Cosentino partnered as the official surfaces provider for the Princess Margaret Home Lottery’s Oakville showhome, located in Oakville, Ontario. The 7,050 sq. ft. home features several unique applications of Silestone, Dekton and Sensa and was designed by renowned Canadian interior designer Brian Gluckstein.  For the past three decades, Brian Gluckstein has created highly detailed, bespoke interiors and has become one of the top designers in the world by Andrew Martin’s 2017 Interior Design Review journal and voted Favourite Interior Designer by House & Home readers. This year Brian published his first book, Brian Gluckstein: The Art of Home. His work has appeared in Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, and House Beautiful.

 

 

We sat down with Brian to learn more about the inspiration behind the design of the Princess Margaret Home:

Why is the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Home Lottery an important project to you and the Gluckstein Design team?

We love to help raise funds for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

Using design as a vehicle to do that is perfect because we can partner our abilities to help raise money for a great cause.

It’s also fun to be able to give people who visit the Showhome ideas for trends when they’re decorating or building their own home.

What was the inspiration behind the design of the home?

For the outside of the house, I was inspired by an old house from the 1920s on Long Island. The inside was really dictated by the house being on a corner lot and was designed to have an enormous amount of natural light through the use of French doors, two story spaces, and big windows. We wanted to create a house that flows well, where rooms are open to each other but still defined, and at the same time a great house for entertaining and for a family. The goal is to inspire people when it comes to design.

 

It’s about giving people ideas for their own homes and also to inspire visitors to buy tickets for the lottery.

If you had to put a name to the design style of the home what would it be and why?
The house is somewhat eclectic, with traditional architectural details like panelled walls and ceilings paired with contemporary furniture. It really showcases how to blend clean classic architecture with modern furniture and art.

Who did you have in mind when you designed the space and how do you imagine them using it?
It was really designed for someone who likes to entertain. I see people having small and large parties in the space because rooms flow into each other, so it’s great for circulation. Rooms also flow out to the front and back gardens, so it incorporates both indoor and outdoor entertaining.

Were there any design challenges or special requirements you had to overcome?
There’s a good quality to being on a corner because you have fewer structures around you, so this allows for more natural light, but the challenging part is being able to give the back-garden privacy. We overcame that by creating this L-shaped house, so that the house follows the corner and the garden is enclosed in the back.

Why did you decide to incorporate Cosentino into the project?
We wanted a lot of stone in the house because this is a house for entertaining. The surfaces have to be practical and the Cosentino surfaces are not only attractive but very durable. The house does get a lot of activity during visiting hours and will get a lot of activity after a family moves in, so it’s the right product for a house that is going to be highly-used and well-loved.

 

What are the benefits of Silestone/Dekton that you like most?
I think the advantages of these products are that they give us the visual quality and the feel of natural materials with the practicality and durability that comes with using them.

What’s your favourite thing about the design of the home?
I mean there are so many things – there’s the mural in the living room, there’s the two-story hall between the living room and garden that allows so much light into the space, the combined kitchen and family room, and of course the bowling alley.

Do you have any design tips for homeowners thinking about building or renovating?

Have a clear vision of what you want before you start. Collect images from magazines, Pinterest, or Instagram, and put together a clear program of what you want.

Edit it down before you start so that when you’re going out, whether you’re designing it, doing the layouts, or selecting finishes, you have a plan and a vision.

 

The Princess Margaret Home Lottery partnership highlights Cosentino’s continued commitment to corporate social responsibility in the Canadian market. For more information visit www.princessmargaretlotto.com.

 

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