ELLE DECOR - Dramatic Details and Exotic Flourishes

elle decor goes to Ice skating at Nathan Phillips Square, with the twin towers of Viljo Revell’s 1965 City Hall rising in the background. Toronto Set on Lake Ontario and dotted with beautiful parks, the city has grown to become a haven of sophistication, without losing any of its small-town charm By Michael Grant Jaffe On a fall afternoon in 1954, Toronto was greeted by heavy rains and valleys was made into parkland,” says Toronto architect Brigitte Shim. winds that made the commute from work slower than usual. Most of “Today you can travel for miles on a bike without having to cross a street.” the city’s residents had no idea what the next two days held in store— The restored ravines, she stresses, are something “you appreciate if the arrival of Hurricane Hazel, one of the worst storms in the history of you live here, but they don’t appear on tourist maps.” Southern Ontario. The hurricane dumped nearly a foot of water into a Toronto’s a city made up of these little revelations. After living in New © AGE FOTOSTOCK/SUPERSTOCK latticework of ravines throughout the city. As a result, one of the first York and Paris, Paul Sinclaire, a former fashion editor at Vogue and things Toronto officials did after the storm was to buy as much of the now head of the apparel company Tevrow + Chase, moved to Toronto sodden property as their budget allowed. “All the land from those river six years ago. He spent his first winter parked beside his fireplace. 52



toronto The 19th-century buildings of the Distillery District, now home to “If I knew how to knit,” he says, “I would have knitted. It took a couple shops, cafés, years for me to discover there’s a group of very stylish people in this and art galleries. town who entertain. And they do it beautifully.” Many of them, like businessman Gerry Schwartz and his wife, Heather Reisman, head of a large bookstore chain, live in the tony Rosedale neigh- borhood, with its majestic views of the Lower Don River valley. The couple ruffled a few feathers by erecting a 17,000-square-foot, $21 million mansion. (It’s hard to imagine this is the same country Edmund Wilson once likened to a “hunting preserve convenient to the United States.”) To be sure, Schwartz and Reisman are hardly the first Torontonians to build a showy estate. Nearby, Casa Loma stands as a monument to excess. Commissioned in the early 1900s by financier Sir Henry Pellatt, Casa Loma’s 98 rooms were cribbed from some of Europe’s finest palaces. A tour of the house, which is open to the public, reveals a secret tunnel, mahogany-and-marble horse stables, and a colossal pipe organ. But that type of ostentatious display doesn’t always play well with city residents. “I think Torontonians really believe in the idea of ‘Toronto the Good,’” says author Steven Hayward, who wrote about the city in his novel The Secret Mitzvah of Lucio Burke. “They’re proud of its tolerance and multiculturalism.” A soaking tub at the SoHo Metro- In fact, the first thing a visitor is likely to notice about Toronto is its di- politan Hotel. versity, which seems all the more appropriate since the city derives its name from the Huron Indian word toronton, or “place of meeting.” “Take a ride on the subway,” says advertising executive Russ Steadman. “I defy you to tell me what city you’re in simply by looking at the faces.” Nearly half of the city’s 2.5 million residents are minorities or trans- plants. “Want to visit Greece?” asks TV journalist Micki Moore. “We’ve got a Greektown. There’s also Little Italy, Little India, Chinatown.” Each neighborhood has its own distinct character, restaurants, street merchants, and shops. As the city continues to grow (its population has increased by 5 percent over the past (text continues on page 58) Paupers Pub, a local favorite for live music, housed CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: THANE LUCAS; HENRY M; © ANGELO CAVALLI/SUPERSTOCK; RICK BOGACZ; COURTESY OF ZIG ZAG; KIWANIS CLUB OF CASA LOMA in a former bank. Queen Street West, the city’s bo- hemian enclave. The Scottish Tower of Casa Loma, a private man- sion completed in 1913, now open to the public. Mid-century– modern pieces at the design shop Zig Zag. 54 ELLEDECOR.COM



