Great Spaces: inside the home of Victoria Jackman and Bruce Kuwabara
What happens when a preservation-minded art lover marries a professional minimalist
By 2008, Victoria Jackman and Bruce Kuwabara, Toronto’s artsiest power couple, decided their family of four had outgrown their Admiral Road Victorian. Neither Jackman, executive director of the Hal Jackman Foundation, nor Kuwabara, the architect and co-founder of KPMB, wanted to leave the Annex, but Kuwabara wasn’t wild about renovating another Victorian—the predominant architectural style in the neighbourhood.
Then they saw this Lowther Avenue house built in 1893 by Edmund Burke, the same architect who designed the Bloor Viaduct and The Bay on Queen (back when it was Simpson’s). The 5,500-square-foot house had been converted into a warren of lawyer’s offices, but once Kuwabara got his hands on the 100-year-old blueprints, he was impressed by the building’s great bones. It wasn’t far from the Av and Dav flower stores Jackman loves, and Kuwabara, who refuses to get a driver’s licence, likes that they can still walk to their favourite restaurants (Sotto Sotto and Joso’s) and to such cultural institutions as the ROM and the Gardiner. They decided to buy the place and gut it.
The couple wanted an open, bright and calming space.
They chose a white-on-white palette and a minimalist aesthetic, including a kitchen by Bulthaup, the German design company known for sleek cabinet configurations. To say Kuwabara was obsessive about the details is a vast understatement: he shudders at the mess of wires and brackets that comes along with installing a wall-mounted flat-screen television, for example, so he had custom credenzas built as bases for the TVs in the family room and in the upstairs study. They threw out numerous sketches before Kuwabara felt the proportions were right.
While Kuwabara would have cleared out the home’s ornate historical details without a second thought, Jackman was adamant about preserving them. She insisted they keep the original leaded doors and stained glass windows, as well as restore the crumbling plaster mouldings and baseboards. As the 18-month reno progressed, Kuwabara came around. “I began to find great beauty in things that I never thought I would appreciate,” he says. “Like mouldings.”
Hardwood ladders like this one were used by the Dogon tribe in Mali to access cliff dwellings. Jackman and Kuwabara admire that the design is both sculpturally beautiful and, at one time, functional. They bought it at Hollace Cluny.
The Charles sofa by Antonio Citterio is Jackman’s favourite place to sit and read. She saw it in Elle Décor, knew it would work well in the living room, and sourced the design from Kiosk.
The white oak Xilos coffee table is also by Antonio Citterio, at Kiosk.
The floor lamp is by Julie Prisca, available at Hollace Cluny.
As art collectors, Jackman and Kuwabara are interested in text-based conceptual pieces. In this photo series by John Massey, naked Adam and Eve figures are tattooed with words.
The gold-leaf matching vases are also from Kiosk. They were designed by Nicole Aebischer, with multi-faceted surfaces that catch the light.
Kuwabara and Jackman converted the original coal fireplace to a wood-burning one. They kept the carved wood mantle and added a new limestone hearth.
Photographer Scott McFarland’s piece “The Granite Bowl in the Berlin Lustgarten” is from the Clark and Faria gallery. McFarland, who is a friend and neighbour of the couple, superimposes several shots taken from different angles. Kuwabara has also visited this site in Berlin and took his own photograph of it, which he likes to show to visitors.
See more photos of the home >>
The dining room is an addition to the original house, with sliding glass doors that open onto the patio and garden.
The couple was sitting in the Bulthaup showroom on King East planning their kitchen when they fell in love with this 12-foot white oak dining table. Bulthaup wasn’t producing any more of them but agreed to sell them the floor model. Their kids—Thomas is seven, and Vita is six—like to sit at opposite ends of the table when they’re mad at each other.
The Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs, a classic Danish design, are a favourite of Jackman’s. She bought them at Kiosk.
Another Scott McFarland photograph, this one titled “Orchard View, Late Spring: Vitis vinifera, Wisteria, 2004.”
