How a designer turned a downtown loft into a stylish, supervillain-style lair

Location: Queen Street West and Crawford Street
Designer: Stephane Chamard

The owner of this one-bedroom unit hired interior designer Stephane Chamard to build him a “secret lair,” taking inspiration from the hideouts of 1960s James Bond villains. The first thing to go was the very unvillainous exposed wood that lined the interior of the loft. Chamard whitewashed the ceilings. On the floors, he used a heavy-duty paint, similar to the stuff used to make road markings, so that they would be easy to maintain. Next, he filled the rooms with a mix of contemporary furniture and vintage accessories, favouring curvy forms to make the space look sculpted without sacrificing comfort. Large planters with oversized greenery bring life to the stark interior. The whole project cost about $180,000.

A Bouroullec Ploum sofa and a pair of vintage Olivier Mourgue Djinn chairs make an oddly perfect visual match with a white mannequin wearing headphones. Overhead, Bouroullec pendant lights accentuate the high ceilings:

The kitchen cabinets are one of the few elements of the design without some sort of pedigree. They’re from IKEA:

Chamard designed the bed with the help of Joshua Goldstein at Collection International Interiors:

Tiny, white, hexagonal tiles give texture to the all-white bathroom:

The curvy Bouroullec shelves are from Quasi Modo:

The Hunt

Food & Drink

Inside the kitchen of Maggie Frith, the owner of Magpie Cakery

Frith’s two kitchens are stocked with vintage baking supplies, a single-scoop ice cream maker and canned olives