toronto more than a century, this complex has beautiful people parade by. The best spot been providing produce, meats, and for celebrity sightings and Angus burgers. cheeses to the city. Saturday is market 7 West Café, 7 Charles St. West, 928- day, but the pubs and cafés in the sur- 9041: This late-night mainstay never rounding area are busy every day. closes: Who doesn’t crave homemade Toronto Music Garden, 475 Queen’s soup after a long night out? Quay West, 973-4000; harbourfront- Sotto Sotto, 116-A Avenue Rd., 962- centre.com: A collaboration between 0011; sottosotto.ca: Fresh pastas and cellist Yo-Yo Ma and designer Julie Moir gnocchi are the raison d’être for this Messervy, this charming waterfront cozy Italian in a restored coal cellar. garden translates Bach into greenery. Wish, 3 Charles St. East, 935-0240; wishrestaurant.ca: Even during the win- Where to Stay ter, this bistro offers al fresco dining on Four Seasons Toronto, 21 Avenue its illuminated patio. Ask for extra blan- Rd., 964-0411; fourseasons.com: The kets and the shrimp-martini appetizer. gold standard, ideally situated in Yorkville, near some of the city’s best Where to Shop dining, shopping, and museums. Corkin Shopland Gallery, 55 Mill St., Ask for a corner room with a balcony Bldg. 61, 979-1980; corkinshopland- and stunning views of Lake Ontario. .com: Photography from the established Gloucester Square Mansions, 512– (Irving Penn, Nan Goldin) to the cutting 514 Jarvis St., 966-3074; glouces- edge (Frank Mädler, Minette Vári) is the tersquare.com: Three historic homes focus of this Distillery District gallery. transformed into bed-and-breakfasts David Mirvish Books, 596 Markham St., mix past and present with period 531-9975; dmbooks.com: The visual arts furnishings (canopy beds), private ter- are a specialty at this old favorite; check races, and Jacuzzis. out the 50-foot Frank Stella painting. The Old Mill Inn & Spa, 21 Old Mill Rd., Designers Walk, 168 Bedford Rd., 236-2641; oldmilltoronto.com: Located 961-1211; designerswalk.com: For 25 in the Humber River Valley, this 60- years, this 160,000-square-foot “village room inn is surrounded by English gar- of showrooms” has featured the finest dens and breathtaking vistas. Guests in home furnishings, from international can’t believe it’s only a 15-minute drive names to local craftsmen. from downtown Toronto. Eaton Centre, 220 Yonge St., 598- SoHo Metropolitan Hotel, 318 8560; torontoeatoncentre.com: A glass- Wellington St. West, 599-8800; soho- roofed street of shops; the city’s .metropolitan.com: Though adjacent equivalent of Boston’s Faneuil Hall. Essential Toronto What to See to the Entertainment District, you may Greener Pastures, 1188 Queen St. West, The area code is 416. Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St. have a hard time leaving rooms that 535-7100; greenerpasturesgallery.com: See the world. Nearly half of Toronto’s West, 977-0414; ago.net. The European feature Frette linens, Molton Brown toi- Contemporary paintings by up-and- residents are minorities and trans- galleries are lovely, but the real find for letries, and heated floors. coming Canadians such as Andre Ethier plants. Wander through a patchwork out-of-towners is the collection of works Windsor Arms, 18 St. Thomas St., 971- and Derek Mainella, whose works are of culturally diverse communities— by Canadian artists, especially the 9666; windsorarmshotel.com: This on display this winter. Little Italy, Little India, Chinatown, Group of Seven. An expansion by native neo-Gothic boutique hotel is so popular Harvest Wagon, 1103 Yonge St., 923- Greektown. Each neighborhood is Frank Gehry has just gotten under way. during Toronto’s annual film festival 7542; harvestwagon.com: The city’s crowded with distinctive shops, street Casa Loma, 1 Austin Terrace, 923- (968-3456) that Hollywood types book best selection of pristine produce, ex- merchants, and restaurants. 1171; casaloma.org: A tour of this their suites a year in advance. Perks in- otic fruits, and gourmet treats. Get into the Toronto spirit. Once the fac- Victorian pile, built in 1913 by Canadian clude butler service and high tea. Holt Renfrew, 50 Bloor St. West, 922- tory of spirits manufacturer Gooderham & financier Sir Henry Pellatt, is like watch- 2333; holtrenfrew.com: The Bergdorf Worts, the Distillery District (55 Mill St., ing a century-old episode of MTV Where to Eat Goodman of Canada, with sleek floors 364-1177; thedistillerydistrict.com) Cribs. What home is complete without Canoe, 66 Wellington St. West, 364- devoted to endless beauty counters and includes more than three dozen buildings a massive pipe organ and mahogany 0054; canoerestaurant.com: This designer labels (Akris, Christian Dior). that form the largest collection of Vic- riding stables? Many of the 98 rooms high-style room is made even more Klaus by Nienkämper, 300 King St. torian industrial architecture in North were copied from Europe’s finest estates. fabulous by its 54th-floor views of the East, 362-3434; klausn.com: Furniture by America. It’s now loaded with art studios, CN Tower, 301 Front St. West, 868- city. Owner Michael Bonacini gives a the finest Canadian and European de- furniture shops, and bakeries. Cars 6937; cntower.ca: Sure, it sounds twist to Mediterranean classics. signers, including Brent Comber, Pierre aren’t permitted, so take a Segway tour touristy to visit the world’s tallest struc- Jamie Kennedy Restaurant, 9 Church Paulin, and Marcel Breuer. of the historic sites (866-405-8687). ture, but where else can you stare 1,000 St., 362-1957; jkkitchens.com: One Navarro Gallery, 613 King St. West, Head out into the night on Queen Street feet down through a glass floor? of the most innovative chefs in Canada, 504-3956: Toronto’s best source for West. Often compared to New York’s Design Exchange, 234 Bay St., 363- Kennedy builds his menu around sea- European decorative arts and paintings— Greenwich Village, the street is lined 6121; dx.org: Located in the Financial sonal produce and rustic dishes. For strong on Art Deco and Art Nouveau. with vintage clothing shops, record District, this Art Deco dandy once lighter fare, try the adjacent wine bar. Over the Rainbow, 101 Yorkville Ave., stores, art galleries, and cafés. Locals housed the local stock exchange. It’s Lobby, 192 Bloor St. West, 929-7169; 967-7448; rainbowjeans.com: Since whine about its recent commercial- now the place for checking out exam- eatdrinkplay.ca: A minimal, all-white the mid-’70s, it’s been the hot spot for ization, but west of Spadina Avenue, ples of the best in Canadian design. interior attracts Toronto’s fashionable stylish denim, with ceiling-high piles that old funky flavor still prevails. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s crowd, who lounge on the plush sofas. of jeans for men and women. Dangle your toes in Lake Ontario at Park, 586-5549; rom.on.ca: Canada’s Dinner is just as upscale: foie gras, UpCountry, 310 King St. East, the Harbourfront and experience the largest museum is a fascinating mix of Kobe burgers, and truffle risotto. 777-1700; upcountry.com: This trendy multibillion-dollar revitalization of art, artifacts, and natural history. Soon, Paupers Pub, 539 Bloor St. West, 530- contemporary furniture gallery in the city’s waterside. Across the bay the Qing lions guarding the entrance 1331; pauperspub.com: This converted a warehouse also displays works by sit the Toronto Islands, more than 500 will have company: a luminous, Daniel bank has traditional bar food, a rooftop emerging Canadian artists. acres of parkland. Catch a ferry at Libeskind–designed addition, inspired by with killer views, and live music. Zig Zag, 1142 Queen St. East, 778-6495; Queen’s Quay—the kids can ride a the museum’s vast mineral collection. Sassafraz, 100 Cumberland St., modfurnishings.com: Looking for a LENA CORWIN 1905 carousel at the Centreville Amuse- St. Lawrence Market, 92 Front St. East, 964-2222; sassafraz.ca: Sit outside this signed Eames? This is the place for fur- ment Park (203-0405; centreisland.ca). 392-7120; stlawrencemarket.com: For Yorkville institution and watch the niture and fixtures from the 1950s–’70s. 56 ELLEDECOR.COM