The electric Playmobil train set in Thomas’s room was a present from Santa.
The bed is Pottery Barn Kids.
The airplane mobile over the bed is a gift from the artist and architect An Te Liu, who calls it the “stealth mobile.”
The photograph “Reconstruction (1), 2008” was another gift from An Te Liu.
Kuwabara designed this fibreboard and white oak credenza in the upstairs study to look like it’s floating above the floor. “Even if we remove the TV as technology changes, this piece will still look great,” he says.
See more photos of the home >>
“Architects hate bookshelves,” says Jackman. “If Bruce had his way, all our books would be in the basement.” They compromised and built these two bookcases. One displays architecture books; the other is devoted to art books.
This is a mounted wallpaper design by An Te Liu titled “Pattern Language: Levittown White.” It’s an aerial view of the late 1940s American suburb, which, from a distance, looks like a snakeskin or diamond pattern.
The sofa and chairs are the LC3 and LC2, respectively, designed by Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jenneret, and purchased from Italinteriors. Jackman’s father, Hal, who is six-foot-four, can hardly fit into the chair. “It’s a classic mid‑century modern design—maybe people were smaller then,” Jackman says.
The glass and bronze coffee table, designed by Carlo Scarpa, is also from Italinteriors.
They use this Marcel Wanders ceramic stool from Kiosk as a side table. They like how the striated gold finish warms up the room.
The Musa side chairs are by Antonio Citterio, also from Kiosk.
See more photos of the home >>
A stained glass window portrait of Carrie Holman, the wife of the original owner, presides over the stair landing. She willed the property to a Baptist organization she founded, and the house became a residence for visiting female missionaries.
One thing Jackman and Kuwabara immediately agreed on was the paint: the entire interior is Benjamin Moore Cloud White.
The floors are white oak from Austrian forests harvested by Benedictine monks.
This four-photo set is Idris Khan’s “Every Page of Susan Sontag’s ‘On Photography.’ ” They bought the series from the Victoria Miro Gallery during Miami Art Basel.
ugly!!!! so cold and all the furniture looks like it comes from Ikea. what a waste of a beautiful building.
Shows how little you know about line and form and material. I guarantee you that when you see the pieces in person (and even in the photos) they certainly don’t look like, or feel like, IKEA. Just because you don’t appreciate a modernist look doesn’t mean you should diss others’ choices. Let’s see photos of your house and comment on how ugly it is.
Love it ! Simple. Clean. Tasty. Like a vanilla ice cream cone, with sprinkles. Isn’t it a shame that maple or oak furniture is representative of Ikea to the uneducated, and I mean that beyond the college dorm sense of the word. If you actually look at the pictures, the beautiful building is the main focus, not the furniture. Its not necessarily how I’d have decorated it, but I can certainly appreciate what they’ve done.
IKEA? Please. But I guess that’s what most people think when they see if they are not familiar with quality Scandinavian design, and IKEA is their only reference point…
I will agree however, that the space is kinda ugly. It’s not minimal enough to be boldly minimalist. And the pieces that remove it from minimalism are not particularly interesting. It’s decidedly mainstream in its beige-on-beige blah.
If I visited this house, I would comment that they had done a lovely job on the decor. But it’s not TL-worthy in the least. Seriously,what makes this magazine-worthy?
Lets be honest…it does look a bit like IKEA stuff. It’s still nice but you would expect more from 2 pro artists.
I think the house is nice on the outside…but could use warming up on the inside.
pretty bloody average, if you ask me.
Thank-you thank-you thank-you for retaining some of the original detailing!
Few things are more depressing than touring a beautiful old home and finding nouveau riche hipsters have purged all the historic character from the interior. Anyone can gut a building, a true artist works within it. Congrats!
Sadly, Ikea has ruined European design for most people. I suspect someday we’ll look back on funky minimalism the same way we do on shag carpeting and stucco ceilings :(
“The floors are white oak from Austrian forests harvested by Benedictine monks.”
really? that has to be one of the most pretentious statements I’ve ever read. i’m almost inclined to think it’s a joke.
