By Laura Malloy
HOME AND DÉCOR CAUGHT UP WITH ANNE HEPFER of Anne Hepfer Designs Inc. to see what it took to create the luxurious rooms featured in Spectacular Homes of Toronto. Supported by a dedicated team of project managers and administrative assistants, Hepfer manages high-end residential projects in California, Florida, Greenwich, New York City and Toronto.
What’s the process you go through to marry your vision with a client’s personality? Our goal is to bring out the best in every client’s personal style. Our client’s homes should look like their homes and reflect their lifestyles. It’s our job to make every project functional and comfortable, marrying architecture with interior design elements. We work in many styles and try to bring out the best in our client’s innate tastes. Frequently we urge the client to step out of their comfort zone to take risks and add elements of surprise, which makes the space unique and in doing so, fun for the client.
Where did you draw inspiration from when decorating this home? I’m inspired by nature, art, fashion and architecture. Also, I dream in colour and some of my best ideas come to me in the middle of the night, so I sleep with a notebook beside my bed.
“We urge the client to step out of their comfort zone to take risks
and add elements of surprise, which makes the space unique and
in doing so, fun for the client”
What challenges did the home present and how did you solve them? The challenges were strictly cosmetic. We had to strip wallpaper out of many rooms to repaint, and the home was lacking light fixtures, so we installed many sconces and chandeliers. This house has great bones, wonderfully scaled rooms, good flow and high, elegant ceilings, doors and windows. So really, the job was just about chic and timeless décor.
If you could sum up this design project in three words, what would they be? If you make a space chic, classic and comfortable, it will forever be timeless.
What are your favourite elements you love to include in each project? (example: luxury fabric, vintage art, etc.) For every room, we design at least one custom, one-of-a-kind element, whether it’s a hand-finished wall treatment, a French 40s style console, a shagreen inlayed coffee table, a beautiful shaped tufted headboard, or a glamorous deco-inspired mirrored screen. It’s the element of surprise and custom details that make a space special, interesting and unique. The less predictable, the more fun! Not one of our projects looks the same – we don’t replicate because every client is different.
Photos courtesy of Michael Graydon featured in Spectacular Homes of Toronto by Panache Partners
April 14, 2010
by Lydia Dumyn
Working from home requires discipline – not only to get the job done, but to create a balance between living and working.
As a graduate from the International Academy of Design & Technology, with six years in practice, Stephani Turner launched Stephani Turner Interiors and she’s got her work cut out for her. Off to a great start, Stephani redesigned her own home and office space – a loft in a converted factory located just west of downtown Toronto.
The building was originally constructed in 1903 and 101 years later, it was transformed into a residence. Stephani’s 665-sq.-ft. loft boasts an open-concept floor plan and high 13-ft. ceilings – plenty of room to let her creativity soar, and the perfect place to live, work and enjoy the fruits of her labour.
“It’s easy to be creative and inspired in such a fabulous environment.
“I decided a live-work space would be ideal for me since this space is conducive to my working lifestyle,” says Stephani. With a non-existent commute, and easy access to the cool shops and showrooms of downtown Toronto, this designer has found her hotspot. “In this business, one day’s schedule is totally different from the next, so working from home gives me the flexibility to work most efficiently.”
Stephani’s biggest challenge was the open-concept nature of the space, and deciding on a cohesive and comfortable look that would marry the living and working components. “I needed the office to be functional but also clean and uncluttered, so at the end of the day I can relax in a living space that doesn’t feel like an office environment.”
The secret to Stephani’s success? Creative storage solutions for office items that would easily blend into a living space with style.
“My design philosophy is that a space must always be functional, livable and inspiring. No matter what the design of a space may be, my goal is always to make my clients feel they are in a space that they love and are proud to call ‘home’.”
• Stephani had a large filing cabinet custom-made for the end of her sectional sofa, which acts as a side table while doubling as storage for her files and catalogs.
• In the wall-hung units below her television, Stephani stores her samples and catalogs.
• To take advantage of the 13-ft. high ceilings and optimize unused areas above, Stephani introduced a pair of large hanging wicker baskets. “They are installed on a pulley system that allows me to put as much in them as I need to without worrying about weight,” she explains. “The beauty of these is that they disappear up high and out of sight, but can be accessed instantly if I need something.”
• A few summers ago Stephani found a cool tree stump that had washed up onto a beach. She transformed it into a funky side table.
• Stephani’s favourite piece is the large sectional sofa which seats six comfortably. The raw linen fabric is durable and practical, making this a great piece for entertaining or curling up and watching TV.
• The coffee table is also a favourite. It’s functional, and because it’s glass it doesn’t take up any space visually, giving the small space an open and airy feeling.Stephani describes her sense of style as sophisticated and cool, yet very casual, relaxed and most importantly, livable. “I like combining neutral, modern pieces with interesting textures and elements from nature to add some rawness. I also like adding Moroccan or Indian touches to add an eclecticism and a sense of history to the space.”
Photos by Luke Tyszkiewicz www.lucasimages.ca
363 Sorauren Ave.
Suite 313, Toronto
T. 416.897.8999
E. stephaniturner@rogers.com
April 13, 2010