toronto decade), “there’s an insatiable appetite for new buildings,” says Sinclaire, and not all of them are residential. The Art Gallery of Ontario, home to an impressive collection of European paintings and a herd of Henry Moore sculp- tures, recently broke ground on a $195 million addition by Toronto native Frank Gehry. Farther The glass-topped north, the Royal Ontario Museum, whose col- arcade of Eaton Centre, a complex lection, Canada’s largest, includes a curious of nearly 300 shops mix of art and artifacts, is about to inaugu- and restaurants. rate a new wing designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, a mountain range of shimmering glass angles. And the striking Sharp Centre at the Ontario College of Art and Design, a Hobe Sound Wall Lantern, designed by nationally-acclaimed designer Tom Scheerer. dalmation-spotted box on stilts by British ar- chitect Will Alsop, opened a year ago. Perhaps the best example of the city’s thirst for urban renewal is the Distillery District. Cre- ated in the mid-19th century as the home of the firm Gooderham & Worts, the complex was at one point the top British producer of fine spirits. By the end of the following century, the distillery had become the most popular movie- set in Canada—three dozen buildings that form the largest collection of Victorian industrial ar- chitecture in North America. But a massive renovation, completed in 2003, turned the dis- tillery into a colonnade of painters’ studios, art galleries, cafés, and nightclubs. “Now that it’s been converted into a cultural precinct,” says Shim, “it’s interesting to see the ripple effect on neighboring communities.” One such community is the Harbourfront on the city’s sheltered Inner Harbour, whose own revitalization has made it a haven for runners, bikers, and hikers. Across the bay sit more than 500 acres of wooded parkland called the Toronto Islands. On sunny afternoons, the waters are speckled with colorful spinnakers and windsurfers. Lake Ontario is within walk- ing distance of downtown, so many locals hit the Harbourfront on their lunch breaks. A ferry departs frequently from Queen’s Quay for the Centreville Amusement Park, where kids can ride on a restored 1905 carousel. Over the past two decades, a strong U.S. dol- lar and a surfeit of distinctive communities have made Toronto a popular locale for filmmakers and television producers. It’s also become a very hip place to debut a movie: Each Septem- ber, downtown is flooded with Hollywood types for its annual film festival. Rooms at the fash- ionable Windsor Arms Hotel are booked nearly a year in advance and the city’s best bistros © ANGELO CAVALLI/SUPERSTOCK hand-crafted lighting by are overrun by boldface names. 843.723.8140 charleston, sc Anyone craving a grittier vibe can make a urbanelectricco.com beeline for Queen Street West, which is through the trade



toronto often compared to Greenwich Village because of its stylish shops and bohemian spirit. Though many locals grouse about its recent commer- cialization, regulars simply wander west past Spadina for a little old-time flavor—maybe a night of dancing at the Dada-inspired Bovine Sex Club. The neighborhood also serves as the northernmost border of the Entertainment Contemporary District—a small grid of side streets crowded furniture and art with concert halls, theaters, and pubs. “Toron- at UpCountry. tonians take great pride in their arts com- munity,” says Mike McCollow, until recently an executive with the Toronto Raptors. “They see the city as very cosmopolitan and cultured.” Some of that pride is reflected in the city’s visual chic. “This is a great shopping city,” says Micki Moore, “with lots of really terrific little boutiques.” A healthy percentage of them are located in Yorkville, an enclave of coffeehouses and hippie hangouts in the 1960s that has mor- phed into the nation’s priciest retail address. C H ELLA A T W O R K . During the film festival, Yorkville becomes the doppelgänger of Rodeo Drive. Columnists chronicle virtually every celebrity purchase made in the neighborhood—Kate Hudson’s lingerie from Augustina, Elizabeth Berkley’s stilettos from Cherchez La Femme. And Queen’s Park, an emerald oasis, is only a few blocks away. On warm days, the grassy expanse is crowded with students and civil servants—the park is adjacent to the Univer- sity of Toronto and the Ontario Legislative Building. No wonder novelist Hayward says, “When someone moves away from this city, Torontonians always wonder how could any- one do such a thing.” chella all -en v i ronmen t tex tiles for how y ou li v e. FROM TOP: ANDREJ KOPAC; REBECCA WILSON chella The exterior of the Windsor Arms Hotel, a Hollywood favorite. S ANT A B A R B AR A 805- 560 - 8400 C H ELLA T E X T I LES . C O M



