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Pied-à-Terre Proper

Photography by Patrick Biller

Posted on Mar 15, 2019

Condo living room designed by Lindsey Levy
Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design

 

One part hotel chic and one part urban retreat, this downtown Toronto condo sits high in the sky overlooking Lake Ontario and the bustling city streets. It’s not every day that we’re asked to design a condo that looks like a hotel, so we jumped at the chance to convert a 2 bedroom + den condo into a 3 bedroom hotel-like abode complete with separate media systems and in-room amenities so our clients can host friends and entertain in the big city.

After months of planning, load in day went off without a hitch. But it took some problem solving along the way to get us there. Read on to discover how we tackled every challenge, and make note of each solution to help you conquer your next design dilemma.

Living Room

Living Room designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
The challenge: 

Deciding on the right mix of furniture

The solution: 

Plan your jumping off point

When investing in new furniture, it’s always a good idea to play it safe with your sofa - keep it streamlined and neutral. The leather accent chairs and credenza follow suit in classic black. To create the wow, be brazen with your accent colour and choose one piece of furniture as your jumping off point. Our newest addition to the SRD furniture collection - the Adelaide ottoman, upholstered for this project in lush emerald green velvet, was positioned as the room's showpiece. Its large-scale, pared down design with smart piping makes it the ideal piece for a modern space. To offset the neutral backdrop, we played up the green hue with a pair of fabulous abstract art prints flanking the tv from Celadon Art.

Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
The Challenge:

Choosing a rug that's suitable in both size and style (when it's slim-pickings!) 

The Solution:

Install broadloom

If you've ever found yourself settling for a rug that's not quite right, then you can understand the frustration that ensues from the long hard search for an irregular sized rug. Instead of buying off the rack, consider broadloom as a viable option. Broadloom is typically installed wall to wall, but you can usually find sizeable offcuts to reuse, or have it cut to size. We needed a rug that was 8' x 8', and since we couldn't find one that met our size and style requirements, we opted for a custom cut broadloom rug that we had bound on all sides with 3-inch wide black leather for an edgier look. 

Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
Condo designed Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
The Challenge:

Selecting a statement pendant that won't overwhelm an open space

The Solution:

Make an understated statement

Statement lighting can make or break a space if you're not careful. After walking through this condo and taking in the impressive city views, there's one thing we knew for sure: the pendant over the dining table had to be big enough to fill up the space, but not so big that it steels the show. In spaces graced with large or floor to ceiling windows, the last thing you want is to hinder the light or grandioseness of the view. The sleek black hardware in this pendant ties in with our black accented furnishings, and the cascading textured glass discs ensure the view remains the centre of attention. 

Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
The Challenge:

Turning an awkward, empty space into the perfect perch

The Solution:

Dare to daydream

Never underestimate the power of a daybed! Adored for its slim, modern profile, our custom Quinn daybed looks great in front of any window and offers a spot to cozy up with a good book and enjoy the view - in this case from the 54th floor! While the living room furniture faces inward for functionality, we wanted to turn this awkward space between the living room and master bedroom into a sight-seers paradise. Be pro daybed - just add a couple of accent pillows on either side for maximum comfort. Here's another tip; two can curl up together!

Condo designed Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design

Master Bedroom

Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
The Challenge:

Installing blackout curtains that won't overwhelm the window or put you over budget

The Solution:

Sew in the detail

With windows this large that overlook Lake Ontario, no ordinary drapery will do. To get a luxurious look that won’t break the bank, we came up with a clever workaround to splurging on top-of-the-line drapery. 2-inch thick black ribbon sewn in a stripe pattern on inexpensive white lined linen creates a tailored look and complements the grid-like accents featured in the artwork, pillow fabric, blanket and window panes.

The Challenge:

Balancing the scale of furniture and décor in a large room  

The Solution:

When low, go high

For rooms with high ceilings, try furnishing the space with lower profile furniture and installing artwork and mirrors that have a taller scale so it accentuates the vertical wall space. Here, a lower bed and bedside tables enabled us to hang large scale art and tall mirrors that awesomely reflect the light from the room's floor to ceiling windows.

Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
The Challenge:

Finding a space-saving and stylish console table

The Solution:

Choose transparent

When shopping for a console table, transparent pieces made of glass or acrylic are often overlooked because they're considered too precious. But when your goal is to keep the room sleek and pared down - with furnishings that optimize the view rather than hinder it, a peekaboo table like this one is the right choice. The view from bed is just too good to mess with, so we said no to bulky pieces and opted for a seamless clear surface for a table lamp, books and even a cable box! 