Zzzzzzzzzz…………
Really pompous.
I had the same “IKEA” comment about my modernist furnishings years ago from movers when I moved back to Toronto from Halifax. It is simple ignorance from people who know only Leons, Sears and The Brick.
Having said that, I must say that I dislike it when architects ‘modernize’ Victorian and Edwardian buildings. They tend to take the warmth and soul from the home, which seems to have happened here–despite the talents of the owner.
I think there is the outside old victorian building which is nice and needs nothing but a NICE! And then you open to the door to whatever you wanna make it. And I like the minimalistic approach to decorating. I wont saw, WOW, I just saw the best ever interior… but its worth a story!
Such a let down from such an accomplished architect. Yes, it’s refined but it’s also boring.
Looks like my dentist waiting room. Just isn’t very homie.
From one designer to another…It’s a lovely home…not to be confused with “house”.
Readers, you have to understand that what is one person’s idea of their retreat, might not be yours.
Secondly, photographs do not pick up the real beauty by a long shot.
Enjoy the fact that the owners were nice enough to allow you to peak inside their world.
Would you want your life exposed in a magazine?
Merry Christmas to All and to All a good night!
Re: Designergirl
Did they not choose to “Expose” their life by being in the magazine?
Ps. I agree with your comment:
Readers, you have to understand that what is one person’s idea of their retreat, might not be yours.
I liked what they did to the interiors, this is my kind of thing, minimalist/modern. The juxtaposition of the victorian architecture and the modern style was well executed…
Beautiful home. I think this couple has flawless taste. I would love to live in a house like that!!
I would have expected something much more unique or special from this supposed Toronto power-couple. I’m sure their Scandinavian pieces are triple the price of IKEA pieces, but the money was clearly wasted. Save the minimalism for office spaces, it doesn’t work here.
As one of the lawyers, who rented offices there, I was waiting to see the renovations on a beautiful house. The work and design are stunning.
Talk about form over function! People who live to parade what they have are always a wonder.
Surprisingly, or maybe not, it lacks any real personality. Definitely a house rather than a home. I love modernism however the various pieces feel like they were bought rather than acquired. The space certainly doesn’t feel lived in. Perhaps Toronto Life needs to look at some of the European publications to see what constitutes inspirational living.
It’s very Toronto. In response to Designergirl’s comments, why bother publishing interiors if the pics aren’t worthy or inspirational. Toronto clings to the same designers/architects year after year. Is this really representative of our best?
I am not a minimalist in the least, but even I know that this space is not trully minimalistic, it’s just cold and bland.
you can go minimalist with color and shapes. there is too much furniture and almost no sophistication. not TL worthy, and seriously dissapointing considering who owns the home.
looks okay floors could use a few rugs to soften the space, the first floor may be the showroom and the real living space is on the upper levels. most homes in the area have better upperlevels.
In reference to caption 22:
Please explain how a gold finish warms up a room full of blonde wood?
decor is alright, i think i actually remember seeing this house when i was perusing through mls listings. haha. they really brightened up the place. i get the ikea feel though…at least from the rocking chairs. i personally prefer a more comfy style but to each his own.
as for designergirl’s comment on “would you want your life exposed in a magazine?” well, to be honest…didnt they do this to get publicity anyways? so its to be expected that there will be bad and positive opinions about it. its not like this was done without their permission.
Wow! What a disaster. I worked in that lovely house for 14 years. I learned to love every inch of that place. The wooden staircase and panelling was magnificent. The grandiose feel and careful detailing made every single client who walked in there for the first time wide-eyed. Now it looks like any big tacky 905 pre-fab. It broke my heart to see the photos.
I am surprised at all the negative comments here: this house is spectacular! It’s sad that Torontonians can’t appreciate great style!!!
Really terrible decor