The 52nd Annual a benefit for East Side House Settlement in the South Bronx JANUARY 20-29, 2006 Seventh Regiment Armory 67th Street & Park Avenue, New York City Daily: 12:00 noon - 8:00 p.m. Sundays & Thursday: Noon - 6:00 p.m. Opening Night Party January 19, 2006 Sponsored by ELLE DECOR Magazine Spirits, Wine, & Champagne courtesy of Moët & Chandon Young Collectors’ Night January 26, 2006 Sponsored by Reed Krakoff for COACH Still Loan Exhibition setting George Washington’s Mount Vernon Sponsored by The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies the Tickets $20 standard (includes our award-winning catalogue) For information and tickets to special events, after please call 718.292.7392 or fax 718.665.5532 or visit our website at www.winterantiquesshow.com 52 years. 2006 Exhibitors A La Vieille Russie, Inc. • Adelson Galleries, Inc. • L’Antiquaire & Te Connoisseur, Inc. • W. Graham Arader III • Associated Artists, LLC • Bauman Rare Books Michele Beiny, Inc. • Carswell Rush Berlin, Inc. • Alfred Bullard, Inc. • G.K.S. Bush • Cathers & Dembrosky • Ralph M. Chait Galleries, Inc. • Philip Colleck, Ltd. Tomas Colville Fine Art • Conru Primitive Art • Suzanne Courcier • Robert W. Wilkins • Dillingham & Company • Geoffrey Diner Gallery, Inc. Donald Ellis Gallery, Ltd. • Les Enluminures • Te Fine Art Society PLC • Peter Finer • Foster • Gwin, Inc. • Malcolm Franklin, Inc. • Georgian Manor Antiques Giampietro • Cora Ginsburg LLC • James & Nancy Glazer • Elinor Gordon Gallery • Richard Green • Martyn Gregory • Hill-Stone Inc. Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc. • Historical Design Inc. • Clinton Howell Antiques • Stephen & Carol Huber • Hyde Park Antiques, Ltd. Hyland Granby Antiques • Barbara Israel Garden Antiques • Leigh Keno American Antiques • Kentshire Galleries, Ltd. • Keshishian • Roger Keverne Limited Julius Lowy Frame & Restoring Co., Inc. • Macklowe Gallery, Ltd. • Mallett • Joan B. Mirviss, Ltd. • Morning Star Gallery, Ltd. • Te Old Print Shop, Inc. Olde Hope Antiques, Inc. • Peter Pap Oriental Rugs, Inc. • Te Gerald Peters Gallery • Richard Philp • Frank & Barbara Pollack Charles Pollak Antiques and Fine Art LLC • Wayne E. Pratt, Inc. • Sumpter Priddy III, Inc. • Kenneth W. Rendell Gallery • James Robinson, Inc. • Safani Gallery, Inc. David A. Schorsch - Eileen M. Smiles American Antiques, Inc. • Te Schwarz Gallery • S. J. Shrubsole Corporation • Elle Shushan • Jonathan Snellenburg Carolle Tibaut-Pomerantz • Trockmorton Fine Art, Inc. • Peter Tillou Works of Art & Jeffrey Tillou Antiques • Jonathan Trace • Rupert Wace Ancient Art Limited David Wheatcroft Antiques • Taylor B. Williams Antiques • Robert Young Antiques • Catherine Sweeney Singer, Winter Antiques Show Executive Director Please note: Security regulations at the Armory require visitors to show photo identification; all bags, backpacks, and tote bags must be checked; baby strollers are not permitted on the first weekend due to crowds. Official Hotel Sponsor: The Pierre New York, A Four Seasons Hotel. For special Winter Antiques Show rates and packages, please call: 212.838.8000.

Bernd Goeckler ANTIQUES 30 E 10th Street, NY, NY 10003 email: [email protected] T. 212-777-8209 F. 212-777-8302 www.BGoecklerAntiques.com The Collector’s Spirit Knoll Table, Design G. Aulenti 1965 • On the Table: Collection of Axel Salto Stoneware for Royal Copenhagen ca.1950 • Art Deco Torchere ca.1930 Photo: Keith Scott Morton th Pair of Art Deco Armchairs by Sue & Mare, France, ca.1925 • C. Bugatti Pedestal ca.1900 with I. Nielsen Vase ca.1930 • Flemish Tapestry 18 Century







Style Every home is an expression of its owner’s style, and never more so than when it is a de- signer’s own lair. With a world of options at their fingertips, how and why do pros make their choices? In her Manhattan townhouse, Muriel Brandolini opts for a vibrant amalgam of pattern and bright color. For T. Keller Donovan, it’s a matter of evolving a system for small-space living. Eric Cohler gives new meaning to home office, turning former cor- porate digs into a luxurious duplex. John Dransfield and Geoffrey Ross look to the artistic heritage of their Hamptons house, WILLIAM WALDRON while Ernest de la Torre updates a belle epoque apartment. All these places reveal the personal that lurks within the professional. 63

SINGULAR SENSATION DESIGNER MURIEL BRANDOLINI IS KNOWN FOR HER UNIQUE STYLE, BUT AS HER UPPER EAST SIDE TOWNHOUSE PROVES, ONE OF HER GREATEST STRENGTHS IS A PASSION FOR OTHER VISIONS TEXT BY JULIE V. IOVINE PHOTOGRAPHY BY PIETER ESTERSOHN 64

Facing page: Designer Muriel Brandolini in the front hall of the Manhattan townhouse she shares with her husband, Nuno, and their two children. The Radiant Disk cast-bronze table is by Michele Oka Doner, the inlaid chair is 19th century, and the hand-embroidered silk lantern was made in Vietnam. This page: In the living room, a slipper chair designed by Brandolini and a 19th-century armchair flank a console by Axel Einar Hjort dating from the 1920s; the paint- ing is by Ross Bleckner, the wool Caleydo rug is by Fedora Design, and the train sculpture, of carved bone, is by Munnu. See Resources.

TO HAVE A SIGNATURE STYLE but not be ruled by it takes confidence. To have a signature style and still feel free to reinvent yourself takes curiosity and a belief in the gifts of others. And that’s where decorator Muriel Brandolini excels. From the moment a visi- tor starts up the stoop of her Upper East Side townhouse, it’s clear that this is a place of uncommon personality. On a street of clipped hedges and gleaming brass knockers, Brandolini’s home offers instead a riot of wisteria vines twined along the handrail and glass-paneled doors lined with lushly embroidered but tattered silk: an old sari fabric, as it turns out. Brandolini is quick to announce that she designs like an artist—by intuition rather than by plan. Her knack for suffusing the contemporary with the softening airs of exoticism (combined with a relentless energy in getting things just the way she wants them) have established her as one of the city’s sought-after professionals. The home she shares with her husband, Nuno (a private investor, a count, and an Agnelli), and their two children, Brando and Filippa, is in a state of constant upheaval. Things change even as the overall at- mosphere of embellished comfort remains constant. The influence of a childhood spent in Vietnam is subtle but pervasive—in the budding greens of the parlor floor, the wilderness of ferns at a window, the hand- embroidered silk lanterns. “For me, decorating is very much connected to my memories of Vietnam,” says Brandolini, who lived in Saigon until 1972. “Even during the war, people were always positive. They take life lightheartedly. There’s a kind of kitsch there, too, in the extreme ornament of its 19th-century temples. And I even put a little bit of that in my work.” It has been 11 years since the designer last overhauled the interiors of the four-story house in a major way. Of course, Brandolini says that she is always adding, removing, and editing, but this latest incarnation 66 ELLEDECOR.COM

