Inside a vibrant 1930s home bursting with punchy prints and colour

CBC

03-06-2025

Step into a designer's home and you might expect to find an impressive living example of their portfolio — and Cynthia Ferguson's house in Toronto's Lawrence Park neighbourhood certainly delivers. Every room showcases her eclectic esthetic, and while touring through them, one can't help but admire her expert skill at making whimsical prints and hues work in harmony.
Ferguson defines her home's decor as maximalist, and she cops to the conundrum that can create in compact spaces like hers. "When you're dealing with such a small house, you can't have a room that's weaker than the others," she says in this episode of On the Inside. "Now that one's plain Jane and the other ones are amped up." This meant turning her expert eye toward every last detail.
The interior of my home is traditional, layered and a riot of colour and pattern.
But while her house now makes an impact at nearly every turn, it's also a study of the steady hand it takes to pull maximalism off well.
Colour is considered carefully in Ferguson's home. She notes that blue is a subtle through line in her house — but not just any blue. "My blue has an undertone of red, and that meant that as I moved through my home, I couldn't change to a blue that had a different undertone," she says. "The blues would have actually clashed."
And in her kitchen, "the busiest room of the house," Ferguson chose to create a visual break. "Having the walls white allows us to have a neutral palette in here and allows us to have a rest in between all the colour-filled rooms," she says.
Nothing is haphazard in my home as it is so small. Each piece is carefully thought out and purposeful.
Ferguson's favourite room in her home is the family room, with its roomy couch and bright, pickle green paint. "Green gives energy," says Ferguson. "It always feels fresh."
Upstairs, Ferguson went bold in a different way, painting the walls of her bedroom black — a risk she debated. But she went for it after considering what she'd tell a client: "It's only paint!" She then layered in hits of pink and a playful print throughout the space — again, with a strategic mindset.
"Because the room's small," Ferguson explains, "I decided to keep repeating the same fabric so that it didn't become too busy — on the drapery, on the lines and on my upholstered bed. That way, your eye is really just seeing a repeated pattern."
Watch this episode of On the Inside to see Ferguson's stunning, skillfully layered rooms, and read on for more about her approach to decorating her own home.
Cynthia Ferguson on home decor and design
(As told to CBC Life. These answers have been edited and condensed.)
The interior of my home is traditional, layered, and a riot of colour and pattern. It is meant to provide eye candy no matter where you sit in each room. I like to say there is no bad seat in the house!
Each room in my house is deeply personal. They tell a story. The collections in my living room display my passions for British antiques, for instance. The art on the walls throughout my home show my love for the Maritimes if you look carefully.
I start with what I absolutely love, always, and build out from there. It might be a piece of art, or a fabric and then the function must be carefully considered.
My home needs to be joyful and approachable. There isn't a room in my house [where] you cannot put your feet up on a coffee table. My interiors are to be lived in and enjoyed by my family.
The materials in my home are carefully considered as they need to last. The most heavily used pieces — like my family room sofa — need a woven fabric so [they're] more durable. I chose a woven sisal rug for my family room as well, so when we barbecue all year round, the sisal takes the brunt of the wear and tear of going out the back door in rain and snow. My hardwood floors take a beating, so I selected a satin finish to help with durability.
Smaller rooms look their best with larger pieces in them — the scale of furniture and lighting is so paramount to good decorating. I also feel that in smaller spaces, making sure that each piece of furniture has an element of storage is imperative. When I am purchasing an antique, even, it must have storage. Each piece must serve a purpose from a functional point of view, not just be pretty.