CONCRETE IDEA
THOUGHTH WE LOVE GLITZ AND FRILLS,
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live in a cozy, light-filled 1,600-square-foot home on Sweden’s Gotland island with their baby and dog. The couple carefully chose this house near the village of Hemse as much for its proximity to the Baltic Sea as for its nearness to amenities like schools and recreational facilities. Since moving here, Karin and Kristoffer have created a warm and inviting space, complete with white-painted gypsum plaster walls, black window frames and whitewashed herringbone floors, and outfitted it with natural materials and family heirlooms. Here are the top takeaways from this rustic retreat by the sea.
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n be tricky for designers. They need to honour the works while delivering a design that reflects the lifestyle and decor preferences of their clients. Ultimately, the result should express the taste and passion of the collectors.
The owners of this Toronto condo devoted three decades to scooping up art and objets – particularly Asian, African and Canadian pieces – on their travels around the world. The beloved treasures, along with a lifetime’s worth of stuff in general, were starting to encroach on their space, which had other issues: A wall divided the kitchen from the living room, creating a jail-like atmosphere for the person prepping meals; the kitchen itself was shabby; and the two bathrooms were in equally rough shape.
“Dark, cluttered and dated” is how designer Anne Hepfer describes the state of the original 1,500-square-foot condo, which she had completely gutted and opened up. Fortunately, the unit had one redeeming quality: a row of large south-facing windows.
A designer brings serenity to a condo belonging to a pair of lifelong art collectors.
the entryway, a quartet of plush pink club chairs in the living area and a headboard upholstered in Kelly Wearstler fabric in the master bedroom, to name a few. As for the homeowners’ vast art collection? Anne worked her magic, thoughtfully layering items in the form of vignettes, creating special moments throughout the condo.
“I really love how this project evolved,” says Anne. “It was a joy, putting together the pieces of the puzzle, editing and using a lot of restraint.” The easiest thing she could have done, of course, was store it all and start fresh, but that wouldn’t have been an authentic way to honour this professional couple’s passion for art and travel. “Including my clients’ unique collection into the design,” says Anne, “makes the space personal, warm, inviting – and theirs.”