Peter Grande is settling into his new home at Empire Eau Du Soleil quite nicely. Having recently made the move to Humber Bay Shores with his partner Stevie and pup Crockett, the Toronto photographer and creative strategist gave us a look inside his nature-inspired home and shares his tips for maximizing space and bringing your design vision to life in a small space.
How would you describe the design style of your home?
“We had a few concepts in mind, but the theme that seemed to resonate with us most was earthy and nature-inspired — a nod to our surroundings in the Humber Bay Shores. We really wanted to find a way to invite some of nature’s beauty indoors, which is why many of our design elements have a wood finish to them. It’s also the main reason why we chose to focus on green as our primary pop of colour, with a secondary focus on blue/grey tones and a tertiary focus on more yellow/warm tones.
Do you have a favourite decor piece within your home?
“My personal favourite is actually a combination of the hanging lamp and the couch. I’ve always been a big fan of the look of a hanging lamp opposed to one that stands vertically or hangs from a ceiling because of its ability to alter the look of a room. I also tend to gravitate towards larger, more spacious seating that can be used as both an everyday couch or as a bed. We decided to go with a couch that has a small under compartment for linen storage, and one that has a large seating area while also offering a comfortable sleep if needed.”
What’s one tip you would give to someone designing a small space?
“It’s really easy to get caught up in the excitement of moving and furnishing an entirely new place, but it helps to be realistic when designing for the square footage you have. Take a second and evaluate exactly where it is that you’re going to be living and then think about what the space needs to provide you with, then do some research and see what options are out there.”
What are some of the ways you maximized space?
“The main way that we maximize on space without making the condo feel too overwhelming is to leverage as many multifunctional accent furnishings that we can. We definitely did not want to step into our home and feel like we were having a hard time finding space to breathe, so we made sure that we stuck to our guns and went for elements that would allow us to both live comfortably and functionally.”
Want to be Peter’s neighbour? Explore the final suites available at Eau du Soleil. Photos courtesy of Peter Grande.