Den

Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
The Challenge:

Converting a small den into a third bedroom and back again

The Solution:

Plan ahead with a pull out bed

The den was too small for a proper bed, but just right for a stylish sofa! Can you say sofa bed? Gone are the days of clunky, unsightly pull out beds. We're happy to report that the sofa bed is now a viable option for stylish convertible furniture! This tufted, midnight blue number coordinates superbly with the Tony Koukos artwork depicting the sky's reflection on a city building. The small ottomans can be moved around easily when the bed is pulled out, and put back when it's time to lounge on the sofa.

Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design

Guest Bedroom

Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design
The Challenge:

How to incorporate hidden storage into a condo unit

The Solution:

Invest in a storage bed

Condo units are often limited when it comes to storage space, and this unit was no exception. A storage bed is a clever way to hide away items you don't need on the regular like seasonal bedding, extra pillows, and even travel accessories like luggage and duffle bags. Storage beds commonly have pull out drawers, but we wanted to keep the space as minimal as possible and opted for a storage bed that lifts up revealing one large unrestricted space to fill up. This bed had the look and functional properties we craved. 

Condo designed by Lindsey Levy, Sarah Richardson Design

THE ARTWORK

The Challenge:

How to identify the type of artwork appropriate for your space

The Solution:

Consider your surroundings

When choosing artwork, look not only for inspiration inside, but outside too. Take into account the type of environment the space occupies. Are you in the country or city? This condo overlooks the best of urban dwelling - tall buildings with windows that reflect the sky and surrounding structures. We chose to go local with works from one of our favourite photographers, Tony Koukos, whose art graces the walls of the master bedroom, den and guest bedroom. Our client started his career at the TD Towers and ended his career at the CIBC building, which are the buildings pictured in the master bedroom and den artworks respectively. Believe it or not - that was a total coincidence! We couldn't be more thrilled with the results!

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Source Guide:

Living/ Dining Room

Sarah Richardson Design: Cory condo sofa, Gaudette ottoman, Quinn daybed | Elte: Braden leather accent chairs, Lennox dining chair, Anika side table, Exeter side table | EQ3: Tambour 62" credenza, black, magazine rack | Decorum Decorative Finds: marble base side table | Design Within Reach: pleat drum floor lamp, black | Celadon Art: framed prints | West Elm: pillows on accent chairs | Bilbrough: Black Edition Herbaria Malva velvet fabric, custom sofa/daybed accent pillow | Lee Jofa: Graffito Onyx (GWF-3530.816) fabric, custom sofa accent pillow | Martha Sturdy: ottoman tray | CB2: black iron paperweight, ring sculptures, table vase, ottoman vase, plant basket | JKC Vintage: other living room vases | Restoration Hardware: Torano round dining table | Arteriors: Tiffany chandelier | Crate & Barrel: bar cart | Trade only source: custom herringbone rug

Master Bedroom

Restoration Hardware: geometric platform bed, stone washed linen bedding | Zak & Fox: Postage Liberty custom pillow fabric | Walter G: Dash Dot quilt | Made Goods: Maris nightstands, dark navy faux Belgian linen | CB2: Fringe leather pendant, Peekaboo acrylic console table, ceramic fluted vase, black box | Dash & Albert: cut stripe ivory hand knotted rug | Union Lighting: Scala hand-forged bedside lamps | Renwil: Vertice mirrors | Tony Koukos: framed prints | Kobe: drapery fabric | Mokuba: ribbon sewn on drapery | West Elm: table lamp, yellow & blue baskets | JKC Vintage: brass accessories 

Den

Article: Soma sofa bed sectional with pull out, midnight blue | Tonic Living: ottoman cube, Camino, indigo fabric | Design Within Reach: Tom Dixon melted pendant, copper | Dash & Albert: Homer blue loom rug | Elte: table lamp, Jasmine accent table | Rebecca Atwood: Gridded ikat, blue/pink fabric, custom accent pillow | Lee Jofa: Groundworks Askew sienna/navy (GWF-3724.524) fabric, custom accent pillow | Martha Sturdy: tray | Tony Koukos: framed print | West Elm: vase | Homesense: throw blanket 

Guest Bedroom

CB2: Tux marble top nightstands, SAIC together pendant light, vase | EQ3: Ember dining rug | Homesense: bedside lamps, bedding | Elte MKT: coverlet | Etsy: Spark Modern, Taj onyx/ash accent pillows | Tony Koukos: frame prints | West Elm: brass knot | JKC Vintage: glass dish | Trade only source: storage bed