Living in the lap of luxury

Styled by designer Lynda Reeves and loaded with sumptuous features, the $3 million Oakville home is a `grand' prize in every sense of the word

By Alex Newman (Living, Homes)

It's not every day a person gets their home decorated by the design divas from a home decor magazine. But one lucky person will this year.

For the second year running, designer and magazine publisher Lynda Reeves and her design associates – design editor Erin Feasby, TV show stylist Trish Johnston, and project manager Sheri Graham — have taken on the show home project for Princess Margaret Hospital's annual drive to raise funds for cancer research.

Valued at over $3 million, the 5,013-square-foot Fandor home near the lake in Oakville was lavished with Reeves' full attention for eight months. While the project's goal was to raise funds for cancer, an important by-product was an inspirational home.

"I wanted people to walk in and feel excited, to see something dazzling," says Reeves, publisher of House & Home magazine. "If you love decorating, and who doesn't love decorating, then this house gives great ideas."

Along the way, Reeves was hoping to address misconceptions about new homes, which "sometimes get criticized for lacking creativity, especially ones that lean to traditional."

With its high level of finishes – mouldings and door trims, high ceilings, high-end cabinetry in kitchen and baths – the home is grand. But to render it casual at the same time, Reeves worked with the builder on widening doorways, enlarging windows to the floor and adding custom-made mouldings.

"I think this is how young families like to live," she says. "You want the space, scope, high ceilings, big windows, beautiful materials, but you don't want to have to dress up for dinner with the family."
By going with a squared-off window frame as opposed to the fussier Palladian arch, Reeves achieved a classic look without the formality – or the challenge and expense of trying to fit drapes to the transom arches.

The importance of windows in a home's overall look and feel can't be underestimated, Reeves says.

Windows to the floor in the living room, library and dining room feel like French doors and visually connect the interior to the outdoors; a bank of real French doors in the great room provide actual access to the fully landscaped terrace and garden.

Another key element in toning down the formality was wide-plank hardwood flooring from Moncer. Hand-planed by monks in Austria, then oiled for an aged matte brown finish, the floors are subtle and soft underfoot. Made of white oak, they're indestructible in the face of the comings and goings of a busy family.

The centre hall layout is critical in creating a home that feels breezy and casual, because it improves sight lines and circulation throughout the entire main floor, Reeves explains.

"Only a centre hall plan allows sweeping vistas through to the back of the house. It's a traditional feature with French country homes, which are wide and have no narrow hallways."

Room proportions and layout enhance the grand but comfortable feel of the home.

On either side of the hall, paired rooms are connected – an elegant cream living room contrasted by the chocolate sofa and casual sisal opens onto a charming library with contemporary blue velvet loveseat, two brown velvet armchairs and oversized floral drapes in blue and cream. On the other side of the hall, an exquisite small dining room made expansive with 12-foot ceilings adjoins a servery through swinging doors.

The pantry has plenty of counter space to prepare trays or plates out of sight of the dining room and takes on the lion's share of storage, leaving the kitchen free of cumbersome overhead cabinets. The result is a great room undominated by endless kitchen cupboards and counters.

Another key component of the great room is the long, pub-height table that takes the place of a centre island. With a Caesar stone top and eight black French country chairs, the hearty table enhances the authentic French country kitchen feeling. Reeves prefers the idea of a kitchen island unimpeded by sinks or stoves, "because dirty dishes, pots or food in various stages of preparation are distracting."

A no-colour palette helps create the home's relaxed, low-maintenance style: layers of cream, beige, taupe, tan, grey, brown with hits of "juicy" colours like leaf green, soft eggshell blue, teal and turquoise.
"My best advice for people trying to create a look like this is to use lots of neutral colour," Reeves says. "There are probably 75 paint colours in that house with mouldings a slightly different cream from the walls, windows and ceilings, and that's what gives the layered look."

While the main floor is a range of natural and muted tones, upstairs the bedrooms exhibit more vibrancy. A sweet girl's room – with twin beds dressed in crisp blue and white House & Homebedding (available at Zeller's and the Bay), whimsical butterflies skimming the dormered walls and a white chandelier casting pretty shadows – works hard with efficient closet and desk space.

The boy's room is slightly more buttoned-down, with dark striped bedding, white end tables, an antique desk, a huge wall map, and blue and lime seating cubes.

The master and the guest room continue the muted palette of the main floor, with modern florals in heavy drapery fabrics that muffle sounds and contribute to an atmosphere of quiet splendour.
While layering requires more planning, it doesn't cost much and works equally well in a smaller home. Where contrast stops the eye, layers draw the eye further in, creating depth and visual interest.
Thanks to the subtle background of this no-colour palette, it's possible to inject the rooms with a soupçon of pattern – small amounts sprinkled through some of the drapery fabrics and wallcoverings that add punch without overwhelming the space. The trick is to keep it all – stripes, florals and brighter hues – within the same colour family.
"You should be able to take fabric, paint samples and wallcovering from one room to another and have it work together," Reeves explains.

Having poured herself into the home for eight months, Reeves admits to a strong emotional connection to it.

"Being inspired by a show house every once in a while is a real treat," she says. "Creating it is even better."

Thanks to the generosity of the builder, the design team at House & Home and the number of the magazine's advertisers who have donated goods and services, the home is expected to raise $6 million for cancer research.

The tickets – $100 each or three for $250 – offer about a one in 10 chance of winning a prize, from the show home to a Muskoka cottage, a north Toronto condo, luxury cars and vacations.

To buy tickets to the Princess Margaret Welcome Home Sweepstakes for Cancer Research go to pmhwelcomehome.com or call 416-650-7888 or 1-866-631-1234. For more information on Fandor Homes go to fandorhomes.com.



