My Impression of the CHEO Dream Home

Every October, I look forward to visiting the CHEO dream home to see what the designers have come up with.  I walk through the rooms to get inspired and see what the ‘trends’ are for the year.  I also love watching other people walk through the house as if they already ‘own’ it.  Some of them are pretty darn cute, taking ownership of ‘their’ bedroom etc.  I hear what they like and what they don’t like.  It’s quite fascinating.

Black, White and Gold

When I visited the Elte Showroom in Toronto last Spring, this was definitely the same look – lots of matte black and matte gold accessories in lamps, chandeliers, hardware, faucets etc.  I think most of the furnishings in this house were from Living Lighting, La-Z-Boy and the accessories were provided by KISS Design Group.

Sculptural statues on coffee tables and dressers are a quick way to keep up with the trends.

Hardware and Faucet

The designers definitely kept everything consistent throughout the entire house.  All the hardware on the doors were matte black including their faucets. Little hits of black were carried into the floor tiling as well.

Incorporating the blond wood on the floor and the upper cabinetry prevented the house from feeling too cold.

I loved how they balanced all the wood with the industrial look.

I really did like all the modern panelled doors throughout the house.

Even the tub had the same feel with the charcoal free standing tub and gold towel bars. Mixing the metals is definitely here to stay since it’s so appealing and versatile.  The full walk-through shower felt more like a car wash 🙂

Lighting

Lighting is no longer just functional, it’s also sculptural and a piece of art that makes a statement. One thing that I’ve noticed, not only in the dream home but also in higher end lighting stores, is the LED rope lighting within lights or within the ceilings.

This light fixture makes a bold statement over the master bed.  It really stands out with the black wallpaper behind it and the LED lighting in the ceiling.

These pendants had much more impact when grouped in 3 since it was such a large staircase.  Notice the white paneled walls.  The texture keeps it interesting.

This foyer light fixture really sets the tone as soon as you walk in. Notice the details of custom curved medallion in the ceiling. It mirrored the thickness of the crown moulding.

Even the floor lamps carried the matte black and gold theme.

This floor lamp with a shade made out of black chains gives just the right amount of ‘edginess’ for the room.

Wow Factor

The ‘wow’ factor in this house for me was definitely the spiral staircase.  It was bold with the contrast of the blond flooring and the matte black metal posts with the contrast of the white panelled wall behind.

I loved how you could see the top level of the house right down to the basement.  Such a unqiue architectural detail.

As much as I LOVED the look of the staircase, I kept thinking ‘oh, this would not be good for little children or pets.  I kept envisioning toys being thrown through the open spaces (or even worse).

Graphic Wall Paper

If you want to update your house you might want to try wallpapering a single focal wall in a bedroom to see how you like it.

Dark backgrounds with metallic graphics are sure to add drama to any room.

Don’t be afraid of mixing patterns especially when they are in the same colour palette. This wall paper is reversed from the above wallpaper in the sense that the background is light with a darker pattern.

Same wall paper but completely different look.  This just goes to prove how versatile these wallpapers are.

Haute Couture

When I’m at these dream homes, I always feel like I’m at a fashion runway looking at clothes that the masses might not be able to wear but they get inspired by the looks and then incorporate ‘toned down’ versions for their own purpose.  Living in a house like this takes discipline since it has such a ‘distinct’ style.  If you added your own personal items it might not look nearly as good.

The designers took extra care of every single detail right down the glassware. Here are some simple items that you could add to your house to get the current looks without completely redoing your home.

Cutting Edge

When I’m in the house I listen carefully to what other visitors say. The designers have to push the edge of the envelope to peak peoples curiosity to increase the sales of the tickets.  This is after all, an important fundraiser for CHEO. The designers have such a challenging job so I have a lot of respect for them. If the houses were ‘normal’ they might appeal more to the masses to actually live in, but then they would get the traffic to the house.  We ALL love to dream. We might not all have the budget to live in a home like this but it’s fun to even take a few little ideas from this incredible house.

I only posted la few little teasers of the what rooms look like, so make sure you visit the dream house so you can appreciate the whole masterpiece and make sure you buy your ticket to help CHEO while you’re there!

Someday, I would love to work on a huge project like this.