Art House

Cecily and Robert Bradshaw live in Toronto, where Robert paints and sculpts and Cecily, a devoted equestrian, rides dressage. Together, they are passionate art collectors with a refined interest in contemporary art. When they met, Robert was living in Rosedale, a fashionable district of Toronto, in what he referred to as a “bachelor pad”—a handsome house overlooking one of the city’s famous ravines. After they married, they realized that there was insufficient space to display their ever-growing collection of art and sculpture. When a large piece of property next door to the existing house became available, they jumped at the opportunity to purchase it. Architect Wayne Swadron was brought on to design what the Bradshaws refer to, somewhat modestly, as the Guest House. It’s true that the new space provides additional bedrooms for family and friends. However, a much larger area is devoted to housing and displaying their substantial art collection in a space that can also be used for entertaining friends and the many cultural groups with which they are associated, including local art museums and the symphony.

The Bradshaws contacted me after construction was complete on the Guest House. Cecily had read my first book, Glamorous Rooms, and found she related to my aesthetic. I flew to Toronto for our first meeting and was impressed with both properties—the original and the Guest House—but there was a great deal of work to be done. The entire process took more than a year. 

The Guest House is composed of three floors. The entrance is on the second floor. When I first saw the house, the entry hall was a combination of natural-colored wood and upholstered walls that did not enhance the beauty of the surrounding rooms, the black-and-white stone floor, or the stunning black lacquered staircase  visible in the next room. I felt strongly that the walls and ceilings needed to be lacquered black for dramatic effect, and to set off the beauty of the galleries on either side. I presented the idea during a phone conversation, and the Bradshaws were open but wanted to see a rendering and have a section of the room painted as a test. A black panel was lacquered and hung in the entry, and the rendering was completed, upon which they were fully on board. The results are splendid.