The chandelier of glass, rock crystal, jade, and pearl is by Claire Cormier- Fauvel; the sofa is 19th century, and the Smarties cocktail table by Mattia Bonetti is from Galerie Kreo; the win- dow shades are by Lilou Marquand. Facing page: In the entry, a painting by Donald Baechler hangs above an 18th-century French chair upholstered in 1940s needlepoint. See Resources.

The neoclassical banquettes in the study are uphol- stered in a mix of vintage fabrics from France, Japan, and India; the Bells side table by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec is from Galerie Kreo, the Rios rug is by Fedora Design, and the chandelier is Venetian. Facing page, clockwise from top: In the dining room, a 1780s French settee and mid-19th-century Louis XV–style chairs surround a P.B. table by Martin Szekely from Galerie Kreo. The Zettel’z 5 light fixture in the kitchen is by Ingo Maurer, and the 1940s mar- ble table is by Jean Dunand; the zinc cabinetry is by Cicognani Kalla Architects. A 19th-century boulle daybed is topped with pillows in vintage fabrics from Turkey, Japan, and China; the walls are covered in Vietnamese hand-embroidered silk. See Resources.

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was a true rethinking. “Who knows why I did it? I just get tired of what air of cottagelike intimacy. But then it also has the great advantage of I have. You grow up. Your state of mind requires something else: more a bank of French doors opening onto a bamboo garden. The walls were warmth, more sophistication,” she says, adding decisively, “I don’t purple, says Brandolini, but are now covered in a luminous pewter- even remember what was here before. Before was right for before.” green silk that was hand-embroidered in Vietnam by Trinh Ly Quynh Dressed one early morning in velour pants the color of damp clay and Kim with fanciful flowers and Oriental motifs in pink, dark red, and glints Pucci-patterned rubber boots—“I’ve already been out for hours,” she of silver. In contrast, the dining table is composed of industrial steel. It announces—Brandolini conducts a tour, clearly delighted, as if still was made by Martin Szekely, one of the many artisans with whom surprised by each alteration. She starts with the dining room, a formal Brandolini often collaborates. Dining chairs in the style of Louis XV and space she frankly admits is used rarely by the family. Located on the a hugely inviting 19th-century boulle daybed piled high with Indian and ground floor with the kitchen, the room has low ceilings, lending it an Chinese silk pillows offset the contemporary cool of the table. 70 ELLEDECOR.COM

In the media/guest room, the pair of painted armchairs date from 1905, and the Coral rug is by Fedora Design; the ceiling is cov- ered in vintage Indian silk saris. Facing page: A 19th-century wrought-iron bed and a painting by Donald Baechler; straw papers and grass cloth were applied to the walls by Cameron Prather in a pattern of Brandolini’s design. See Resources.

In the master bedroom, the bed is upholstered in 18th- century French fabric and dressed in linens hand- embroidered in Vietnam; lamps made from parts of American printing presses flank the bed. The works on the wall include a painting by Philip Taaffe, a drawing by Van Day Truex, and two 18th-century French gold-embroidered panels; the Bons rug is by Fedora Design. Facing page, from top: A 1930s armoire salvaged from a post office, an armchair upholstered in hand-embroidered fabric, and a 1940s brass lamp with a Fortuny shade. The armchairs, circa 1953, were designed by Ole Wanscher, and the window shades are by Lilou Marquand. See Resources. 72





Facing page: In Brando’s bedroom, the D.L. desk of Corian is by Martin Szekely from Galerie Kreo, and the Tizio lamp is by Artemide; the walls and valances are covered in fabrics of Brandolini’s design from Holland & Sherry. This page, clockwise from top right: The master bathroom features Brandolini fabrics; the shell chandelier is by Claire Cormier-Fauvel. In Filippa’s bed- room, the artwork is by Paul Pack and the bed is by City Joinery. The Muff Daddy lounge chair is by Jerszy Seymour from Galerie Kreo, the circa- 1952 desk is by Greta Magnusson Grossman, and the chair is Scandinavian. See Resources. “FOR ME, DECORATING IS VERY MUCH CONNECTED TO MY MEMORIES OF VIETNAM,” SAYS BRANDOLINI. “EVEN DURING THE WAR, PEOPLE WERE ALWAYS POSITIVE. THEY TAKE LIFE LIGHTHEARTEDLY. THERE’S A KIND OF KITSCH THERE, TOO” Throughout the house, the wall treatments establish the mood. Most of the walls are covered in fabrics, hand-mixed paint, or even mirrors, rather than with wallpaper. “I hate wallpaper—it’s cold” is a classic Brandolini dictum. The media/guest-room walls are a patchwork of col- ored straw. Her study is lined with a dark-blue fine-wale corduroy. “It’s so very dark and rich, but at the same time sporty,” she says. “It will make people think.” But as happens frequently on the tour, it is not her own work but a piece by a newly discovered talent that she credits for a room’s updated look. It might be the living room’s rotund cocktail table by Mattia Bonetti, called Smarties after the British candy it resembles, or the upside-down-bell–shaped table by the Bouroullec brothers in the study that excites her admiration. Even so, it is her mixing of such modern standouts with antiques, whether lacquered Chinese chests and a Louis XV settee or covering a pair of neoclassical banquettes in a patchwork of vintage Japanese, French, and Indian silks—a signa- ture touch—that makes the whole so intriguing. Collaboration is vital to Brandolini’s work; it keeps her fresh. “I like to set people free. I give them a hint and encourage them to let go with their imaginations,” she says, adding with a laugh, “It is the only way that new things can come true.” ELLEDECOR.COM 75

