Big-room decor is all about proportion
Designer Regina Sturrock pulls large spaces together by using themes, colour
An ode to understated elegance executed on a grand scale, this 10,000-square-foot home on Lakeshore Rd. in Burlington has been designed by interior designer Regina Sturrock (reginasturrockdesign.com), who is known for her large, luxurious spaces.
This is a special house, with its Palladian-influenced architectural details, high-end decor and custom finishes.
But the design principles upon which its classic beauty has been built can also be applied to large spaces with smaller budgets.
It’s especially important in large spaces to find ways to “embrace people from the moment they walk in,” said Sturrock, adding that entrances that are either under-furnished or sparsely decorated can make people feel “lost or diminished.”
Getting the scale right in art, carpets, furniture and window treatments is key, she said, adding that this home’s space is successful because it tells a “design story” that repeats certain “themes” throughout the home, from the 400-squarefoot dining room to the 650-squarefoot great room.
Like any good story, this one gets off to a great start in a spacious open foyer that measures 380 square feet and leads to a grand staircase and a second-storey bridge that offers a view of the main floor.
In this case, the design tale begins with a stunning mosaic floor with curving lines. It defines the entrance, connects visually with circular moulding on the 30-foot ceiling and ties in with the rounded pattern on a Juliet bridge.
Choosing too-small fixtures for soaring foyers is a common design mistake, said Sturrock, who filled the lofty ceiling with a custommade, six-by-six-foot chandelier.
“This space works because it’s based on the ideal of beauty found in classicism, which has an innate beauty that comes from proportion, balance and harmony,” she said.
The circular, swooping lines are repeated throughout the home, sometimes in subtle details, such as the base of a wall sconce in the foyer or the rounded arm of a dining chair.
The gallery white on the walls that frame the foyer wash throughout the home, in part to bring architectural details into high relief. Furni- ture and wall treatments are kept in the same family, with recurring jewel tones seen throughout as accent colours.
Maintaining these colour and architectural themes through a large, open-plan space is important, said Sturrock, because they contain so many vantage points.
The main floor is often visible from, for example, an upper landing, and great rooms can be seen from a kitchen or dining area.
“In a large, open concept, everything has to flow. When you step back and look into a room, you want to be drawn in with beautiful opening details,” Sturrock said.