DALE_pied-à-terre
"An interior that is nothing short of tour-de-force"
_Dierdre Kelly, The Globe and Mail
This former horse stable, from circa 1920 in the heart of Toronto’s Rosedale neighbourhood, was converted by SOMA Studio for an international businessman. The mandate from the client was to make a pied-à-terre in the city, a place to entertain and relax from his hectic business travel schedule. A house to rival the international boutique hotels the client was living in on his travels.
Andrew Fee and Linda Corbett began the design-build by first reconfiguring the entire floor plan of the existing space. Its small footprint - 500 square feet on each of three levels (one bedroom and two bathrooms), now has an airy feel due to a connecting, glass-panelled floating staircase, which hangs on a wall faced in Owen Sound limestone.
Dale has all the amenities without giving up its warmth. Natural materials like linen, wood, stone, and leather, white oak built-ins plus two wood-burning fireplaces give this residence a tactile feeling of easy style and comfort. Custom furniture is by Andrew Fee for SOMA Studio.
PORTFOLIO
Wood burning STUV fireplace with St. Laurent marble and textured wood surround. Rift cut white oak built-ins and wine cabinet. Salvaged pine barn board ceiling.
Wood burning STUV fireplace with St. Laurent marble and textured wood surround. Rift cut white oak built-ins and wine cabinet. Salvaged pine barn board ceiling.
Rift cut oak built-ins and bar.
Rift cut oak built-ins and bar.
Custom white oak lift-up tv cabinet.
Custom white oak lift-up tv cabinet.
Engineered steel brackets absorb the movement of the floating staircase.
Engineered steel brackets absorb the movement of the floating staircase.
The floating staircase with hand-cut and wrapped leather handrail.
The floating staircase with hand-cut and wrapped leather handrail.
Detail of handrail.
Detail of handrail.
Detail of the floating staircase.
Detail of the floating staircase.
The white oak staircase with hand-cut and wrapped leather railing floats through 3 levels, silhouetted against a wall of split-faced Owen Sound limestone. Dressed limestone window surround and oak SOMA, "Graham Credenza" with saddle leather handles.
The white oak staircase with hand-cut and wrapped leather railing floats through 3 levels, silhouetted against a wall of split-faced Owen Sound limestone. Dressed limestone window surround and oak SOMA, "Graham Credenza" with saddle leather handles.
White oak SOMA, "Graham Credenza" with walnut feet and saddle leather handles.
White oak SOMA, "Graham Credenza" with walnut feet and saddle leather handles.
Detail.
Detail.
Seating area with custom leather and fabric chairs and steel and glass SOMA, "Marcel Table".
Seating area with custom leather and fabric chairs and steel and glass SOMA, "Marcel Table".
The SOMA, "Onyx Desk" was designed to fit the space in front of a south-facing window where the light enhances the luminous quality of the stone. The hand-forged frame and handles are of bronze coated steel. The drawers are bleached zebra-wood.
The SOMA, "Onyx Desk" was designed to fit the space in front of a south-facing window where the light enhances the luminous quality of the stone. The hand-forged frame and handles are of bronze coated steel. The drawers are bleached zebra-wood.
Detail of the SOMA, "Onyx Desk" by Andrew Fee.
Detail of the SOMA, "Onyx Desk" by Andrew Fee.
Detail of hand-forged steel frame and handles, zebra-wood drawers
Detail of hand-forged steel frame and handles, zebra-wood drawers
The "Onyx Desk" top made from a single slab of Onyx stone.
The "Onyx Desk" top made from a single slab of Onyx stone.
Wide view of the Primary Bedroom sitting area with Orb fireplace, mauve wool Corbusier sofa, oak and walnut SOMA, "Ring Table" and built-in white oak closets.
Wide view of the Primary Bedroom sitting area with Orb fireplace, mauve wool Corbusier sofa, oak and walnut SOMA, "Ring Table" and built-in white oak closets.
White oak dressing table with Canovas fabric bench.
White oak dressing table with Canovas fabric bench.
Dressing area white oak built-in closets and drawers.
Dressing area white oak built-in closets and drawers.
SOMA, "Jo Dresser" in oil-finished walnut with cast bronze hardware and brown-gold marble top.
SOMA, "Jo Dresser" in oil-finished walnut with cast bronze hardware and brown-gold marble top.
Primary Bedroom with Canovas cut-velvet and linen headboard, white oak bookcase and built-in side tables.
Primary Bedroom with Canovas cut-velvet and linen headboard, white oak bookcase and built-in side tables.
Primary Ensuite Bathroom in walnut and Carrera marble. Stone wall and walnut window surround. Marble tile floor.
Primary Ensuite Bathroom in walnut and Carrera marble. Stone wall and walnut window surround. Marble tile floor.
Primary Ensuite Bathroom in walnut and Carrera marble.
Primary Ensuite Bathroom in walnut and Carrera marble.
Primary Ensuite Bathroom in Carrera marble.
Primary Ensuite Bathroom in Carrera marble.
A seventeen foot walnut dining bar morphs into kitchen cabinets which feature an Aga stove. The French dining stools upholstered in caramel leather provide dining for 8.
A seventeen foot walnut dining bar morphs into kitchen cabinets which feature an Aga stove. The French dining stools upholstered in caramel leather provide dining for 8.
The food preparation area features lower cabinet refrigerators with walnut and Calcutta marble counters. A book-matched Calcutta marble back splash frames the Aga stove. White porcelain trough sink breaks the oil finished walnut counter top.
The food preparation area features lower cabinet refrigerators with walnut and Calcutta marble counters. A book-matched Calcutta marble back splash frames the Aga stove. White porcelain trough sink breaks the oil finished walnut counter top.
Kitchen food preparation area detail features the book-matched marble against the Owen Sound limestone.
Kitchen food preparation area detail features the book-matched marble against the Owen Sound limestone.
A great space designed for cooking and entertaining.
A great space designed for cooking and entertaining.
excerpts from "A high-style hitching post " The Globe and Mail
"Andrew Fee, owner of SOMA Studio, a multidisciplinary design firm in Toronto, transformed the property into an oasis of contemporary living, taking the cue from the client"...while embracing the narrow dimensions of a former stable, he has used those spatial limitations to create an interior that is nothing short of tour-de-force."
"Each floor covers just 500 square feet and to accommodate all that he wanted to do - and this included an upper-level primary bedroom with a floating orb fireplace, an en suite with a sculpted freestanding soaker tub, and a lower-level kitchen /dining room that can, incredibly seat nine at table thanks to Mr. Fee's ergonomic design - he first moved a central staircase that a previous owner had planted smack-dab in the middle of the floor."
"He also removed all walls except two, and installed built-in cabinetry as well as space-saving furniture, most of which he designed himself, to create even more of an illusion of enlarged space. He unified the interior by consistently using such natural materials as rift-cut white oak and split-face Owen Sound stone on all three levels."
Among the home's striking features are handrails designed to fit the new flaoting staircase. They are hand wrapped with natural tan saddle leather. Mr. Fee says he got the wraparound idea from looking at old tennis rackets. "I loved how they used to wrap the handles and so I asked a friend of mine to do it for me." That friend was Kai Kruger, a master saddle maker.
The horse has come home.
"The ultimate bachelor pad"
-Misha Gajewski, blogTO
Built with Shorthand