WINNING WAYS

Designer Brian Gluckstein outdoes himself with a must-see showhome that holdsthe promise of life well lived.

Like the glamorous lead in a classic Hollywood film,this year’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Home Lottery Showhome makes an alluring firstimpression: it greets you in a dramatic fashion and dazzles you with gorgeous looks, butis careful notto give away too much,too fast. From the extratall foyer justinside the front door, a tiger-print rug worthy of Lana Turner can be glimpsed in the home office across the hallway. “It’s similar to a carpet I had in my New York City apartment years ago,” says designer Brian Gluckstein. The scene beckons visitors forward untilthe 6,700-square-foot home’s elegant main floor is revealed through a procession of grey-trimmed archways. “The house is quite open, but I didn’t want you to see everything as soon as you walk in,” says Brian. In design, as in the movies, a little mystery goes a long way. Set on a corner lotin a leafy neighbourhood of south Oakville, Ont.,the five-bedroom,two-storey house is loosely inspired by French Normandy style. In less than eight months, Brian expertly tempered the interior’s open layout by creating defined living spaces with purpose. He pulled in some walls (to create a centre courtyard) and pushed out others (the great room is generously sized and self-contained), varied ceiling heights and balanced bright, lofty spaces with cosy, moodier rooms. Nearly every surface received its own treatment, from washable murals in the kitchen to a grey wall covering on the dining room ceiling to graphic floor tiles in the foyer. Grey-washed white oak floors with a scraped finish quietly tie together the showstopping elements.