The Windsor Chair

Interior by Tom Sheerer

I admit I have a thing for chairs, especially timeless classics whether it be a classic modern or classic traditional, I have a list of personal favorites that includes both and regret that I can’t somehow own all of them (but I'm working on it!).   I’ve always loved the lines of a windsor chair because the spindles and the graceful arc have such a graphic quality to them and they evoke a nostalgic sense of hand made craftsmanship.   I love how their elegant lines compliment both traditional and contemporary spaces.

Modern Country model home by Toronto designer Yanic Simard

In case you haven’t noticed, windsor chairs are HOT right now - I’m seeing them everywhere.  I would never categorize a windsor chair as trendy but like many classics from the past, they are definitely expieriencing a renewed appreciation from a new generation.  I first took notice about two years ago when i was recommending some for a clients kitchen and noticed their popularity seems to have grown since then.   Its hard to pick up a shelter mag lately without seeing them in a feature story or advertisement.  Last week while I was out sourcing chairs for a client I spotted them again and again, in even the most modern of furniture showrooms.  

P.E.I. Beach Home of Canadian Pamela Kline as featured in Country Living

Windsor Chair in distressed Black from the showroom of Sharon O'Dowd.

I'm partial to these chairs in high contrast black because it emphasizes those great graphic lines (like in the photos above), especially in white spaces,  but for clients I’ve often recommended them in a fresh colourful hue which makes them look like striking pieces of art.  

Red Canadian Maple windsor Chair from Toronto shop Commute Home

Tourquoise windsor chairs photographed by Karl Juengel via Brabourne Farm

A 1948 modern version, George Nakashima's straight back chair as seen at Toronto's Design Within Reach showroom. $700.

The Salt chair available at Design Within Reach.  $120

Crate & Barrel's Ingram Side Chair emulates the classic bird cage back windsor chair.  $250.

Martha Stewart's Everday windsor chair for Kmart was flat packed and sold ready to assemble for a mear $49.  For that price I wouldn't be able to help myself from taking a paint brush to them and going crazy,,,a beautiful chartreuse green perhaps....

 

The complete family of windsor seating also includes stools, with and without backs.  Windsor bar stool by Toronto's Windsor Workshop.

The famously beautiful kitchen of Nancy Meyers (Somethings Gotta Give) by designer James Radin as seen in House Beautiful.  He describes the windsor barstools as being "like a punctuation mark in the room".

24" Windsor bar stool by Toronto's Windsor Workshop.

Rod Back windsor chair in black by Toronto's Windsor Workshop.

Large comb back windsor arm chair by Toronto's Windsor Workshop.

An elegant large comb back windsor chair seen in this Sunroom by designer Michael Smith for a Millbook New York Farmhouse as seen in Elle Decor, photo via Cote De Texas.

Windsor Settee by Toronto's Windsor Workshop.

I think a perfect way to add some graphic interest or that "punctuation mark' to a hallway or foyer is to use the graceful windsor settee.  Unfortunately I was unable to find a photo of a windsor settee in this setting,,,,,so you'll have to tap into my designer vision with me here.......If I was to furnish a hallway or foyer with one of these beauties, I could easily envision them in hallways that looked like these....

Stone hallway of a model home toured by Cote De Texas.  How perfectly striking would a black windsor settee look in this gorgeous white and stone hallway.

How about a windsor settee painted fresh spring green or crisp white in this modern traditional home.

As beautiful as this rustic bench looks in this foyer, I can't help but think how perfect the curved back of a windsor settee would echo the rounded top of the panel door.

It would be easy to picture a black or white windsor settee in this modern panelled entrance hallway but with this neutral grey panelleling a windsor settee in any colour your heart desires would be a graphic pop of unexpected colour.

July Sourcebook:

This was one of several pieces of original art I purchased with a client this month.  Found at Art Interiors, Solitude by Rita Vindedzis, 12 x 48.

When I go out sourcing products and furniture for client projects, I always carry 4 things with me; a notebook, a tape measurer, a digital camera and my blackberry (soon to be 3 things when I get a new phone with integrated camera!).  

In my notebook I’ll staple samples of paint or fabrics for reference along with a list of what I need to source complete with sketches, dimensions or room layouts.  When I’m sourcing I make notes on every item i photograph, aside from the size and price etc.,,,I note whether its comfortable, sturdy, heavy, light etc... or if I’ve seen the same item at another store.  Typically I go thru one of these notebooks a month for miscellaneous projects, and if I’m working on a whole house reno, I start a sourcebook just for that project.  When the notebook is full, I keep it on file as I reference back to them quite often.  I know I could streamline this and do it all electronically,,,,but an old fashioned notebook and pencil is what I prefer for sketching quickly and attaching samples, besides the fact, if your battery on your blackberry or iphone constantly needs charging, then its back to the notebook.  It may not be a perfect system,,,but it works for me.  

