We get to see the results of designers’ hard work to get their customers on , but we do not often get to peek into their own houses. For interior designer Shirley Meisels, her house is a manifestation of her family’s lifestyle and ranges, and it also functions as a design lab where she could experiment with ideas and test goods and substances.
“Through the years I have had the chance to collect several objects and furnishings that I love — since that has happened over time, my home has an eclectic, almost ‘casual,’ sense,” she says. In her job she strives to give her customers’ homes that same casual however pulled-together, collected-over-time appearance.
Meisels and her mixed family went into this hundred-year-old Edwardian house in Toronto in early 2013. They chose it because it had been the perfect size, it was structurally sound and it had a wonderful flow. It just needed a facelift, which she pushed hard to complete in six weeks. Here is how this self-confessed “clutter nut” has chicly coordinated and designed the house for family.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Shirley Meisels and her blended family: her husband and his two kids, ages 9 and 11, along with her daughter, 10.
Location: Midtown Toronto
Size: 2,850 square feet; 4 bedrooms plus office, 4 bathrooms
Photography by Stephani Buchman
Shirley Meisels
“We love the flow of the house and it has the perfect quantity of space once we are all collectively, enough to sense spacious although not vast. I despise the notion of heating rooms that no one uses,” Meisels says.
She gets the space work with a place for all. From the entryway she insists upon a designated location to drop bags, keys, mail, coats and shoes. A custom apparel by Mhouse functions as a coat cupboard.
“In the exact same time I like some kind of dramatic design detail that will wow guests since they input — in this instance the oversized mirror really has impact,” she says. A Sputnik chandelier foreshadows more retro design moves in the remainder of the house.
Console table: Ikea; rug: Elte
Before Photo
The home originally had transitional design, with yellow walls and oak trim. Meisels painted everything with Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace, with washable flat on the walls and lace finish on the cut.
As well as all that painting, renovations included replacing all the flooring, cutting on a window and sidelights into the front door, adding air conditioning, renovating the powder room, replacing radiators, completing a master bath that was roughed in, working around the kitchen (much more about this later), adding built-ins and reconfiguring cabinets. Later on the few dug down and ended the basement, which required another six weeks.
AFTER: Throughout the entryway a glance of a wall mural by Lulie Wallace brings you into the house. “I thought that would be a fun corner to add a pop of color and layout without overpowering the hallway,” Meisels says.
Before Photo
Only off the entryway, the living room features a beautiful bay window and fireplace. This is the old furniture and rug setup.
AFTER: The bay window inspired the circular rug, allowing for a casual furniture design and generates an intimate conversation area. The couple uses the space when they have friends over, and the kids like to watch TV in here while they wait for dinner. After dinner they often visit the basement for movies and video games; it is a bigger playspace.
Flooring: Baltic oak, rustic grey; table: classic; rug, lamp: EQ3; sofa: custom through Mhouse, bowl: Crate & Barrel
Shirley Meisels
Meisels painted the previously yellow fireplace surround white and replaced with the hearth with a marble mosaic and black marble edge.
“I adore vintage pottery because of its colour, shape and texture,” she says. “In former houses the collection was scattered, but I grouped them all together for large impact and a focal point the instant you walk in.”
Shirley Meisels
The room includes a balanced mixture of classic, new and midcentury modern pieces. By way of example, an iconic Saarinen Executive Chair was re-covered at a picture chevron cloth from Schumacher.
Window remedies: custom through Mhouse
Shirley Meisels
“I like mixing metals — as long as there is an equal balance between all, they could work together,” Meisels says. Here she mixed chrome and brass.
The 3-D classic art piece is an embroidered horse made out of horsehair (who’s missing his tail because he’s made out of it ; Meisels enjoys displaying a little bit of dark humor also).
Shirley Meisels
“Color only makes me happy,” she says. “By incorporating pops of colour in strategic areas, it can be really easy to live with without being an overwhelming commitment.” Pillows and ombré window treatments include the right dose of electric yellow to the living space.
“I liked the way this lamp features a quirky organic feeling to it, reminiscent of branches, along with the gold adds a hint of glam,” she says.
Lamp: HomeSense; toss pillow: Crate & Barrel; Platner Chair: Knoll
The living room opens to the dining room, which has a glamorous retro vibe.
Tip: Take inspiration for an entire room from one piece. A favorite 5- by 7-foot painting set the tone for the remainder of this room, which is mostly white and black; the only other colours come in throughout the wood and chrome.
Chairs: CB2; artwork: Jason Schwartz; light fixture: classic
Before Photo
Kitchen renovations comprised refacing these old cabinets with walnut doors and eliminating the upper cabinets, adding a new backsplash and installing a new eating counter/desk in the rear window.
