"The smaller the
space; the more you put in it, the cozier you make it."
"Cozy" thrives in the 1925 lower
Mount Royal home Elaine Wolfe and her husband have owned
for the past few years. It's apparent that a passionate
collector lives here. Competing for display space are Buddha's
and carved African heads, antiques and animal prints and
more. Wolfe's love of many cultures lends an ethnic, eclectic
decor to this 1400 square foot, traditionally-styled house.
Although the home is full of furniture and
decorations (Wolfe refers to the look as "organized
clutter"), much thought went into the planning of
vignettes around the house, right down to the arrangement
of books and vases on shelves. Candles, mirrors and pillows
figure prominently. WOlfe's pillow collection is a byproduct
of her appreciation for fine textiles, including silks
and tapestries. Red oak flooring and light yellow walls
add warmth throughout the home. This older house called
for decoration in the period it was constructed, but many
modern touches were successfully integrated to modernize
the home. Ornate iron radiator covers still adorn the baseboards
but luxurious under-floor heating was added in many rooms.
The kitchen is a mixture of
old and new. Stainless steel appliances, glass pendant lighting,
contemporary cabinets
and cork tile flooring are hallmarks of 21st century design.
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The unconventional
twist is a massive antique dresser that has been fitted
with a granite surface similar to the counter-tops and
provides the only drawer storage in the kitchen.
The sunroom at the back of the house was
an addition to the floor plan. In this nook, the fireplace
with an old gas insert is faced with limestone, and the
room is original> Natural light streams in through windows,
making it an ideal spot in which to curl up with a good
book selected from the built in bookshelves.
Modern fixtures, finishes and furniture in
the basement are decidedly "new millennial." Doors
hide a linen closet, laundry facilities, a pantry and miscellaneous
storage. Walls along the sides of the narrow space are
painted in a lighter tone to recede visually. A cleverly
placed cat door is hidden behind the entertainment unit
and lead s to the litter box placed out of site in the
adjacent furnace room.
If what Elaine Wolfe claims is true, that "a
space talks to you and dictates what it should be," then
this home speaks volumes. —S.M.
<Taken from Alberta Ballet's
House & Garden
Tour, June 2002.> |