Of course not all the options I’ve sourced over the month actually make the cut.  So here’s a peek into just some of the winning picks (non-custom) that I’ve specified or purchased this month,,,,,,these are things my clients have purchased, things that I’ve purchased for clients and things i’ve purchased for my own use.

Ready made frames.  I've purchased so many of these Thin Metal Frames the last couple of months for client's bathrooms, I don't think Pottery Barn has any left in stock in Toronto.  I love the wide white mats and the simple modern profile, I think the polished metal version works so well in a bathroom with traditional or contemporary plumbing fixtures.   A custom looking framed image for half the price.

Flush slab vanity drawers in Wenge wood veneer with clove stain.

Zen rectangular vessel sink by Neptune.

Cararra hexagon mosaic tile for floors in a bathroom because the shape is classic, the look is timeless, a great mix with contemporary plumbing fixtures.

Hand made ceramic subway tiles for bathroom walls, specified on several projects (I love the hand made quality vs the mass produced if the budget allows). Because they're timeless and classic and are a beautiful compliment to other marbles and stones.

A vintage teak sideboard.  This danish beauty measures over seven feet long, has gorgeous legs, antique brass corners and the drawers are the exact perfect fit for CD cases!  Simply stunning and one of my all-time favorite finds, this one's from Queen West Antiques in Toronto.

Eames Stool (left), what can I say, these are little works of art that you can use as a side table or foot stool.  This one was found at Studio Pazo in Toronto. 

Mixed media on wood under resin.  "To become" 12 x 48.

Mixd media on wood under resin.  "Secret" 48 x 60.

A client and I commissioned some original art work by artist Murray Duncan.  Samples of his work are shown above and his work is exhibited in his furniture store Hardware as well as at Parts Gallery in Toronto.  Murray does the most incredible work using mixed media under resin on wood, they have a deep high gloss finish that unfortunately just doesn't translate well in these photos.  He also does panels like these on credenza and armoire doors that are sold at his store. Totally unique & GORGEOUS!

White ceramic bird bud vase.  I spotted this at L'Atelier in Toronto and just had to buy it.  It was a perfect little finishing touch to some shelving in a clients office. (visualize this without the granny flowers.....sorry i didn't have a pic of my own.)

Woven storage boxes and magazine butlers for a home office, from West Elm.

Hardware for a bathroom vanity, Strand knob by Restoration Hardware.

Door and Drawer pulls for a kitchen island.  Contemporary pull by Richelieu.

Pair of pendant lights for over a new kitchen island.  Harmon pendant by Restoration Hardware.

Existing kitchen cabinets get new paint, BM Vapour, new hardware, Grafton pulls and knobs in oil rubbed bronze from Restoration Hardware and new Misty cararra Caesarstone counters.  This new look will give a young family of 5 a modern-traditional kitchen that will serve them beautifully for many years to come.

I've saved the best for last.....the Hemnes 4 Poster Bed by Ikea.  This bed has made it on so many top 10 lists, its become famous among design bloggers and shelter mags, its simply great value and great style.  Any other four poster bed on the market is easily 4 times the price of this one.  This spring the Hemnes bed was discontinued and by end of June Ikea had sold off their remaining inventory (at about 50% off).   But I didn't let that deter me, they call it a self-serve warehouse for a reason,,,,if everyone in the store tells you there's none left in stock, go and search the warehouse yourself to make sure.  I often find their computerized inventory is off by 2.  In this case, I went searching and much to the surprise of the staff, I managed to find not one but two Hemnes queen size beds sitting on a bottom rack with no tags.  And the best part is, when they did a price check, it was only $69!!!!!!.  Needless to say I headed for the checkout before she even finished asking me if I wanted it,,,,,all i could think of was "start the car!!".  What a steal!  And no, I don't have anywhere to put the bed right now (i've added it to my growing collection in the basement), but that's besides the point, this was a great find and one day I know I"ll find the perfect room for it.  In the meantime, I've already starting dreaming of the possibilities...... 

Dealing with Obstacles

A rough 3D sketch helps clients decide how to deal with unexpected changes

Despite how much preplanning and investigation is done prior to embarking on a renovation, you don't really get a true picture of the extent of new work required until after the demolition phase.  Often after the demo you'll discover structural or mechanical elements that need to be worked around or beefed up.   Quick decisions have to be made on how to deal with these obstacles without adversly effecting the design, the budget or the schedule,  but it can be difficult for clients to visualize how the proposed changes will look.   The quickest way to help them make their decisions is by showing them photos of similar situations or in many cases, I quickly draw up a rough 3D sketch to illustrate a point. 

