Accessories / Decor

Studio Junction transformed a two-story apartment above Mjölk, Juli Daoust and John Baker’s design boutique on Toronto’s busy Dundas Street West, into a tranquil space. A courtyard joins the living room and the open kitchen and dining area.

When you first enter the space, you step into a moody entry salon with hand-applied Italian integral color plaster walls and a marble fireplace. Designed to feel welcoming and residential, it’s furnished with midcentury armchairs and a dramatic hanging light fixture by Bec Brittain.

To create a place where employees and visitors can have lunch family style, they brought in a large dining table by James Perse. The hanging light is the Lampada 046 by Dimore Studio.

The chalkboard wall also acts as a sliding pocket door to the first floor bathroom. To maximize usable space, there are no hinged doors in the home's interior.

Stainless steel was selected for the kitchen countertops, and the pair relied on a local industrial sheet metal fabricator to help them prepare the material for residential application. The mix of warm and cool adds depth and dimension to the space.

The room also contains a sofa by Flexform, cushions from textile firm Chevalier Masson, a Jens Fager candelabra, and a painting by Roger Raveel.

In this Portland home, design firm Made arranged individually carved white-oak planks in a geometric pattern on the ceiling that repeats itself throughout the house. Beat Light pendant lamps by Tom Dixon hang above a custom dining table, also by Made.

Sheer gray curtains by Ulf Moritz for Sahco add to the apartment’s moody atmosphere.

The old wood floors throughout the open-plan space are painted a dark eggplant. The vintage PP19 armchair is by Hans J. Wegner for PP Møbler. The painting above it is by Ruben Toledo, a friend of Peter Fehrentz, the resident. A trio of Tom Dixon lights hangs over the Pirkka dining table, with bench seating by Ilmari Tapiovaara for Artek. The Berber rug is from Morocco, purchased from the Paris shop Caravane.

Adding wood floors to the home proved to be a challenge, both in terms of approval and execution. Since the flat is located in a historic mansion block, the license to alter it was very strict. Once approved, floating oak parquet floors were installed above a high-performance acoustic system to offer sound insulation for the neighbor below. The open dining room exemplifies the clients’ wish for a “fun yet minimalist” home. A copper Habitat pendant lamp hangs above a solid oak dining table fabricated by INTERIOR-iD. A whimsical mustard sofa pops against the blue Tabu veneer wall.

The kitchen is completely open to the main living area and features a custom birch pegboard wall. Eames dining chairs accent the space.

Typically known for its electric color palette, Caesarstone introduced a subtle array of new colors and finishes. Our favorite was the durable raw concrete lookalike.

In the basement lounge area under the stairs, Lee had a giant sofa is upholstered in 18 Peruvian blankets that JHID collected over several months. The paintings are by Heather Watkins, a Portland artist. The coffee table is custom design in solid fir, which adds a lighter counterpoint to the Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal paint used in the alcove.