Ageless homes
WHEN DOWNSIZING, DESIGN SAVVY SHOULD NOT BE LEFT AT THE OLD PLACE
Toronto designer Shelley Kirsch’s mandate for an empty- nester couple went beyond moving them gracefully into a condo after 30 years in a much-loved family home. Part of the challenge was to incorporate as much as possible of their artwork and favourite furnishings, particularly an arresting collection of sculptures created by the husband’s mother, an artist. But equally important was a practical consideration: selecting finishes and features that would make life easier and safer as they grew older, but without sacrificing aesthetics and luxury.
“The clients had reached an age where they were ready to vacate their family home,” says Kirsch. “They felt they were still quite able to live independently and enjoy life. But after one of them had a minor health setback, the idea of moving into a condo was reassuring; they could still have access to everything they enjoy doing, but with a little more ease.”
At any age, lighting in condominiums is a major challenge, since rare indeed is the space whose junction boxes are in the right places, and concrete substrates make moving them almost impossible. In this case, she adds, “The husband was particularly interested because he had owned a lighting company for years; most of the hanging fixtures are from his company. But also, lighting is very important as you get older; you want to make sure that pathways and rooms are well lit, so people can choose to sit wherever they like, and that floors are well lit so they can move about safely.”
All these disparate factors come together in an airy design of varying textures and natural woods, pulled together by a serene, greys- and- metallics palette with touches of aubergine.
Kirsch started with a custom rug in the foyer, in the signature colours of the new design; it warms up the polished granite floor, and its low pile is safe for walking. The foyer also features the first of a series of tiny knee- height spotlights deployed strategically throughout the condo, which add illumination without glare.
The powder room is a study in i nteresting textures and contrasts: an eyecatching hammered- pewter sink over a floating vanity in macassar ebony, its strong grain stained deep grey and finished with high-gloss lacquer. On either side, the vanity is fitted with open glass shelves, lit from within by side puck lights, which add sparkle to a collection of tiny glass perfume bottles. But the lighting isn’t all just for art: a trio of spotlights that create circular pools of light in front of the vanity makes it easy to centre yourself, and the combination of directed lighting, contrasting surfaces and reflections ensures that the space is bright and clean without glare.
In the kitchen, the spacious design actually features wider- than- average spaces between elements, making it easy to navigate with a wheelchair or walker, should the need arise in future. Before the sink, a lowpile carpet, made of joined carpet squares from Flor, features a rubberized nonslip backing that almost seems to suction to the floor when stepped on.
Matching moulded acrylic- and- steel chairs for the island, breakfast table and desk, are both supremely comfortable and easy- clean, but with higher- than- average seats, making it easier to get in and out of them. And the door hardware is more than just sleek and contemporary: t he wide- l ength grips are easy to see, to hold and operate.
The lighting over the island illustrates one of several solutions to the oddball junction- box issue, Kirsch points out. A rectangular stainless steel ceiling plate creates a stylish base to move the wiring to wherever it’s needed; here, it forms the base of a row of hanging steel-and-glass pendants.
In the living/dining area, one of the requirements was to create a roomy area for TV watching; the couple belong to a movie club and regularly welcome guests for screenings. They also wanted seating that was tough as well as comfortable. The solution was a leather sectional, accompanied by a pair of sturdily upholstered armchairs.
On the opposite wall, next to a cozy ribbon- flame gas fireplace with a stainless steel surround, is a large entertainment unit of quarter- sawn oak, with ample storage for entertainment equipment, books and tapes, as well as open shelves fitted with pin-lights, creating another display opportunity. Across the room in the dining area, floating cabinets (oak below, ebonized ash above) provide storage for barware as well as placemats and other serving-ware. The lighting here demonstrates another attractive, and clever, way to deal with an errant junction box: “serpentine” track lighting that can be configured to centre the light fixture as needed, or to house multiple pendants, as here.
Through a pair of French doors beyond the dining room is the husband’s special retreat: a library where he can relax, read or play chess with a friend. The built- in bookcase that takes up one side of the room features lower drawers deep enough for files, along with a set of small drawers inset in the shelves for small things like coasters and cards. It also features his favourite comfy recliner from the old house, and a rug with a weighted border that is virtually slip-proof.
The bedroom, accessed down a corridor that makes it feel almost like a separate wing provides more opportunities for presenting art. A freestanding bookcase opposite the bed, with its artfully staggered shelves, is great for displaying family photos as well as books, DVDs and smaller sculptures. And lighting serves both aesthetic and practical purposes here as well: The vanity has generous counters, with underlit upper cupboards, and a mirrored back that brightens things up.
Where quarter- sawn oak was mainly used in the more public areas, Kirsch chose walnut for the woodwork in the master bedroom and bath, which helps makes edges high-contrast and easy to distinguish. Picking up colour cues from the lively striated marble tile floor, the master bath features a sand-and-grey palette, with a contrasting wall of darker grey behind the tub. A tall central cabinet with a frostedglass front between the two sinks takes the place of a recessed medicine cabinet, over a base consisting of three deep drawers flanked by double cabinets. And ample overhead and spot lighting helps to eliminate shadows and make potential hazards — such as the edge of the tub, which is creamy white and fronted by an apron in dark walnut — easy to negotiate.
“Sometimes the move into a condo after many years in a family home can be a source of anxiety for clients, but this turned out very well,” says Kirsch. “And for me, it proves that age doesn’t define good design.”
OVERHEAD LIGHTING HELPS REDUCE POTENTIAL HAZARDS