TRUE BLUE AFTER 18 YEARS IN THE SAME MANHATTAN APARTMENT, DESIGNER T. KELLER DONOVAN HAS LIVING WELL DOWN TO A SYSTEM TEXT BY MICHAEL BOODRO · PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILLIAM WALDRON 76

Facing page: Interior decorator T. Keller Donovan on the street near his Upper West Side apartment. This page: In the living room, a Georgian wing chair and an antique Chinese bench are grouped by the mantel, which holds a mirror designed by Donovan and a mid-century Italian ceramic vase. See Resources.

Clockwise from top left: The Billy Baldwin sofa and the slipper chairs are upholstered in Zimmer + Rohde’s Bantu cotton; the resin tray is by Sirmos, the hurricane lantern is by Crate & Barrel, and the blinds are by Hunter Douglas. The kitchen walls, painted in Benjamin Moore’s Stunning, offset Donovan’s collection of Spode Blue Italian china. An an- tique Irish pub table in the living room with a wicker basket by Bielecky Brothers and a vintage barn lantern. A collection of pressed botanicals in the breakfast room. The glass- top table and armchair in the entry are by Bielecky Brothers; the stool is African, and the prints were taken from a 1955 edition of Ceramics by Picasso. See Resources. CHANGE IS GOOD. Stick to your guns. Va- the right kind of suit. Once you figure out what works riety is the spice of life. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. No for you, you stick with it. Here, I drop my bags and wonder designers are confused. They work in a field go out. This place is very efficient for that.” that celebrates the new and innovative, while at the It wasn’t always so. “It was really a dump when I same time encouraging the creation of rooms that first saw it,” he remembers. “I stripped away the pic- are “classic” and “timeless.” ture moldings and the quarter-rounds on the floor. I But for interior decorator T. Keller Donovan, there’s raised the doors and lowered the mantel. And it was no question that consistency is something to aim really hard to position the furniture. It took me eight for, and there’s no need to tinker with what works— years to get the pieces to fit.” The situation was ex- especially when it comes to his own apartment. “Af- acerbated by the awkward proportions of the rooms. ter 18 years,” he says, “you should get it right.” “The mantel is off center,” he points out, “so I couldn’t He inherited his place that many years ago from put a grouping around the fireplace. There was no a client who was getting married and moving to room for a dining room table.” Manhattan’s East Side. “I was renting on Central So Donovan applied the kind of ingenious thinking Park South at the time,” he remembers, “and I felt I that seems to come naturally to talented designers. was living right in the middle of the city. I could just The spacious entry became a dining room/library, stumble home from Studio 54. At the time, that was with a banquette, a glass-top table, and stacked iron great. To me, back then, moving to the Upper West cubes in the corners that hold a surprising number Side felt like moving to Connecticut.” of books. He opened up half the kitchen, via a set These days he ventures considerably farther afield of wide white doors, creating a vivid blue breakfast and spends much of his time in an apartment in Mi- room that also adds a feeling of depth to the nar- ami Beach. But his small New York one-bedroom, row living room. “I think of it as the smallest family located in a prewar building among the grand brick room in America,” he jokes. The main seating area and limestone beauties of West End Avenue, re- has been pushed to the far end, against the win- mains his touchstone. “Ten years ago, I finally fig- dows, where a Billy Baldwin sofa and slipper chairs ured out a floor plan that worked,” he says. “And of Donovan’s design surround a gleaming white there’s been no reason to change. Objects come cocktail table. “That sofa has been reupholstered and go, but the arrangement stays. It’s like finding three times,” Donovan says. “It’s bigger than any 78 ELLEDECOR.COM



In the master bedroom, drawings of ar- chitectural details from the Metropolitan Museum of Art hang on shelves that hold a collection of Japanese and African baskets; the custom-made bed linens are by Casa Del Bianco. Facing page: Wicker chairs by Donghia have cushions of Lascaux linen-cotton by China Seas; the Arts and Crafts Thebes stool is from the late 19th century, and the ar- moire is a 1970s piece. See Resources.

normal person would buy. Tom Britt was the de- months, eight years is a long time to evolve a workable signer who taught me that every room has to have layout. “In a way, I was a bad client,” Donovan admits, a piece that is overscale and too big. We had to “because I was holding on to this idea of a kind of life, cut it in half to get it into the elevator.” to things that didn’t fit. And you can’t hold on—not be- Donovan used clean-lined cane furniture through- cause things are valuable, or from sentiment. You have out, including side chairs, small tables, and even to have a system in place. Ruthless editing is a must.” the headboard in the bedroom, to subtly unify the But if the result was slow in coming, it is also treas- space. And the navy-and-white color scheme does ured. “I work hard when I’m in New York,” he says. the same thing. “The kitchen was originally battle- “So I needed a place that was simplified and pared ship gray,” says Donovan, dressed in jeans and a down.” The apartment has scarcely changed in bold blue gingham shirt that prove his love of the years. A piece may move to Miami, or sometimes color isn’t confined to interiors. “Ten years ago there to a client’s home, but the major elements are con- was a lot of red. But blue is easy. It’s like a tailored stants. “I’ve gone through a lot of changes in my blazer: It goes everywhere and goes with every- life,” the designer says. “I used to live like an Edwar- thing. In a way, this is a perfectly tailored navy-blue dian gentleman, with lots of tartanware and antique apartment.” Japanese baskets in every room not prints. Before, there were heraldic medals on the only supply texture and visual interest but also add walls, and now I have prints of Picasso ceramics. valuable storage. “The Japanese were the original It’s funny, but as I get older, my taste gets younger. Container Store people,” he says. I get simpler—and I mean in my taste, not in my head,” For decorators who are accustomed to devising he says with a laugh. “This works for me. It’s a com- schemes for clients in days and executing them within fortable place to land.” 81

