Decorating & Design
May 23, 2022
Inside A Whimsical Rosedale Home Bursting With Pattern & Color
To summon the family to dinner, most of us holler fruitlessly as the potatoes turn to cold blobs. In Victoria Webster’s world, her dad would bang a gong, ushering a young Victoria and her four siblings to the table from all corners of the house — whether they were living in a castle in Scotland or a château in France. The houses were all happily eccentric, and Victoria loved them. “My parents would have a lizard or cockroach painted in places around the house, just for fun,” says Victoria. But when it came to the decorating, her mother, Madeleine, was a traditionalist with an exquisite eye. “She was into chintz. She loved shopping at Sotheby’s for Chippendale and Chinese antiques. I was lucky to grow up with beautiful china from Germany and lace from Ireland.”
In 2019, Victoria and her family — husband Gabe Gonda, vice-president of Sophi at The Globe and Mail, and sons Charlie, 15, Isaac, 13, Raphael, 8, and rescue dog Ruby — relocated back to Toronto’s leafy Rosedale neighborhood after six years in the Annex. Victoria was pining for ravine walks with her best friend, who lives a block away. Enter nip-and-tuck-style design surgeon Colette van den Thillart (pictured above). Famous for her confident, elegant and often colorful aesthetic, Colette designs interiors that are an exacting blend of old and new, with signature style moves like her lacquered ceilings, curvy-shaped rugs and unexpected wallpapers. She calls the look “global-ish,” for its pulling together of disparate things. “It’s stylistically diverse, layered and, I hope, unique,” says the designer.
Scroll down to see inside this gorgeous Rosedale home!
The 1920s heritage house overlooks Whitney Park and has mullioned windows and a stone portico that stretches along the front, bringing a commanding presence. The family room faces lush gardens at the back of the house where, during the winter, there’s a skating rink. Inside, period details reflect a genteel era. Broad ceiling beams, stained glass and hidden cubbies lend charm and character. When she saw it, Victoria (pictured) knew right away that it was the one. “The bones and electrical updates were amazing, and it was well loved,” she says. “But there were mahogany, cherrywood and old-fashioned yellow walls that were much too stodgy — it needed a facelift.”
Fashion-wise, Victoria favors caftans in fun prints and flamboyant colors. “My outfits still match the walls of my house,” she says with a laugh, referring to the 2010 H&H cover story on her former home. She’s never done vanilla, and she’s not about to start.“I use the word ‘wit’ in decorating and it scares people because they think of kitsch, but wit is just about making someone smile.” The trompe-l’oeil circus stripes in the entrance are a spirited counterpoint to the new custom floor mosaic.
The front room is dressed for entertaining, with its fringed settee and artful rug.
“A TV shroud,” as Colette calls it, conceals the screen in the family room, while Ex Libris wallpaper points cheekily to a rivalry between digital and analog.
The boys like to watch TV on the family room’s mint sectional. This room is deliberately low-key, compared to the more public spaces. “I wanted Colette to unify it, bring in color and make it fun,” says Victoria. The formal rooms didn’t work for how she lives today, with children zipping in and out.
“The powder room is an homage to my mother: she was a chain-smoker who always had those long red nails in the ’80s,” says Victoria. The painted hand on the door replicates the wallpaper print. “I know she would love it.”
A zinc vent hood has a French château feel that works beautifully with the green soapstone counters.
The dining area was refreshed using pale grey on the built-ins and trim; the pantry is filled with Victoria’s mom’s china.
The playful honey holder is from Victoria’s childhood; the Italian vase is vintage.
The library or “monkey room” is Victoria’s favorite space. For a cocooning effect, the glazed ceiling mimics gold tea paper.
The striking gold Buddha belonged to Victoria’s mother.
“An electric box” is how Colette describes the chartreuse dining room. By night, it’s the perfect spot for dinner parties; by day, it doubles as the homework room. “I like to think I’m good at imagining contemporary ways of using space that people don’t naturally think of,” says Colette.
The famous dinner gong from Victoria’s childhood takes pride of place against the flamingo wallpaper.
The couple’s eight-year-old, Raphael, chose the hand-painted rainbow and green color scheme for his bedroom.
“Something fun, colorful and with dinosaurs” was the design directive for Raphael’s bathroom.
Painted a lulling lilac, the principal bedroom includes an ensuite, dressing room and private terrace.
“Victoria’s bedroom is the counterpoint to her frenetic lifestyle with young children and all the exciting things going on downstairs,” says Colette. The staggered bookshelf offers a striking silhouette.
Alex Lukey
House & Home May 2022
Colette Van Den Thillart