I’ve been reveling in this gorgeous weather we’ve been getting! From dining en plein air to exercising my green thumb, I’ve been spending loads of time out on my patio this season. I don’t know if it’s the sunshine or the blooms, but it’s made me reminisce on the time I designed an outdoor living space for High Point Showhouse.

In the fall of 2019, myself and 20 other extraordinary designers had the honour of working with the High Point Preservation Society and the Junior League of High Point to help with the restoration costs of a stunning Craftsman-style home by designing a charity showhouse. Each designer was given a separate space of the home to design. Full independence! Full autonomy! Full fun!

Living in Toronto, we don’t get to spend a ton of time on our patios, so when I learned I would be designing an outdoor living space that could be used through October and November, I was thrilled! The weather, however, was still something I kept in mind, as the last installation I did at High Point (which happened to be the same time of year!) got soaked by Hurricane Michael. You can bet this played into my decision making when I chose the pieces for the space!

My inspiration for the room was simple outdoor living. I wanted to create a chic yet casual space that would be perfect for cocktails and conversations. With that in mind, I had three pieces that I wanted to use as soon as I learned I was creating an outdoor “living room.” The cabana striped drapery panels were an immediate go-to for keeping the hot daytime sun off and helping keep it warmer in the evenings. In a nod to the gorgeous outdoor setting, I used natural materials like cane and rattan, while layering in pops of green and pink for play and texture. And at the end of the porch, an oversized painting of blooms by Canadian artist, Laura Dick, brought it all together! 

After completing the porch and strolling the rest of the home, I have to say...this was the first showhouse that I have been a part of where all the individual rooms really felt like they were actually designed collaboratively — such a spectacular surprise to all of us designers! It was truly an amazing team to be a part of and no matter how challenging it was designing from Toronto and organizing in North Carolina, all my sponsors and supporters made it feel incredibly easy. I couldn't have done it without them! A huge thank you to Summer Classics, Gabby Decor, Kravet Inc., Red Egg Furniture and Laura Dick Art. And to my fellow designers of the house...let’s hope 2022 is our year to get back to High Point!

XO,

Cynthia 

This week the largest trade show for kitchen and bath design, KBIS, takes place in Las Vegas. Those two rooms are the top-requested renovations for people’s homes. They also happen to be two of my favorite rooms to design! So here are my picks for the top 5 bathroom cabinet trends for 2019:

Cynthia Ferguson Designs

The Furniture Look

Bathroom cabinets used to be completely built in, making almost every bathroom look exactly the same. I love cabinets made from furniture or designed to look like standalone pieces! It adds a unique and custom look to the room.

Cynthia Ferguson Designs

Floating Cabinets

I love the look of floating cabinets in the bathroom! It’s a modern style that also opens up the room, giving the appearance of more space.

Cynthia Ferguson Designs

Bold Colour

The days of all-white bathrooms are over! It’s time for colour to shine, and you know I’m all about this trend! Every colour can be found on cabinetry today - which is perfect for a customized look that’s all your own.

Cynthia Ferguson Designs

Unique Moulding Details

Rather than the usual cabinet doors with either inset or raised panels, bathroom cabinets now are all about custom details, like this moulding pattern I designed above. We’re finally moving beyond that cookie-cutter approach and into gorgeous unique designs!

Cynthia Ferguson Designs

Drawers Instead of Doors

This has been a trend in the kitchen for a while now, and it’s one that’s moving into the bathroom. Drawers give you the advantage of not only using every square inch of storage, but also actually being able to reach it!! Drawers are great for people who are getting older and can’t lean into a cabinet to reach the back, and it’s just more efficient storage!

What do you think of these bathroom cabinet trends? Which are your favorites?

Until next time,

-Cynthia

I have had so much amazing feedback about the room I designed that was recently featured in The Globe and Mail! It was part of a condo that I designed for an favourite client who certainly was not afraid of colour!

I design a lot of condos here in Toronto, and that market is under great pressure, especially in urban centres like mine. With real estate prices at all-time highs, condos are the solution for first-time homeowners as freestanding homes are out of reach. At the same time, we have the start of the baby boomers moving out of the family homes and downsizing into condos. It is a unique situation where two age groups are after the same real estate product. I’m often downsizing clients from homes that are over 4,000 square feet to 1,500 square feet! Downsizing is a puzzle only the brave take on, but here are my top tips for making that move seamlessly and in style!!

Cynthia Ferguson Designs

Recognize the emotion of the move

Most people who are downsizing and moving into condos are seniors, and this can be an emotional change for them. Selling the family home is always a difficult decision to make. Sometimes an illness of one of the parents forces the timing of the move. Sometimes the family home doesn't make sense because it is a lot to keep up. Editing the family's furniture collection can also be very difficult as there are so many memories attached to each piece. That is where we come in! Our firm is a great sounding board for practicality. We start with explaining the limitations of a condo and some of the issues that might arise. The more informed a client is, the more their expectations are managed, the easier the transition is for them.