Shirley Meisels
AFTER: “The kitchen looked as though it had doubled in size after shooting down the upper cupboards,” Meisels says.
With open shelving, Meisels recommends storing a matching pair of dishes to make the appearance more uniform. Notice how lovely and arty the white china appears against the white tile and shelves here.
Tip: “The best tip for kitchen storage is to keep what you use near at hand. The remainder has to be purged,” Meisels says. “Things that are a must but difficult to shop, I maintain the basement — for example, that superhuge inventory pot only used a couple of times per year.”
A new corner breakfast counter tops the garden. “There was enough space left over to add a comfy seat — the very best chair in the house!” Meisels says. The Womb Chair and Ottoman make for a great spot where someone can continue to keep the cook provider and revel in a morning coffee.
Tip: To cut down on clutter, have a place for all. “I believe that if there is a simple and reasonable spot for all, then the clutter can be included,” Meisels says. The counter has three drawers inside, one for each child’s drawings and other things. “When they begin to overflow, then kid is responsible for cleaning it out and just keeping what’s important to them,” Meisels says. “I tried to find practical answers like this so that everybody can feel comfortable and at home … and that I could keep my sanity!”
Side table: CB2; pendant: Universal Lighting; floor lamp: custom through Mhouse
Shirley Meisels
An oval tile backsplash contrasts with each the crisp lines and is a nod to Meisel’s love of retro design.
Counters: Ceasarstone; range: Thermador; port hood: Vent-A-Hood
From the powder room, a huge marble slab framed with black paint on every side functions as a tasteful backsplash.
Tip: A floating sink makes a sense of more space in a small room. This one has a built-in rack to get a towel.
Paint: Black, Benjamin Moore; dressing table: Duravit; mirror: custom through Mhouse; sconces: Universal Lighting
Shirley Meisels
A long, narrow room upstairs functions as Meisels’ office, complete with a desk to get her and a desk for the helper. A USM Haller Credenza provides her a place to store files and samples arranged and out of sight. Additionally, it adds a bold dollop of yellow.
Shades: Hunter Douglas; seat, table: classic; pendant: West Elm; table lamp: foundation by Restoration Hardware, color through Mhouse
Shirley Meisels
Sloped ceilings dictated some of the furniture design in the third-floor master suite, and make things cozy.
Tip: For easy mixing, go monochromatic. “The trick is not to bother about matching,” Meisels advises. “Creams and white, grays and beige … being a bit off is a good thing.” She also urges varying textures inside the monochromatic scheme.
Bench: classic; zebra cushions: custom through Mhouse; wallpaper: Elitis
Shirley Meisels
Meisels had benches from Target upholstered in Missoni fabric. She match a rack for hanging clothes under the sloping ceiling and shops shoes and folded clothes at the tall dresser and mirrored cupboards.
Cabinets, dresser: Ikea
Shirley Meisels
The master bathroom was roughed in today, leaving a clean slate for Meisels’ design ideas. The sloped ceiling introduced some design challenges. “At first the room seemed so huge, until I realized half of it had been unusable for anything else besides a tub,” she says. “In the end I am very happy with it — the sloped roof highlights the clean lines of this tub.”
Shirley Meisels
Dimensions: Mettro; bench: Roman Bath; dressing table: Mhouse; mirrors: Maxx; sconce: Jonathan Adler
Shirley Meisels
A dressing table on legs helps make the space look bigger; recessed medicine cabinets offer storage behind the mirrors.
Shirley Meisels
The bedroom’s neutral foundation can evolve and develop Meisels’ stepdaughter. The room gets pops of colour from the bedding and also added glamour from the mirrored nightstand.
Bedding: Ikea; artwork: Lulie Wallace; lamp: classic; nightstand: Goal
Shirley Meisels
Meisels’ stepson’s room does not have a cupboard, so she made lots of storage by flanking the bed with cabinets from Ikea. The shelves are custom and give the whole wall a built in appearance; they also function as a nightstand.
Blanket: CB2; enthusiast: Universal Lighting; paint: Black, Benjamin Moore
Shirley Meisels
A mixture of bold designs enlivens Meisels’ daughter’s space. “Kids’ rooms are a great spot to throw caution to the wind and only mix what you love,” she says. “Though the routines are disparate, they are graphic and simple — that makes them wed together in a cohesive manner.”
Bed, nightstands: custom through Mhouse; bedding: Urban Outfitters; wallpaper: Orla Keily
Shirley Meisels
Both girls have this same vignette in their chambers: a comfortable occasional chair, a mirror and a tulip side table.
Mirror: CB2; seat cloth: Robert Allen; lampshade: Liberty of London; center pillow: John Lewis