be glorious.
So what do you get for your $25 ticket? Originally called Bayview, McLean House is a sizable mansion in North Toronto, tucked in behind the Sunnybrook grounds, near the old Eaton Estate. Fifty of Toronto’s top designers have transformed 47 rooms and spaces, pulling out the stops in an effort to hold their own against some very stiff competition.
With so many cooks in the kitchen you’d expect a disjointed feel to the house but the overall design direction is surprisingly cohesive. A consistent colour story helps enormously: purples, mauves, lavenders and lilacs are frequently played off against grey and silver neutrals. Stylistically the house is transitional with more emphasis on the traditional than the modern. Finishes, furnishings and millwork are all luxe, luxe, luxe.
Mike and I mostly agreed on our favorite spaces: Brian Gluckstein’s main study beautifully balances old and new, masculine and feminine. A mammoth, 12-panel Coromandel folding screen grounds the room, while silver and mauve soft furnishings whisper quietly to each other.
Kimberly Seldon’s master suite is unabashedly feminine with gorgeous, ivory-lacquered fretwork screens, soft greys and silvers punctuated by a sleek contemporary bed dressed in platinum and pale amethyst.
Other stand-outs included Timothy Mather’s small but splendid vaulted north study with its aluminum leaf treatment; Chapman Design Group’s west wing kitchen with its tart, citrus walls and chandelier; Joseph Cheng’s maximalist formal dining room and Patricia Halpin’s fearless fuchsia and cream nursery. I also loved Anne Hepfer’s “homage to Chanel” with its perfectly executed black and white details and mirrored dormers, and Taylor Hannah‘s graphic, draped catering kitchen. The garden room by Annabelles Interior Design features one of the most dramatic colour palettes with deep violet and avocado, and I was WOWed by Katherine Newman’s modern living room and conservatory with its curious mix of fleshy pinks and assorted orchid tones.
Other trends we noticed included coloured glass vases and lamps in watery blues and greens, pinks and mauves; Capiz accents and iridescent tiles also had strong supporting roles.
If you’re in the Toronto area, I highly recommend the JTL Showhouse, which is open until May 31 but go this week or next; volunteers warned us that the final four or five days are “just insane.” The beautifully tended grounds also demand a stroll, as you can see.
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