Lona Design

Katherine Newman founded her Toronto-based company Katherine Newman Design, and has a very interesting approach. She will only decorate a home that is jointly built by her partner Peter Cebulak, an architectural designer and builder. Her style is quite stately and far from my taste but I found the following photos to be beautiful nonetheless.

Photos courtesy of Architectural Digest

Through her design endeavours also came about Lona Design, a line of furniture designed by Katherine and Peter that is inspired by 18th century English furniture, oriental pieces, shaker style, and French and Danish furniture of the 30's and 40's. So elegantly understated and sophisticated. Now this is more like it!

Margaret Mulligan

Margaret Mulligan is a photographer from Toronto. I adore her portfolio because so many of her photos are taken in such bright light. It almost doesn't matter what's in the spaces - the lighting is so beautiful. And of course, there's a couple of cat photos I fell in love with and had to include.

Johnson and McLeod Design Consultants

Ian McLeod and Kerry Johnson are two guys with a fabulous sense of style and a great partnership. Together they form Johnson and McLeod Design Consultants, based in Vancouver. They emphasize clean-lines and comfort, and while their designs are pretty simple, they are timeless in the same breath. I love their portfolio because it's comprised of spaces you would find in an average home, and because their designs are not fussy, I can see myself living in each one of these rooms.

II BY IV

II BY IV Design Associates is a Toronto-based interior design firm that was created in 1990 by two amazing designers, Dan Menchions and Keith Rushbrook. They've designed a variety of spaces, from a café in the CN Tower, "The Beer Store", to an office for IBM. Thankfully they also excel at residential interiors, and can easily design a room in all black, or all cream, or even a bold orange. In the end, their spaces are modern but exude warmth and a sense of grandeur.

Luce et Studio

Luce et Studio was the brainchild of Canadian architect Jennifer Luce and was established in 1990 in San Diego. "The studio focuses on innovative responses to design and architectural challenges at all scales. Passionate about research, new technologies, materials and a strong philosophy about art in architecture, the work defies classification and explores innovation." Internationally recognized and awarded for incredible modern design.