		Living in the lap of luxury Styled by designer Lynda Reeves and loaded with sumptuous features, the $3 million Oakville home is a `grand' prize in every sense of the word By Alex Newman (Living, Homes) It's not every day a person gets their home decorated by the design divas from a home decor magazine. But one lucky person will this year. For the second year running, designer and magazine publisher Lynda Reeves and her design associates – design editor Erin Feasby, TV show stylist Trish Johnston, and project manager Sheri Graham — have taken on the show home project for Princess Margaret Hospital's annual drive to raise funds for cancer research. Valued at over $3 million, the 5,013-square-foot Fandor home near the lake in Oakville was lavished with Reeves' full attention for eight months. While the project's goal was to raise funds for cancer, an important by-product was an inspirational home. "I wanted people to walk in and feel excited, to see something dazzling," says Reeves, publisher of House & Home magazine. "If you love decorating, and who doesn't love decorating, then this house gives great ideas." Along the way, Reeves was hoping to address misconceptions about new homes, which "sometimes get criticized for lacking creativity, especially ones that lean to traditional." With its high level of finishes – mouldings and door trims, high ceilings, high-end cabinetry in kitchen and baths – the home is grand. But to render it casual at the same time, Reeves worked with the builder on widening doorways, enlarging windows to the floor and adding custom-made mouldings. "I think this is how young families like to live," she says. "You want the space, scope, high ceilings, big windows, beautiful materials, but you don't want to have to dress up for dinner with the family." By going with a squared-off window frame as opposed to the fussier Palladian arch, Reeves achieved a classic look without the formality – or the challenge and expense of trying to fit drapes to the transom arches. The importance of windows in a home's overall look and feel can't be underestimated, Reeves says. Windows to the floor in the living room, library and dining room feel like French doors and visually connect the interior to the outdoors; a bank of real French doors in the great room provide actual access to the fully landscaped terrace and garden. Another key element in toning down the formality was wide-plank hardwood flooring from Moncer. Hand-planed by monks in Austria, then oiled for an aged matte brown finish, the floors are subtle and soft underfoot. Made of white oak, they're indestructible in the face of the comings and goings of a busy family. The centre hall layout is critical in creating a home that feels breezy and casual, because it improves sight lines and circulation throughout the entire main floor, Reeves explains. "Only a centre hall plan allows sweeping vistas through to the back of the house. It's a traditional feature with French country homes, which are wide and have no narrow hallways." Room proportions and layout enhance the grand but comfortable feel of the home. On either side of the hall, paired rooms are connected – an elegant cream living room contrasted by the chocolate sofa and casual sisal opens onto a charming library with contemporary blue velvet loveseat, two brown velvet armchairs and oversized floral drapes in blue and cream. On the other side of the hall, an exquisite small dining room made expansive with 12-foot ceilings adjoins a servery through swinging doors. The pantry has plenty of counter space to prepare trays or plates out of sight of the dining room and takes on the lion's share of storage, leaving the kitchen free of cumbersome overhead cabinets. The result is a great room undominated by endless kitchen cupboards and counters. Another key component of the great room is the long, pub-height table that takes the place of a centre island. With a Caesar stone top and eight black French country chairs, the hearty table enhances the authentic French country kitchen feeling. Reeves prefers the idea of a kitchen island unimpeded by sinks or stoves, "because dirty dishes, pots or food in various stages of preparation are distracting." A no-colour palette helps create the home's relaxed, low-maintenance style: layers of cream, beige, taupe, tan, grey, brown with hits of "juicy" colours like leaf green, soft eggshell blue, teal and turquoise. "My best advice for people trying to create a look like this is to use lots of neutral colour," Reeves says. "There are probably 75 paint colours in that house with mouldings a slightly different cream from the walls, windows and ceilings, and that's what gives the layered look." While the main floor is a range of natural and muted tones, upstairs the bedrooms exhibit more vibrancy. A sweet girl's room – with twin beds dressed in crisp blue and white House & Homebedding (available at Zeller's and the Bay), whimsical butterflies skimming the dormered walls and a white chandelier casting pretty shadows – works hard with efficient closet and desk space. The boy's room is slightly more buttoned-down, with dark striped bedding, white end tables, an antique desk, a huge wall map, and blue and lime seating cubes. The master and the guest room continue the muted palette of the main floor, with modern florals in heavy drapery fabrics that muffle sounds and contribute to an atmosphere of quiet splendour. While layering requires more planning, it doesn't cost much and works equally well in a smaller home. Where contrast stops the eye, layers draw the eye further in, creating depth and visual interest. Thanks to the subtle background of this no-colour palette, it's possible to inject the rooms with a soupçon of pattern – small amounts sprinkled through some of the drapery fabrics and wallcoverings that add punch without overwhelming the space. The trick is to keep it all – stripes, florals and brighter hues – within the same colour family. "You should be able to take fabric, paint samples and wallcovering from one room to another and have it work together," Reeves explains. Having poured herself into the home for eight months, Reeves admits to a strong emotional connection to it. "Being inspired by a show house every once in a while is a real treat," she says. "Creating it is even better." Thanks to the generosity of the builder, the design team at House & Home and the number of the magazine's advertisers who have donated goods and services, the home is expected to raise $6 million for cancer research. The tickets – $100 each or three for $250 – offer about a one in 10 chance of winning a prize, from the show home to a Muskoka cottage, a north Toronto condo, luxury cars and vacations. To buy tickets to the Princess Margaret Welcome Home Sweepstakes for Cancer Research go to pmhwelcomehome.com or call 416-650-7888 or 1-866-631-1234. For more information on Fandor Homes go to fandorhomes.com.

PRIVACY POLICY		Copyright 2008 Fandor Homes. All rights reserved.