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Interior designer/builder Isabelle Boba knew her just-purchased
home in Toronto had good bones, but perhaps a few too many.
“There were just too many walls to even count,” Isabelle remembers.
With help from husband, Mariusz, a mechanical engineer, Isabelle
created a home so welcoming “friends invite themselves over.”
A painting of a peacock inspired the dining room’s “majestic” blue
wall colour. Located just to the right of the foyer it offers a relaxing
gathering place for friends and family. “I wanted a room that was not
too formal,” Isabelle comments. The linen fabric on the tufted Parsons’
chairs is elegant and durable. Fashioned from salvaged sustainable
wood the dining table is rustic refined. The chandelier’s soft blue
shimmers accentuate the room’s convivial vivacity. Gold, a theme
throughout the home, is deftly illustrated in the accessories.
Leading from the foyer the oak wood floor found throughout the
home gracefully draws visitors to the kitchen. An opulent vignette of
a demi lune maple table is complemented by a shadow box’s wafting
feathers. A sculpted dish restates the arcs of the feathers, table, and
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the wallpaper’s light gold mesh. For the home’s artwork Mariusz asked
Isabelle to ensure “It had meaning.” Both the feathers and the peacock
are symbols of love, Isabelle notes.
A study in understated cool whites and marble the kitchen faces
the vignette. “I couldn’t live in a home again without an island. It’s the
centre of the house,” Isabelle says. The herringb oned backsplash uses
Bianco Carrara marble, as does the island. There is a grand view of
the breakfast area, living room, and backyard from the kitchen. White
moulding brings bright light and height to these rooms.
The breakfast table paraphrases the dining room’s theme of a dark
wood table, linen covered chairs, and gold. The gleam of the chairs’
‘jewellery’ is replicated in the chandelier and gilt bowl.
In the living room the peacock coloured couch provides a
glamourous roost while providing a bold boost to the room’s
patterns. With a nod to Art Deco patterns, the wood bordered tub
chairs combine the room’s leading colours of gold and white. The