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. © AGE FOTOSTOCK/SUPERSTOCK
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
latticework of ravines throughout the city. As a result, one of the first Toronto’s a city made up of these little revelations. After living in New
things Toronto officials did after the storm was to buy as much of the York and Paris, Paul Sinclaire, a former fashion editor at Vogue and
sodden property as their budget allowed. “All the land from those river now head of the apparel company Tevrow + Chase, moved to Toronto
six years ago. He spent his first winter parked beside his fireplace.

52



toronto The 19th-century
buildings of the
“If I knew how to knit,” he says, “I would have knitted. It took a couple
years for me to discover there’s a group of very stylish people in this Distillery District,
town who entertain. And they do it beautifully.” now home to
shops, cafés,
Many of them, like businessman Gerry Schwartz and his wife, Heather
Reisman, head of a large bookstore chain, live in the tony Rosedale neigh- and art galleries.
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 A soaking tub at
mansion. (It’s hard to imagine this is the same country Edmund Wilson the SoHo Metro-
once likened to a “hunting preserve convenient to the United States.”) politan Hotel.

To be sure, Schwartz and Reisman are hardly the first Torontonians CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: THANE LUCAS; HENRY M; © ANGELO CAVALLI/SUPERSTOCK; RICK BOGACZ; COURTESY OF ZIG ZAG; KIWANIS CLUB OF CASA LOMA
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.”

In fact, the first thing a visitor is likely to notice about Toronto is its di-
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
in a former bank.

Queen Street
West, the city’s bo-

hemian enclave.

The Scottish Tower of Mid-century–
Casa Loma, a private man- modern pieces
sion completed in 1913, at the design
now open to the public. shop Zig Zag.

54 ELLEDECOR.COM



toronto

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

56 ELLEDECOR.COM



toronto The glass-topped Hobe Sound Wall Lantern, designed by nationally-acclaimed designer Tom Scheerer. decade), “there’s an insatiable appetite for
arcade of Eaton new buildings,” says Sinclaire, and not all of
hand-crafted lighting by © ANGELO CAVALLI/SUPERSTOCKthem are residential. The Art Gallery of Ontario,
Centre, a complex home to an impressive collection of European
of nearly 300 shops paintings and a herd of Henry Moore sculp-
tures, recently broke ground on a $195 million
and restaurants. addition by Toronto native Frank Gehry. Farther
north, the Royal Ontario Museum, whose col-
843.723.8140 lection, Canada’s largest, includes a curious
charleston, sc mix of art and artifacts, is about to inaugu-
urbanelectricco.com rate a new wing designed by architect Daniel
through the trade Libeskind, a mountain range of shimmering
glass angles. And the striking Sharp Centre
at the Ontario College of Art and Design, a
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
are overrun by boldface names.

Anyone craving a grittier vibe can make a
beeline for Queen Street West, which is



toronto often compared to Greenwich Village because
of its stylish shops and bohemian spirit. Though
Contemporary many locals grouse about its recent commer-
furniture and art cialization, regulars simply wander west past
Spadina for a little old-time flavor—maybe a
at UpCountry. night of dancing at the Dada-inspired Bovine
Sex Club. The neighborhood also serves as
C H E L L A A T W O R K. the northernmost border of the Entertainment
District—a small grid of side streets crowded
with concert halls, theaters, and pubs. “Toron-
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.
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-environment textiles The exterior of the FROM TOP: ANDREJ KOPAC; REBECCA WILSON
Windsor Arms Hotel,
for how you live. a Hollywood favorite.

chella
SANTA BARBARA 805-560-8400 CHELLATEXTILES.COM



The 52nd Annual

a benefit for East Side House Settlement in the South Bronx

JANUARY 20-29, 2006

Seventh Regiment Armory Still
setting
67th Street & Park Avenue, New York City the
Daily: 12:00 noon - 8:00 p.m. standard
after
Sundays & Thursday: Noon - 6:00 p.m. 52 years.

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

Loan Exhibition
George Washington’s Mount Vernon

Sponsored by The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies

Tickets $20

(includes our award-winning catalogue)
For information and tickets to special events,
please call 718.292.7392 or fax 718.665.5532
or visit our website at www.winterantiquesshow.com

2006 Exhibitors

A La Vieille Russie, Inc. • Adelson Galleries, Inc. • L’Antiquaire & The 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.

Thomas Colville Fine Art • Conru Primitive Art • Suzanne Courcier • Robert W. Wilkins • Dillingham & Company • Geoffrey Diner Gallery, Inc.
Donald Ellis Gallery, Ltd. • Les Enluminures • The 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. • The Old Print Shop, Inc.
Olde Hope Antiques, Inc. • Peter Pap Oriental Rugs, Inc. • The 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. • The Schwarz Gallery • S. J. Shrubsole Corporation • Elle Shushan • Jonathan Snellenburg
Carolle Thibaut-Pomerantz • Throckmorton 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.