SPLIT PERSONALITY A QUIRKY 1960S HOUSE IN A DRAMATIC SETTING IN TORONTO TEACHES A PAIR OF DESIGNERS THE VALUE OF BEING TWO-FACED—AT LEAST IN TERMS OF ARCHITECTURE TEXT BY DAVID COLMAN · PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILLIAM WALDRON · PRODUCED BY ANITA SARSIDI 82

Facing page: Interior designers Glenn Pushelberg, left, and George Yabu, in the living room of their Toronto home. The French table and Italian chair are both mid-century designs; the painting is by Prudencio Irazabal. This page: New floor-to-ceiling windows open up the rear façade of the 1960s house to the landscape. See Resources.

U sually, honesty is preferable to most other options; at the very least, the truth comes in handy when your pack of lies has run dry. But in terms of architecture, honesty can be prob- lematic. It too often means an overly thought-out (and overly expensive) edifice whose “integrity” sim- ply means that it presents the same message, the same style—archconservative or radical-modern— in every room, and from every possible angle. It’s a nice idea, to be sure, and a charming metaphor for life: having a single philosophy that extends from your foundation right up to your gables. But why should a building (or its occupants) have to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but? Aren’t houses under enough pressure just to remain standing—do they have tobe morally upright as well? The Toronto designers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg certainly appreciate the concept of start- ing from scratch and making a house perfect and true: They have funneled prodigal amounts of time and money into building a Miami house and were happy enough with the results. So when they found 84 ELLEDECOR.COM

In the living room, Vladimir Kagan’s Swan Back sofa and a 1950s Italian floor lamp; a mid-century Italian desk is placed in front of Martin McGinn’s painting The Beuys Room, Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, Version No. 3. See Resources.



Danish chairs from the 1950s found at Troy are paired with a dining table designed by the home- owners. The 1950s console by Edward Wormley is from Wyeth; the digital painting is Eelco Brand’s G2; and the Austrian chandelier dates from 1910. Facing page, from top: The Italian cocktail table is mid-century. The kitchen cabinets are faced with 2,000-year-old bog oak; the walls and counters are sheathed in steel-gray marble. The screen is vintage Fornasetti, the mid-century armchair is American, and the desk chair is Canadian. See Resources. 87

a quirky 1960s house with a weird mishmash of ar- chitectural styles perched on a prime location on one of the forested ravines that slice and scrawl through Toronto, their initial impulse was to take it down and make an honest house of it. “We went in thinking, This is a great lot on a ravine, let’s start afresh,” says Pushelberg, who has been Yabu’s personal and professional partner for almost 25 years. They originally met while attending design school and have gone on to create the interiors of the new St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco, numer- ous restaurants, and shops for Bergdorf Goodman, Kate Spade, and Carolina Herrera, among others. “George started designing a house that cantilever- ed out over the ravine, Frank Lloyd Wright style,” he recalls. “But somewhere along the line, we just thought—with the way we live and how much we travel—we didn’t want to wait.” And the house’s quirkiness began to seem more intriguing than appalling. The couple took a shine to its most singular feature, apart from the location: total two-facedness. With a low, gabled front that stepped down from the road, complete with patches of ivy, boxwood rectangles, and a cobbled path, the place looked like a little cottage in a style that could only be called 1960s Georgian. From the back, however, the house resembled a modern white box with three full, expansive floors of plain walls and plate-glass windows overlooking the forest and stream. Rather than trying to unify the structure, Yabu and Pushelberg decided to heighten the contrast between front and back. They left the front façade as is but blew out the back, installing nearly floor-to-ceiling windows along the entire rear to make the most of the spectacular view. The pair sidestepped the common mistake of mere- ly upgrading with high-end finishes and materials, as if, when it comes to modernism, creativity is out 88

In the master bath, a Spoon tub by G.P. Benedini for Agape overlooks the forest and ravine. The floor is tiled in Portuguese limestone, the vanity is of rain-forest marble, and the Tara sink and bath fittings are by Dornbracht. Facing page: The guest bath has a custom-made glass-and-metal sink vanity and a granite-tile floor. See Resources.

of the question. They gutted the interior, laying down ten-inch-wide bleached-oak plank flooring and artic- ulating the spaces with simple, flowing white walls. They added bog-oak veneer woodwork whose play- ful but sophisticated ombré pattern and golden tones helped warm up the spare architecture. Richly striated, brown-and-green rain-forest marble from Brazil went into the master bath, and its giant Spoon bathtub gazes out onto a world of green or gray, de- pending on the season. The kitchen evokes a pantry from the Playboy Mansion. All of the elements con- spire to make the place feel luxurious, but not overtly so. The furnishings and art echo the effect, a mix of modern-classic luxe and the idiosyncratic. Contem- porary art by Thomas Ruff and Martin McGinn plays off mid-century furniture (much of it lean and leggy Italian), whose restrained, neutral finishes suggest a sumptuous 1930s Milanese apartment. If it all looks and feels a little studied, well, thank God they didn’t start from scratch. “When you do your own house from the ground up, you want everything perfect,” says Yabu. “But I’m also really drawn to the Japanese concept of wabi- sabi, which basically means focusing on and de- veloping the beauty in imperfection.” So what if there’s a 1960s Georgian façade on their modern house. “There’s a duality in the architecture,” he says. “Is it academically correct? I don’t care.” Pushelberg has also come to prefer the house’s coy, geishalike approach. “You have this expecta- tion of what the house is,” he says. “You open the door, and you have to go upstairs or downstairs from the landing—you can’t see anything from there—and you’re drawn right to the windows and the ravine. It’s really abrupt. The house unfolds—that’s what makes it interesting.” In other words, truth has many things going for it, but drama and surprise aren’t among them. Truth is, sad to say, just too predictable. 90 ELLEDECOR.COM

A collection of European mirrors, including two by Gio Ponti, hangs above a Charles bed by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia in the master bedroom; the linens are by Calvin Klein Home, and the throw is by Hermès. The sculpture of a seal is by an unknown artist from the 1960s; the other is Sedna by Adamie Alariaq. Facing page: The paint- ings, Pee and Pee—Dead of Night, are by Yoshitomo Nara. The armchair is Aalto’s Model No. 400, and Rietveld’s Zig-Zag chair is from Cassina; the lamp is a 1950s design by Arredoluce. See Resources.

