Same condo, different looks
Designers use paint and decor to give boring layouts a makeover
Condos, with their boxy and often predictable layouts, can leave owners and renters feeling like they’re in a sea of sameness.
Can two matching floor plans ever have their own identities? If these two units in the Trump Tower are an indication, the answer is yes.
The units, 4005, with its calm and serene outlook, and 3505, with its British-rock-inspired vibe, couldn’t be more different. We paid the suites a visit to learn how each designer approached the space and tips and tricks to replicate in your own home. Designers Suite 3505: Emy Hamamy After working on some more traditional units in the building, designer Emy Hamamy rebelled.
For model suite 3505, she painted the walls and ceiling a matte black (with a satin black finish on the trim to add depth) to create a unit fit for a rock star. The walls are bedecked with photos of past rock stars and ’80s models, with chrome and gold touches peppered throughout.
“I just wanted to push the edges,” she says. The result is a bachelor-esque pad, but one with some elegance, she says.
“Just look at the fashion industry: black is associated with all things elegant — black tie, little black dress, black tuxes.” Suite 4005: Nancy LaGrotta Nancy LaGrotta, commercial project co-ordinator with Elte, wanted to bring an old-world, Hollywood elegance to suite 4005, which is owned by the hotel and rented out for longterm stays.
LaGrotta used a neutral palette of white and eggshell throughout the suite to keep the space uncluttered and the focus on a few key pieces and the stunning 40th-floor view.
Chrome and crystal touches were carried throughout to bring a luxurious vibe to each room. The neutral palette and sparse furnishing (all from Toronto retailer Elte) mean the space can be customized with pops of colour or flowers based on the preferences of the renters.
It was all meant to create a sense of serenity and calm, she says — an oasis in the middle of the city.
Dining room Suite 3505: To show off the reclaimed-wood table from Zilli Homes, Hamamy brought in replica Kartell black resin chairs. To add some dimension to the unique chairs, she painted the legs gold. For the end chairs, she brought in designer Fabio Novembre’s Her chairs ($500 to $600, available at retailer Palazzetti), which are shaped like a woman’s posterior, adding a bit more of a rocker’s edge to the room.
Suite 4005: LaGrotta pictured entertainers staying in the suite — and so she opted for the rich-mahogany Bradford table ($5,435) with a unique pedestal that could expand to fit plenty.
Dining room decor Suite 3505: Fornasetti plates ($200, available at Palazzetti) are a signature of Hamamy, who tries to get some of the iconic imagery into most units she designs. For the dining room, she wanted something artistic, but not in your face, she says, though she admits the eyes on the wall do make it seem like someone is watching over dinner.
Suite 4005: LaGrotta wanted a simple piece of art for the dining room so that focus could stay on the chandelier. She opted for “Cityscape” ($855, only available in Elte stores) because she felt it was a nice parallel to the outside Toronto skyline — bringing what’s happening on the ground up to the 40th floor.
Chandelier Suite 3505: Hamamy channelled Alexander McQueen for the chandeliers, which hang in the living room and dining room. The custom-built chain-metal light fixtures, by Vaughan’s Prima Lighting, are meant to bring a bit of high-fashioned grunge to the suite.
Suite 4005: The chandelier is the first thing people see when they walk in, LaGrotta says, so she wanted a strong focal point. The Crystal Prism lighting fixture ($2,975) has an old-Hollywood charm, but its linear, square-cut crystals give it a modern edge, she says.
Living room Suite 3505: When using monochromatic colour palettes, Hamamy says it’s important to layer on different fabrics, such as the leather couch (starting at $10,999 from Modern Furniture Knockoff). All the pillows on the L-shaped couch are also black. “When you do a monochromatic room, the (colour) fades into the background,” she says. “If I started adding colours, you’d notice the black even more.”
Suite 4005: “With luxury, it’s all about beautiful material,” LaGrotta says of the velvet-tufted Carsen sofa ($3,695). “But it’s also about details and comfort.”
While the square coffee table adds a contrast to the curvaceous sofa, the glass makes it an understated piece that doesn’t distract from the other elements of the room.
Bedroom Suite 3505: Hamamy says the bedroom was inspired by Armani. The 3D neoprene wallpaper by Arte of Belgium adds depth to the bedroom, while the silver chandelier and black linens help carry through the luxurious grunge feel of the apartment. (Wallpaper, $250 per square foot, available at Steeles Paints in Woodbridge.)
Suite 4005: Walking into the bedroom, people are greeted with a bulbous chandelier ($2,055), and the same chrome and neutral colour pal- ette as the rest of the suite. The plush carpet and velvet-lined headboard continue LaGrotta’s goal of using luxurious fabrics throughout the apartment.
Kitchen Suite 3505: Keeping in line with the apartment’s boldness, Hamamy opt- ed for a vibrant, British ’60s rock ’n’ roll theme in the kitchen. The key feature, an imitation Roche Bebois sofa from Urban Manor (starting at $3,400), dominates the eating area (leaving no space for a dining table), while the psychedelic pops of colour make this one of the brightest rooms in the suite.
Suite 4005: Since the view from the top is so phenomenal, LaGrotta opted to keep the design in the kitchen simple, sleek and neutral. The glass dining table, with a mahogany pedestal ($2,365) and white chairs are meant to keep the kitchen light and airy and not overpower the outside scenery.