Home design: Updating an empty nest

National Post

17-06-2025

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In the family room, a more sultry, dramatic mood was in order. Because the room receives ample natural light through a big bay window at one end, Glass chose to paint its longest wall in a smoky charcoal (adjacent walls were done in a softer pale grey), creating the perfect backdrop for a striking, Deco-inspired porcelain mantel, in a mix of deep browns with cream and charcoal accents. 'She wanted something dramatic, an alternative to the standard book-matched granite,' says Glass, 'so we gave it a very architectural look.'
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As with the marble breakfast table, the dining room table wasn't a style Glass herself would have chosen; but it had been one of the couple's first purchases as newlyweds and carried sentimental weight. Inspiration came in the form of a jungle-inspired fabric for the dining chairs in shades of brown and cream; the crowning touch — a swoopy, translucent light fixture — turned the table's sober lines into the perfect foil.
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In contrast to the moody feeling of the family room, large windows overlooking the garden fill the living room with light and colour. A pair of swivel chairs in a bold stripe invite a guest to sit down and gaze out at the view; elsewhere in the room, the soft palette of warm grey, brown and gold, in tactile fabrics like velvet and wool, creates a mood of supreme comfort. This room may be a bit more formal than the others, but it's hardly stuffy.
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Glass explains that the home office at the front of the house required a considerable amount of thoughtful planning. The homeowner spends long hours working at a high-pressure job, mostly from home; so it had to be efficiently designed, well organized and comfortable. Intelligently designed file storage, a key element of the work, was also important. But beyond that, it had to look good, since it was clearly visible to guests entering the home.
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Somewhat to Glass's surprise, the normally conservative client fell in love with a monochrome mural of trees for the room's back wall; she thought its muted tones struck the perfect balance between workplace sobriety (since it would become a natural backdrop for Zoom meetings) and whimsy.
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It was also important to both designer and client to inject individuality into the design. 'She has a lot of interesting objects collected from all over the world, things that give her pleasure,' Glass notes. 'I felt they should have a place in here too.' An archtop niche, designed purely for displaying an ever-changing collection of favourite things, adds life to this hard-working space.
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Curves soften the edges of the primary bedroom furnishings. The room's quiet, mid-'30s-modern restraint contrasts with a bright and cheerful dressing area, lit by an overhead skylight. Wallpaper-lined shelves display purses and art pieces.
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