Russell Hill

Location: Ontario
Type: Residential
Year: 2023
Sq. Footage: 9,000

For this historic Toronto home, Wearstler brings a fresh spirit to its old soul, balancing the clients’ earthy, Bauhaus-inspired sensibility with a sense of warmth, expressiveness, and quiet sophistication. Vintage finds mingle with new commissions from artists, artisans, and dealers, creating an expressive collection of sculptural objects, rich materials, and tactile forms. Custom interventions add another layer of personality, resulting in a home that feels at once modern, soulful, and deeply individual.

Throughout the home, autumn colors were introduced to counterbalance the severity of the concrete. The sitting room connects to an expansive, elliptical courtyard. Above the fireplace is a painting by Zhu Jinshi, and the coffee tables are by Vincenzo de Cotiis. In front of the Cubist-like portrait by George Condo are a pair of black Kayak armchairs by Eric Schmitt. The grid-like side table is by Sung Jang.

The kitchen is animated by a richly patterned tile treatment, bringing color, movement, and a tactile quality to the heart of the home. In the adjoining breakfast area, eight vintage 1970s Ettore Sottsass armchairs for Poltronova were restored and reupholstered in a blue onyx linen-and-wool textile, while a bespoke ebonized poplar bench by Jörg Pietschmann adds a sculptural counterpoint. The dining room continues the dialogue between eras with vintage postmodern chairs by Belgo Chrom, refinished and reupholstered in Wearstler’s Sereno Stripe fabric. Overhead, a circa-1955 Stilnovo pendant in brass and black lacquered metal brings a strong mid-century geometry, complemented by Brian Thoreen’s contemporary Ribbon sconces in silicone rubber and burnished brass.

The primary suite takes on a quieter, more tactile character, pairing custom furnishings with sculptural forms and expressive materials. Walnut Maelstrom nightstands by Caleb Woodard and a custom chest by Patrick Schols sit alongside a burnished-metal lounge chair by Jordan Mozer and Ayala Serfaty’s handmade Rapa footstool. Throughout the bedrooms, vintage and contemporary pieces continue the home’s warm, collected sensibility.

The bar den takes on a richer, more intimate character, anchored by a handcrafted walnut sideboard by Giuseppe Rivadossi and a generous Flexform Grandemare sofa. Around the dining and game table, six vintage De Sede chairs by Nienkämper were refinished and reupholstered in a cream textural fabric, giving the mid-century forms a softer expression. A polished crystal and iron Loukoum lamp by Christophe Côme adds a jewel-like note, while a hand-knotted pink Moroccan rug introduces color underfoot.