DOWNTOWN REVIVAL IN A NEIGHBORHOOD HE INITIALLY DISMISSED, DESIGNER ERNEST DE LA TORRE CREATES A HAVEN THAT INCORPORATES THE BOHEMIAN BEST OF TWO CENTURIES TEXT BY EVERETT POTTER · PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILLIAM WALDRON · PRODUCED BY ANITA SARSIDI Ernest de la Torre never wanted to live in Chelsea. The Manhattan dec- De la Torre’s house is one of a handful in the city that are nearly 30 orator had been looking to rent in other neighborhoods, including Hell’s feet wide, enough for that Manhattan miracle, an eat-in kitchen, though Kitchen and the West Village, but “couldn’t find anything nice.” Then De la Torre confesses he and his partner, landscape designer Kris his broker told him about this apartment. “I had no interest,” De la Torre Haberman, don’t cook: “We just heat and serve.” Still, he signed on recalls with a laugh. “I didn’t want to be around the crowds and the six years ago, despite the fact that his friends relentlessly teased him, noise of the Eighth Avenue gay scene.” saying, “Now you’re going to be at the Roxy every week.” He has still But this place wasn’t in the Chelsea he thought he knew. It was never made it to the infamous neighborhood disco. For the first year, blocks from the madding crowd, the bars, the clubs, and the subway. he slept on a mattress on the floor. He was working then as a designer Situated on the second floor of a mid-19th-century redbrick town- for Polo Ralph Lauren and has since opened his own design studio. house, on a coveted tree-lined street, it was “a complete surprise,” he The apartment finally came together in a six-month blitz of paint and admits. Its 11-foot ceilings, Greek Revival moldings, and six-foot-high, upholstering. Toothbrushes were used to scrub the original marble south-facing windows gave fresh meaning to the term “good bones.” mantels, which were nearly black. The floors were ebonized with fur- The building overlooks the quiet, block-long General Theological niture stain. Now paintings by Julian Schnabel and George Condo Seminary. In the late 19th century, bohemia flourished here during that comfortably coexist in the living room with a pair of Ruhlmann kid- “Age of Innocence.” Grandeur is still palpable on every façade, from skin dining chairs and a shagreen cocktail table. “I like 1920s French the pilastered doorways and arched windows to delicate wrought-iron furniture—it’s smaller in scale and it feels right,” De la Torre says. Not railings. When the literati and painters decamped for Greenwich Village everything is pedigreed, however. A biomorphic Serge Mouille lamp is in the early 20th century, it was the beginning of a long neighborhood juxtaposed with a brightly striped painting bought at a benefit auc- decline. In the last decade, however, the area has experienced a rebirth. tion. The mantelpiece holds a tableau of 1920s pottery by masters Greek Revival and Italianate houses have been restored, galleries have such as Albert Cheuret and Jean Dunand, yet the room never feels taken over old industrial buildings off Tenth Avenue, and a defunct ele- formal. “I think a living room should be useful,” says De la Torre. “I don’t vated railway, the High Line, is set to become an urban park. like ones where you tiptoe in and don’t feel comfortable sitting down.” 92

Facing page: Decorator Ernest de la Torre outside his Chelsea apart- ment. This page: The 1920s shagreen cocktail table in the living room is by Jean-Michel Frank, the painting above the fireplace is by George Condo, and the mahogany- and-lambskin screen was bought at auction. On the easel is a collec- tion of butterflies gathered and mounted in Brazil; the 1940s chan- delier is from Troy. See Resources.

But since this is a decorator’s house, it’s an incubator of taste, con- Glossy black T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings dressers, found at a Housing stantly evolving. Luckily, De la Torre’s partner is tolerant of change. And Works thrift store, flank the marble mantel, topped with a mirror to reflect they’ve struck a deal. “I’m the taste-master here,” he laughs, “but Kris a Verner Panton chandelier. The curtains are bordered with Indian saris, is the master of the garden at our country house.” evoking the Orientalism that was all the rage in the 19th century. Haberman’s home office “got all the color,” says De la Torre, including The apartment feels like a fully realized haven, redolent of downtown Warhol electric-chair prints and an unsigned flea-market painting that is when “downtown” meant Edith Wharton, but without ignoring the era of one of the designer’s favorite treasures. But the bedroom, by contrast, Warhol’s Factory. Thus, De la Torre’s take on the belle epoque can in- is a dark and glamorous comfort zone, its walls covered in chocolate corporate original chairs by both Carlo Bugatti and the Herter Brothers, velvet by Ralph Lauren Home. “Everyone told me not to do brown vel- as well as Frank Gehry’s Easy Edges cardboard shelves. It’s a happy vet in this room,” De la Torre recalls. “They said it would be too dark.” union, not unlike that of Chelsea and De la Torre himself. “West Chelsea They were wrong. The effect is richer than rich. The bed, which doubles is one of the great secrets of New York and I love it here,” says the de- as a sofa, is covered in raincoat fabric and topped with a fox throw. signer, a total convert at last. “It’s going to be the next West Village.” 94 ELLEDECOR.COM