GBoeerncdkler
ANTIQUES

30 E 10th Street, NY, NY 10003 email: [email protected]
T. 212-777-8209 F. 212-777-8302 www.BGoecklerAntiques.com

The Photo: Keith Scott Morton

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
Pair of Art Deco Armchairs by Sue & Mare, France, ca.1925 • C. Bugatti Pedestal ca.1900 with I. Nielsen Vase ca.1930 • Flemish Tapestry 18th Century







Style
Every home is an expression of its owner’s
WILLIAM WALDRON 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,
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.

69

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
for you, you stick with it. Here, I drop my bags and
riety is the spice of life. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. No go out. This place is very efficient for that.”
wonder designers are confused. They work in a field
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
raised the doors and lowered the mantel. And it was
But for interior decorator T. Keller Donovan, there’s really hard to position the furniture. It took me eight
no question that consistency is something to aim years to get the pieces to fit.” The situation was ex-
for, and there’s no need to tinker with what works— acerbated by the awkward proportions of the rooms.
especially when it comes to his own apartment. “Af- “The mantel is off center,” he points out, “so I couldn’t
ter 18 years,” he says, “you should get it right.” put a grouping around the fireplace. There was no
room for a dining room table.”
He inherited his place that many years ago from
a client who was getting married and moving to So Donovan applied the kind of ingenious thinking
Manhattan’s East Side. “I was renting on Central that seems to come naturally to talented designers.
Park South at the time,” he remembers, “and I felt I The spacious entry became a dining room/library,
was living right in the middle of the city. I could just with a banquette, a glass-top table, and stacked iron
stumble home from Studio 54. At the time, that was cubes in the corners that hold a surprising number
great. To me, back then, moving to the Upper West of books. He opened up half the kitchen, via a set
Side felt like moving to Connecticut.” of wide white doors, creating a vivid blue breakfast
room that also adds a feeling of depth to the nar-
These days he ventures considerably farther afield row living room. “I think of it as the smallest family
and spends much of his time in an apartment in Mi- room in America,” he jokes. The main seating area
ami Beach. But his small New York one-bedroom, has been pushed to the far end, against the win-
located in a prewar building among the grand brick dows, where a Billy Baldwin sofa and slipper chairs
and limestone beauties of West End Avenue, re- of Donovan’s design surround a gleaming white
mains his touchstone. “Ten years ago, I finally fig- cocktail table. “That sofa has been reupholstered
ured out a floor plan that worked,” he says. “And three times,” Donovan says. “It’s bigger than any
there’s been no reason to change. Objects come
and go, but the arrangement stays. It’s like finding

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-
cause things are valuable, or from sentiment. You have
Donovan used clean-lined cane furniture through- to have a system in place. Ruthless editing is a must.”
out, including side chairs, small tables, and even
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,”
he says with a laugh. “This works for me. It’s a com-
For decorators who are accustomed to devising fortable place to land.”
schemes for clients in days and executing them within

81

SPLIT PERSONALIT Y

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 to be 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
never made it to the infamous neighborhood disco. For the first year,
But this place wasn’t in the Chelsea he thought he knew. It was he slept on a mattress on the floor. He was working then as a designer
blocks from the madding crowd, the bars, the clubs, and the subway. for Polo Ralph Lauren and has since opened his own design studio.
Situated on the second floor of a mid-19th-century redbrick town-
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-
niture stain. Now paintings by Julian Schnabel and George Condo
The building overlooks the quiet, block-long General Theological comfortably coexist in the living room with a pair of Ruhlmann kid-
Seminary. In the late 19th century, bohemia flourished here during that skin dining chairs and a shagreen cocktail table. “I like 1920s French
“Age of Innocence.” Grandeur is still palpable on every façade, from furniture—it’s smaller in scale and it feels right,” De la Torre says. Not
the pilastered doorways and arched windows to delicate wrought-iron everything is pedigreed, however. A biomorphic Serge Mouille lamp is
railings. When the literati and painters decamped for Greenwich Village juxtaposed with a brightly striped painting bought at a benefit auc-
in the early 20th century, it was the beginning of a long neighborhood tion. The mantelpiece holds a tableau of 1920s pottery by masters
decline. In the last decade, however, the area has experienced a rebirth. such as Albert Cheuret and Jean Dunand, yet the room never feels
Greek Revival and Italianate houses have been restored, galleries have formal. “I think a living room should be useful,” says De la Torre. “I don’t
taken over old industrial buildings off Tenth Avenue, and a defunct ele- like ones where you tiptoe in and don’t feel comfortable sitting down.”
vated railway, the High Line, is set to become an urban park.

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