Rounded furniture and fittings, ranging from gentle bows to full circles, are juxtaposed with highly linear millwork and cabinetry to create sculptural contrast. Antique, vintage, and contemporary pieces coexist, with features like a concave family-room fireplace purposely left unembellished. A glass-enclosed wine display frames one side of the entry hall and functions as a sculptural focal point alongside a suspended chandelier by Australian designer Volker Haug. Repeated materials—concrete, wood slats, brass, and figured marbles—provide unity, while Elte rugs vary in pattern yet feel related. A moodier palette of darker, softer earth tones and a well-executed minimalism yield a calm, harmonious, livable home.
Rounded shapes, from gentle bows to full circles, characterize the majority of the home's furniture and fittings, which Johnston juxtaposed against highly linear millwork and cabinetry. Antique, vintage, and contemporary pieces rub shoulders-even if certain bits of the house, such as the family room's concave fireplace, were specifically designed to not require embellishment. The glass-enclosed wine display that forms one side of the entry hall could count as an artwork in itself,
Certain materials-concrete, wood slats, brass, figured marbles-appear again and again. Rugs throughout are from the Toronto-based firm Elte, and they share a certain family resemblance even though their patterns vary from a plain, slubby monochrome in the family room to an assertive parallel stripe in the dining area. Each room is distinct, and each contributes to a unified overall harmony.
At a time when many designers seem to be competing to win the maximalist sweepstakes, Johnston aimed for "a well-executed minimalism, where it's not so empty that it feels barren, but has just the right number of elements to feel considered and thoughtful." In this residence-sculptural and dramatic, but also calm, harmonious, and livable-"our goal," he says, "was really to create a home unlike any we had seen before."
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