Cynthia Ferguson Designs

Edit, edit, edit.

This is really THE key to making a downsizing move work. The first step is to learn which pieces are non-negotiable. We always keep the key pieces that our clients simply could not part with to start and then we offer other pieces that will not fit to family members first, followed by vintage shops for resale. We always hang on to the pieces that are emotionally most important for the client or the family. It is about emotional attachment, not practicality when downsizing. We find our clients like to keep their dining sets and to us, keeping the table that creates family memories is imperative, so then we need to deal with how that effects the living spaces.

Cynthia Ferguson Designs

Learn to mix it up.

The next step is to start mixing in newer pieces. They should stand out and make a statement amongst the antiques and older items. Antiques or vintage pieces give a space credibility. They show history. They share memories. New pieces liven up the space by providing contrast. Use them for a pop of colour, or to add a new softer edge on a table or to act like art in a space - like Tommy Mitchell's accent table with butterflies under Lucite!

Cynthia Ferguson Designs

Colour your world.

Often our clients like to add new pieces into their new space and we find they are more apt to select lots and lots of colour! As our clients age, their eyesight starts to fade, so we always layer in lots of lighting and lots of bright colours. We have used hot pink grasscloth wallpaper, bright orange velvet trim, and bright green lampshades!  Colour makes a big impact in smaller spaces, so go for it!

Cynthia Ferguson Designs

Use these tips to help downsize your space while updating your style quotient!

Until next time,

-Cynthia

When I was asked to design a vignette for Rooms with a View at Southport Congregational Church in Connecticut, I was thrilled! It’s a showcase for charity and for the interior designers who are invited to participate - and it isn’t as easy as it sounds. We each had a 6’ x 8’ room - a small box really - that we needed to transform into a WOW moment!

Cynthia Ferguson Designs

I treated it like any room I design, and started with a sketch. I wanted a cozy breakfast room that would be perfect for gathering with family during the upcoming holidays! To create the coziness, I wanted to use warm colours and fabulous textures!

As you can see above, we really did start with a box. That tiny-looking space needed to be transformed - and quickly - into a showstopper!

The gorgeous Farrow & Ball colours were the first thing we put into our space - where I used a deep moody hue on the walls and a lovely blush-like colour on the ceiling! You can also see that the sconces are in place and the furniture has all been delivered at this point!

Cynthia Ferguson Designs for Rooms with a View

Finally, the big reveal - and I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out! The warm colours, fabulous fabrics, and layered accessories definitely created that cozy effect that I was going for!

Cynthia Ferguson Designs

The glow in the room is enhanced by this gorgeous fixture from Circa Lighting and the light reflected off of that lacquered ceiling featuring a colour from Farrow & Ball that’s never been used in a showhouse before!

I was lucky enough to travel to North Carolina as I was planning my vignette, visiting Replacements Ltd. to select the tabletop I wanted to use!

You can see my final selections of stunning tableware from Replacements here on the breakfast table. I can’t tell you how much it means to have partners and sponsors for events like this! I also worked with Lee Jofa, Acquisitions, and Kravet to create this space.

So what do you think about my cozy little breakfast nook and the design process? Let me know in the comments section!

Until next time,

-Cynthia

Design by Lucy Harris, featuring Christopher Farr wallcovering

I’m so inspired by fabrics and the designers who create them! One of my favourite companies is Christopher Farr Cloth, a London-based textile design studio that believes in “old world” craftsmanship. And one of the patterns I absolutely love from them is Carnival by Michael Szell. You can see it below in a Chelsea penthouse by designer Lucy Harris.

“I love creating my own colours and patterns – those custom designs give my interiors a unique look that fit my clients’ personalities and lifestyle”

— Cynthia Ferguson

Christopher Farr also allows designers to custom-colour their fabrics – so I took the plunge with the Carnival pattern, mixing a deep purple with pink and green. You can see the start of the colouring process below before all the green and other details have been added. And here is the final fabric in full colour running on the press as it finishes the process!

My Burberry colorway!

But the most astonishing part of this story? Christopher Farr liked the Blueberry colourway so much that they added it to their textile design line! Pinch me! I’m so excited that it’s on the website and hanging in showrooms, ready to buy today!

I love creating my own colours and patterns – those custom designs give my interiors a unique look that fit my clients’ personalities and lifestyles! It’s a win-win!

See more of my colourful creations in my portfolio of interiors, tour our portfolio!

Until next time,

-Cynthia