Slice of Loire Valley north of Toronto
Architectural wish list guides designer as she builds her dream home
Marina Khajetoorian’s dream home north of Toronto was born of her lifelong passion for architecture. But it was France’s Loire Valley that inspired the interior designer to create her own French chateau.
“One day, this is what I’m going to do,” she promised herself as she dreamed and planned and sketched her design ideas.
“I just love it!” she says now of her luxurious “architectural masterpiece,” which serves as both a family home and showroom, illustrating what she can do for clients of her firm, MK Designs.
“This is my work,” she says proudly of Chateau Marina, where she and her husband have lived since last August. “It’s my dream fulfilled.”
From mansard roof and turrets to marble bathrooms and chandeliers, all aspects of her tri-level residence were influenced by Khajetoorian’s love of the classical and Renaissance architecture she studied on visits to Greece, Italy and Spain.
The four-year process to create her grand abode in King Township, however, was “exhausting and brutal,” admits Khajetoorian, who had worked as a designer for about 25 years when she launched the project in 2013.
With the establishment of her own boutique company in1996, she gained further experience in high-end interior design, decoration and renovation.
But Khajetoorian wasn’t prepared for the full year it took to get a permit for her dream home, in part because she was building on protected land. As well, she encountered the obstacles of being the solo woman in a male-dominated environment as she managed the home’s construction, being onsite “from eight to eight every day for two years and four months.”
At the end, she said the male tradesmen and contractors told her “we have our hats off to you,” she recounts with pride. “I gained so much respect.”
She was, after all, striving to create a showplace that would be comfortable and well-functioning, “something that will be relevant today and for the next 100 years.”
The chateau allowed her to check off everything on her wish list, starting with the exterior wrapped in Indiana limestone, set off by stately columns, wrought iron railings and arched windows. Four large patios offer 2,000 square feet of outdoor living space.
Inside the 10-foot, solid mahogany front doors, Swarovski crystal chandeliers and sconces add sparkle to virtually every room. Mouldings and decorative plasterwork — particularly striking on the main floor’s 12-foot ceiling — draw the eye upward.
Close to 100 doors and windows draw abundant light into spacious rooms while offering views of nature and the property’s woods and trails.
Khajetoorian’s extensive use of white oak, walnut and maple provides a warm counterpoint to marble floors and a neutral palette of white and pewter. The home’s eight fireplaces all have custom, cast-stone mantels.
A 2,000-square-foot guest house in the west wing, linked to the main residence by an enclosed bridge, provides independent living space for her mother.
The list of amenities includes a wine cellar, recreation and games rooms, home theatre, gym, sauna, home office and elevator.