In this case, I was working with a client on a kitchen renovation and after the demolition it was determined more support was required for the floor above and new beams needed to be added across the kitchen ceiling.   We didn't have much flexibility in where they could be placed which meant they weren't necessarily going to be equally spaced or centered within the room.  There was no space above the ceiling to install these and the homeowners didn't want to lower the entire ceiling, so,,,, since the beams were going to be visible, we had to decide how to finish them.  

My clients wanted to clad them in antique wood (as the new kitchen cabinets were being custom made from antique hemlock) to create a beamed wood ceiling effect, but I was recommending we just drywall them and paint them out white.  The house itself is a century home but the interior has been renovated in a very pared back modern style with lots of vintage mid-century modern furniture.  The house throughout is white with old wood floors.  The new kitchen design was what i would call a modern-industrial style, a combination of wood, concrete and stainless steel with simple clean lines.   

My suggestion on how to treat the new beams was to just ignore them.  The best way to not draw attention to something - is to make it blend in.  They weren't completely convinced and thought it might be a good opportunity to add more interest to the kitchen by making the beams a feature.    So I did these sketches to illustrate how the contrast of the wood on the ceiling would look.

The view from the hallway as you enter the kitchen.

As these sketches illustrate, cladding the beams in wood does two things - it creates high contrast with the white ceiling, and visually it brings the ceiling down.    In my opinion, this detracts from the impact of the understated, cabinetry free wall we had intentionally planned.

View  from the Dining Room

The view from the dining room is a good example of how the wood beams make the ceiling appear lower.  Often people will angst over obstacles like this and worry and stress about how to deal with it, and its easy to waste a lot of time and effort trying to recreate the wheel in attempts to disguise it or over-design it.  

When I'm faced with these obstacles, I deal with them in one of two ways:

 1. Make a feature out of it.  Only do this if you can integrate this into the overall design so it looks like it was always planned to be there, it should enhance the rooms design concept not detract from it.  The size, the placement, the way its finished should not look out of place with all the other elements in the room.

2. Understate it, make it blend in, make it disappear.  It may not be perfect, but it is holding the roof up,, providing you heat or  supplying you with water so its better than not having it at all!  If you look closely at magazine photos in your piles of inspiration rooms, you can spot obstacles treated like this in most rooms if you look for them, but because the room is so fabulous you never even notice it. 

On this project the final decision was made to understate the beams by painting them out the same as the ceiling.  As I promised them, in the end, when the kitchen was all complete they would blend in, become unaware of them and wonder why they were ever concerned about them in the first place.  I'll post more drawings and photos of this incredible kitchen reno in future posts...

Outdoor Lounging - A Modern Classic

When I think of the perfect outdoor lounge chair, two images come to mind. One is the traditional and classic Muskoka Chair (more on that in the next post) and the other, is the iconic modern Butterfly chair, also known as, the BKF Chair, or the Hardoy Chair.

The Butterfly chair is a favorite of mine because of its sculptural lines, its affordability, its flexibility, it can be used both indoors or out,,,,and folds up or stacks for easy storage, and the covers can be easily replaced or changed. With its steel frame and hammock like seat it evokes a relaxed mid-century style - this chair will instantly add a hip modern edge to any setting. I prefer it used in either simple modern, or simple rustic settings.

In 1937, Antonio Bonet, Juan Kurchan and Jorge Ferrari-Hardoy apprenticed under architect/designer Le Corbusier in Paris; the following year they invented the "BKF" or butterfly chair. In 1941, MoMA design director Edgar Kaufmann Jr. brought the first two chairs to the United States. One chair went to the museum, the other to Fallingwater, his home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Most people associate this retro cool looking chair with the 50's when it was being mass produced, its hard to believe it was actually designed in the 30's and first used in North America in a Frank Lloyd Wright house.

The chair was originally mass-produced by Artek-Pascoe. In 1947 Knoll acquired US production rights of the Hardoy butterfly chair, bringing international notice and commercial success to the design. Unlicensed knock-offs and the loss of a Knoll copyright suit have made this one of the most copied chairs of modern design and it became one of the most widely copied chairs in existence. After losing their claim of copyright infringement, Knoll dropped the chair from its line in 1951.

In 1997 Circa50 resumed mass-production of the chair to the exact dimensions of the Knoll version. Their frames are solid steel and do not fold or disassemble. Both black and stainless steel frames are historically correct, while stainless steel offers additional benefits: stacks for easy storage; contains 75% recycled steel and is totally recyclable; does not corrode or rust as easily as ordinary steel. An estimated 5 million of these chairs were produced during the 1950's by numerous manufacturers under various name and all varying in size. Circa50 makes covers for any size. Today, the canvas covers in use at Fallingwater are made by Circa50.

Steel Frame and cowhide cover by Circa50.

Folding frame and leather cover by Urban Outfitters.

