We independently select everything we recommend.
asserted
we → select → everything
Buying through us may earn us a commission, which supports our work.
uncertain
which → buy → work
Most of us sift through paint swatches to pick a colour for the walls — Daniella Dolman dipped into her client’s make-up bag, instead.
asserted
Dolman → sift → bag
“I noticed she wore a shade of dusty pink lipstick,” recalls Dolman, the designer and creative director of Oakville-based FOR Design as well as the furniture stores, FOR Living, with shops in both Oakville and Guelph.
asserted
Dolman → notice → Oakville
“We ended up using that berry colour (Dutch Cocoa by Sherwin-Williams, to be specific) in the dining room and powder room,” she says.
asserted
she → end → room
Dolman’s client’s clothing in autumnal browns and muddy greens was another source of inspiration for the walls and furnishings in this Hamilton home, giving it a warm and toasty feel.
The 2,500-square-foot, Tudor-style dwelling was built in the 1950s or ’60s estimates Adam Matak, the artist and high school teacher who lives here with his (private) educator wife and young sons.
asserted
who → give → wife
The family were in the house for seven years before embarking on a renovation.
asserted
family → embark → renovation
“That really revealed our needs,” says Matak.
asserted
Matak → reveal → needs
“We knew how our family moved through the space.”
asserted
family → know → space
As the coats piled up at the door, and the toys colonized the home, space became scarce.
asserted
space → pile → home
odd transitions between rooms on the main floor needed to be addressed, he says.
asserted
he → need → floor
“The goal was to unify all the rooms,” he notes.
asserted
he → unify → rooms
As it was, the kitchen felt narrow, which just didn’t cut it for this family that love to cook.
asserted
that → feel → family
“I like to get to know who they are, their history, where they travel,” says Dolman about how she tackles a project.
asserted
she → like → project
“They taught overseas in Norway and really were inspired by Northern Europe.
asserted
They → teach → Europe
So we introduced a Scandinavian language throughout the millwork.
asserted
we → introduce → millwork
To that end, “everything is clean-lined and has a certain simplicity,” says Dolman of the project completed alongside the contractor, Parks Design Group.
asserted
Dolman → line → contractor
As an example, she points out the flat-panel kitchen cabinetry by The Wood Work, with its integrated pulls that exude quietude.
asserted
that → point → quietude
Curves were also introduced to soften the space appearing as tapered ends in the showstopping, two-tone kitchen.
asserted
Curves → introduce → kitchen
The hood vent is also rounded as is the base of the banquette, as well as the table and chairs in the dining room.
asserted
base → round → room
Even the walls above the fireplace have contoured sides.
asserted
walls → contour → sides
In the Bland Before Times, the main floor was bathed in grey and white, with dismal dark wood floors (they’re now white oak).
asserted
they → bath → floors
The peninsula-style kitchen impeded the flow, and there was nothing special about the basic traditional cupboards.
asserted
kitchen → impede → cupboards
“[The wife] told me, ‘We have to make this kitchen bigger!
asserted
kitchen → tell → me
We need this to be more of a workhorse for me and my busy family,’” says Dolman.
asserted
Dolman → need → me
The galley-style replacement — a solution that opened up space — features toffee-toned lowers and uppers the colour of clotted cream.
asserted
that → open → cream
Dolman likes the natural grain of the walnut wood and the interplay between dark and light, which gives the kitchen a sophisticated edge.
asserted
which → like → edge
And rather than a busy backsplash, a neat strip of tile trails along the quartz countertop; for cohesion that same creamy tile clads the hood vent, too.
asserted
tile → clad → vent
And at the banquette, installed for casual meals, Dolman dialled up the drama with a marble table that has two huge columns for legs, proving that minimalism need not be boring.
asserted
minimalism → instal → legs
“Seeing too many legs on a chair feels busy,” says Dolman.
asserted
Dolman → see → chair
(The bouclé, barrel-style babes here appear as fluid forms.)
asserted
babes → appear → forms
Once chaotic, peace now pervades thanks to the bench-seat, walnut combo.
asserted
peace → pervade → combo
“We created this amazing storage solution for the kids’ coats and shoes and there’s also a seating area,” says Dolman.
asserted
Dolman → create → coats
“Both my wife and I are very visual people, and clutter wears on us,” adds Matak.
asserted
Matak → wear → us
(“Strangely I’m depicting a lot of that accumulation in my current artworks.”
asserted
I → depict → artworks
It’s a joy to come home to a calm, organized space.
asserted
It → ’ → space
And it resonates personally, says Matak.
asserted
Matak → resonate → ?
“Because previous renos were made by someone else, the house feels like ours now.
asserted
house → make → ours
It feels like home.”
asserted
It → feel → home
The Aporia
