Enter into a stunning haven of modern glam
Bayview Village’s marketing guru has a penchant for dramatic contrasts and vintage chic
Melissa Evans-Lee has a closet the size of Bayview Village shopping centre.
And, actually, Bayview Village is her closet. Evans-Lee is the mall’s marketing director, and she gets to cherry-pick and curate pieces in her home “wardrobe room.” It has a Coco Chanel vibe and includes a vintage judy — or seamstress mannequin — from Cabaret vintage shop on Queen St. W.
She and husband John Lee, CEO of Clancy Tech Company, a marketing design and development firm, live in a stunning three-storey, 2,500-square-foot house near Trinity-Bellwoods Park that dates back to 1906. There are two bathrooms (one is a former butler’s bedroom), one bedroom, a former bedroom repurposed into her wardrobe, a den and two staircases (one is a butler’s staircase at the back of the house leading to the second floor).
Her home is where her passions for fashion and decor merge. She is lifestyle expert, stylist and marketing professional offering advice through broadcast, print and Bayview Village’s BVTV webisodes on YouTube, featuring segments such as “closet cleanse.”
Evans-Lee, a native of Windsor, is a Ryerson University graduate. She’s been at upscale Bayview Village mall for eight years.
“It’s like Bal Harbour (luxury shopping centre in Miami Beach). People even take selfies in the (luxe) bathrooms at Bayview. So many people say they want to live in the bathrooms,” she says.
“I have a high-low approach to fashion and decorating.” MELISSA EVANS-LEE MARKETING DIRECTOR, BAYVIEW VILLAGE
In the Evans-Lee entryway: Dramatic black-and-white graphic wallpaper on teal blue which echoes the entire colour palette of the place. The whole house is shades of grey, aqua, navy and black accented by theatrical chandeliers. Not coincidentally, these happen to be fashion colours.
The hallway walls are retro stucco. “We opted to keep the weird stucco wall, it’s kind of kooky,” Evans-Lee allows.
Equally kooky is the framed FBI gun-range target on the entryway wall. It is purely decorative; no bullet holes to be seen on the walls. It is a remnant from her husband’s advertising agency boardroom and comes from Commute Design.
Also big fun: a poster of a pair of blackand-white high-top sneakers on a pop-art neon yellow background that hails from MOMA. Ooh la la living room: The black circles on the off-white living room wall compliment the black-and-white graphic print top Evans-Lee is wearing. The top is de- signer; the pants are faux leather from H&M.
“I have a high-low approach to fashion and decorating,” she admits.
The coffee table is a Noguchi; the couch is mid-century. The gas fireplace with futuristic metal tiles comes from CIOT; the metal side table is from Visitor Parking. Over the couch hang black-andwhite photos of a Montreal subway station.
“I love the combination of antique and modern,” she says. She also loves graffiti. “The figure over the fireplace is actual graffiti from Florence," Italy, she explains. “I took a photo of it and blew it up. It’s on canvas and was (construction) hoarding.” White-out dining room: The carpet is a graphic blue to match the walls. A sheepskin is draped dramatically over the white leather banquette, because who doesn’t have a white leather banquette in their dining room? Obviously there are no kids or pets in this house, but EvansLee defiantly serves red wine.
In addition to the requisite awesome chandelier, groupings of family pictures overlook the dining-room table, which is from Cecconi Simone; the side board is courtesy of Kiosk.
There is a versatile inset in the table, where “You can shuck oysters, put in rocks, or fake cat grass,” EvansLee explains. Cookin’ kitchen: She has a penchant for chandeliers, even in the kitchen, which has an industrial one from Morba. “John and I agree on everything in decor except lamps,” she confesses. “We’ve almost wrestled over lamps. He can wrap his head around bling but not table lamps.”
The house was a total gut, starting with the kitchen. “It was a disaster,” she laughs. “We’re chopping away on renos for nine years (since they moved in). We’re full circle back to kitchen because we can’t leave it alone. I need another house to decorate.”
The renovated kitchen is from Ikea and its white counter is remarkably unstained. The walls are dark grey, as is the island, custom made from Commute Design.
They are serious foodies. Shelves of cookbooks sit beside the blackboard, ranging from Gwyneth Paltrow to Daniel Boulud. The books are colour-coordinated. “At the end of the day, my passion is decor,” she says. “And as for organization, I was that kid organizing my mother’s pots. I’m the biggest neat freak. My husband says I have an unhealthy relationship with my spice drawer.” The mystery of the master bath: It may have formerly been the butler’s bedroom, but the master bathroom is now worthy of royalty, complete with a Juliette balcony.
The chandeliers and navy walls resurface here again — the better to set off the white tiles. The vanity is from Chatelet on Queen; the ghost chair from ABC Carpet in New York. The claw-foot tub has lacy cotton-eyelet shower curtains and a reading tray. Evans-Lee has been known to soak in there reading Nancy Drew. Closet fashionista: Her wardrobe is her favourite room. From top to bottom: the ubiquitous chandelier, Elte graphics on the aqua walls and a zebra skin from Boj Decor. A bottle of Chanel No. 5 shares real estate with pink suede booties.
There are skull boots from Browns; black shoes with Lucite wedges from All Saints; a “Sasquatch” vest from Mendocino; and an exotic Elizabeth and James tuxedo jacket with ostrich-feather hem.
“I have the closet of someone who lives in California because I can’t bear to look at sweaters,” she says. Bed, bay and beyond: There’s a magnificent bay window in the master bedroom. “The best seat in the house is the bed overlooking the win- dow, with a Saturday morning coffee,” Evans-Lee enthuses.
The shot over the bed is her husband in the ocean. On the wall opposite is a Madonna poster, which is a street-smart acquisition. “I got it from (construction) hoarding in New York.” The fireplace is a stainless steel insert hung on the wall like a photo. Above it, a Mark Rothko. Mom’s the word: The media roomden is on the third floor, and features a huge chair that can accommodate two. “John is 6-foot-3,” she says.
It is accessorized by a glass coffee table on a black-and-white animal skin. Conspicuous on the grey walls is a Tribeca Film Festival sign she shot and mounted in two crops. But it is eclipsed by framed notes, written by Evans-Lee’s mother. “My mom put them in my lunch in Grade 6,” she says.
Evans-Lee sums up her decorating style as “modern glam. I like the juxtaposition of100-plus old houses and modern elements. Same with fashion: It’s vintage and new. I love the ’70s: I like yellow, orange and brown together. I grew up in the ’70s and had an idyllic childhood.
“My job hits all the aspects: foodie, love of decoration, love of fashion and entertainment. But I’d be in Oscar de la Renta in another life.”
“My husband says I have an unhealthy relationship with my spice drawer.” MELISSA EVANS-LEE MARKETING DIRECTOR, BAYVIEW VILLAGE