Butterfly chair shown both inside Frank Lloyd Wrights Fallingwater house, and outside (below).

The ultra chic Parker Palm Springs hotel.

The Starlux Hotel, NJ.

The butterfly chair in a bamboo garden.

I owned a house last summer that I was renovating, we actually didn't do any new work to the backyard but it had a big huge beautiful tree and large level deck. I brought over a couple of my butterfly chairs and set them up under the tree and we sat and had lunch or coffee there almost every day. We often received comments on how great the backyard looked,,it was quite a mess actually but I think the chairs alone just brought a whole new modern vibe to the setting. (this picture was taken during a freaky summer hail storm)

Used indoors as often as outdoors. This image and more of this home can be seen at Dwell magazine.

The mesh version in all black seen in Elle Decor.

Today the Butterfly chair is part of these permanent collections; MoMA, Fallingwater, Knoll Museum, Vitra Design Museum.

Photos: Canadian House & Home, Knoll, Knoll, Circa50, Urban Outfitters, Flickr, Parker Palm Springs Hotel, Starlux Hotel, Flickr, Carol Reed, Dwell, Elle Decor, Living Etc., Country and Modern by Dinah Hall, Style at Home May 2008

My Condo Renovation

Master Bedroom

The first time I had an opportunity to design a home for myself was about 6 years ago. My boyfriend and I were buying our first place together and we decided to look for something we could renovate and redesign to our own specs. We found a 1980's condo on the waterfront with panoramic lake views and just 10 minutes to downtown, in original condition and ready for a complete gut. It wasn't my dream home, nor did I even design it in a style that reflects what I would want in my dream home, but it was somewhere we only intended on living for 2 or 3 years (which turned into 4). I designed it in a style that I felt suited the condo and would be appealing to buyers when it came time to sell. Although these photos are a good example of my work, they don't necessarily reflect my true personal style. Condo living doesn't appeal to me (i need outdoor space), have a passion for simple country antiques, vintage finds and traditional architectural detailing. So buying this condo also meant we had to rent a storage unit across the street to store our oversized rustic pieces and my ever growing collection of 'great finds'.

New Open Concept Kitchen

The existing kitchen was a completely enclosed tiny U shape room, we knocked down all the walls opening it up to the lake views. The new 9 foot long island had a poured on-site concrete counter top and the back counter was stainless steel with an integrated oversize single sink. The backsplash was back painted glass that just glowed a watery blue/green colour.

Living Area

The open concept living and dining area had floor to ceiling windows and almost no wall space. The furniture was kept low to not obstruct the view. The draperies added vertical dimension and texture to the space and helped warm up the expanse of bare windows at night.

Dining Area

During the day the condo was flooded with direct sunlight so in additon to lined drapery panels, I had Hunter Douglas solar shades installed on all the windows. This helped control the temperature and protect fabrics and wood from fading. (The photo above was taken at about 10 in the morning.) It wasn't possible to install a junction box in the concrete ceiling to hang a light fixture over the dining table so i opted for a high arched floor lamp. It also swiveled so it offerred us the added bonus of being able to swing it over the coffee table in the living room if we wanted. I custom designed the dining chairs and the dining table was a freebie, a cast-off '80's meeting table from my old office, headed for the dumpster but i thought it had great lines and I loved the walnut veneer. I hauled it home just in time for our first Christmas dinner in our newly reno'd condo. I added a larger glass top to it and it comfortably seats 6, we've squeezed 8. I can't tell you how many inquiries I've had about this table and offers to purchase it. In fact its the most standard plain office meeting table there is, the style is commonly referred to as a drum table but i've always admired it for its simple lines. It pairs well with all chair styles, i often use the modern Bruno chairs or Eames side chairs with this style table.

Living/Dining Room Evening Shot

A view of the living and dining area at night, my favorite time. Large expanses of window with water views become large black walls at night, without the drapery panels the windows would look very cold and bare especially in winter.

The Views.....

The condo had floor to ceiling windows that wrapped around the perimeter of the unit, and faced south overlooking the lake and marina below. To the far right we could see the corner of one other building, which happens to be what I think is one of the most beautiful condo buildings in the city and provided a stunning architectural view.

The purchase and closing was quick, giving me only about 3 weeks to complete the design drawings and co-ordinate the start of constuction. Demolition was extensive, we removed absolutely everything, including the stippled ceilings, taking the entire unit back to the bare concrete. In a matter of a few weeks I had designed everything including 2 washrooms with custom vanities, the new open concept kitchen with custom shelving, counters and backsplash and even custom doors, casings and baseboards throughout. The entire renovation took 4 months to complete....... but the furnishing of the unit took another 2 years!

In upcoming posts I'll show more before and afters photos along with some of my design sketches and also write about what it was like having the condo featured in Canadian House & Home!

All photos above by Carol Reed