Name: Andrew Cardozo
Location: Downtown Toronto — Ontario, Canada
Size: about 700 square feet
Years lived in: 1 — rented
Q: What's black, white and fabulous all over?
A: Andrew's Toronto apartment!
Andrew has transformed his modest-sized, boxy apartment into a comfortable and stylish pad. He's filled it with his favorite things and stuck to a simple black and white (and sometimes gray) palette. The result is striking: a 21st-century Toronto space reminiscent of a Parisian flat.
I met Andrew while shooting his neighbor Patrick's place a few months back. Although the two have mirror-image floor plans, they couldn't be more different in style. Andrew's embrace of a strict black and white scheme grew out of his hesitance to introduce color and somehow get it wrong. Fearful as he was about color choices, Andrew set about the task of balancing a mixture of prints, textures, and the visual weight of his black and white furnishings and accessories, and did it with evident skill.
An air of elegance and luxury belies the eco- and wallet-friendly approach that Andrew takes in decorating. Most of his furniture is second hand, but Andrew has given it new life by thinking outside the box and putting in some elbow grease. The black and white striped sofa in the dining room was in a sad state before Andrew refinished and reupholstered it, and the stone table base in the dining room once lived in his parent's garden. Andrew's charming home packs a powerful punch in a small space!
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: My style is "collectic." I love to put old and new stuff together and make them work. I don't think there should be any rules in decorating, as long as it looks visually appealing.
Inspiration: Candice Olson and Nate Berkus. I love their style of decorating.
Favorite Element: My framed lamp prints. Also, I have a thing for pillows and lamps, which you will find everywhere in my space.
Biggest Challenge: I have a lot of stuff and not a ton of space, so finding a place for all of it can be a challenge.
What Friends Say: Hmmmm...my friends...some of them want to have an intervention for me, they think I have too much stuff. But I love everything I have!
Biggest Embarrassment: The oversized ceiling fixture in my dining room which is missing pieces. (Did you notice? Say no!)
Proudest DIY: My first DIY project was the focus wall where I put some trim moulding up. It was a challenge but fun and it added a great architectural feature to a boring wall. With the oversized mirror it just completely expanded the room.
I also made the pillows and wall hangings at the front door from old coffee sacks. I love reusing and recycling when possible in my home, and the coffee sacks are great for that and look beautiful, too. I'm selling them at Blue Banana Market in Kensington Market, under the name of L&A home.
Best Advice: Don't decorate your space in one weekend. Do it over time, it may take months. Buy stuff that reflects your lifestyle. Your home, most importantly, should make you HAPPY...
Love your home!!
Thanks, Andrew!
Images: Abby Cook
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all that goodness in only 700 square feet?! i applaud your excellent sense of style! thanks for sharing your home!
its amazing what he did in 700-sq!
It's not my style, but I appreciate the work and effort that has gone into it. I live 20 mins from Toronto... yay for Toronto features! :)
Fantastic for 700 sqf! I'm a little skeeved out by the pillow on the toilet, though...
A pillow in the bathroom? Nice pillow, but um, planning on staying a long time?? lol
Love this Tour. Great style
Not my style at all, but it looks great. Lots of personality, but it isn't overstuffed and junky looking (even though you have a LOT of stuff in this place). Love the bedroom; elegantly masculine. The outdoor space is wonderful as well.
Also a bit "skeeved out" by the pillow on the toilet.
Overall, fantastic tour.
I love it. This is very well put together, and actually puts me in the mind of my idea of a Parisian apartment, just as it aspires to. Sometimes "as seen in" designs miss the mark, but this was wonderful. Great tour!
Love this home - great job! I want the glass shelves and nightstand. And I like the BR pillow - a unique decorative touch for the photoshoot.
I love that you love your home. That really shows. It's so very well put together and you've got some stuff but it all looks as clean as a whistle. You have some GREAT chairs. In particular, I like the cow print one on the patio.
That Chanel lamp is AMAZING!
Not my style, but it is fabulously executed. Great job.
(No, I didn't notice the missing piece in the dining room ceiling fixture.)
Verrry grrrrovy! I am very impressed.
Andrew, I no longer live in Toronto but I think I can successfully identify the building (based on the shot of you on the balcony [and I still remember Patrick's digs - pls say Hi for me]) so don't be surprised if I invite myself for an impromptu visit one day. ;-)
Only an iggie is missing.
Where did you get the hide-covered round table?
I used to live in that building until a couple months ago. I never dreamed one of those apartments could house so much fabulousness! I'm insanely jealous and I totally regret not stumbling upon this apartment when I lived there. :( Good work!
i love the ingenuity and color palette
Also loved it! Fabulous!
what happened to the source list? i enjoy the color palette and it is a lovely home, and i always enjoy getting a sense of where those things come from.
Love the Chanel lamp!
Wow. A Chanel lamp and wastebasket!? lol
Your home is lovely. :)
This style is one of my faves, and so many great pieces, but to me there were just so many of them, all screaming for attention that it looks too filled up for me. I wanted to go into the living room and "neaten" the space ( aka remove some things)
Man. I can only imagine how much dusting goes on in there!
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. There is a PILLOW on the toilet. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
I love how you can just use black and white with no pops of color and some how it doesn't look stark. It's magic.
I didn't see the missing piece in the lighting fixture.
I keep thinking I was going to see a fornesseti plate somewhere.
Someone likes Channel? Hey a lamp on the patio. Why didn't I think of that. A pillow on the toilet tank. Gross.
Not a lamp on the patio. I meant a mirror.
Love this!! Now that pillow in the bathroom? NO NO Mr. LOL
There's a sense of fun which hints at a sense of humor underneath, but giggles are carefully edited away ... I wonder about those pieces which lingered here a month or two before Andrew shook his head & said, No this one has to go too ...It's VERY EIGHTIES without even the slightest nod to mid-century kitsch worship. As each slide passes, I expect to see a tongue-in-cheek Nagel print, or a Memphis/Sottsass-inspired piece for contrast.
If find the whole thing bold and subtle. I feel a kind of grace in this interior of masculine style.
Stunning and homey. Just beautiful.
You have a great sense of style, Andrew. Would love to see a list of where you bought things from.
You had me at the Chanel trash can. Swooned over the Chanel lamp- loved the rest of the apartment...but dude? a pillow in the bathroom?
say what?
The Chanel lamp was definitely the highlight of the tour!
What's not to love about a "pillow man" ? :D
just wanted to add that I love that shade of gray in your kitchen! The Chanel lamp also got me, plus I love the mix of stone (table, statue) into your home.
While thoroughly delightful, there is also a wealth of themes running through this design, and a great deal of intelligence politely hidden by charm. I'm a minimalist, but hats off to someone who knows how to clutter with brilliance. This was a delight to look at and, better still, to think about.
Thank you to everyone for the positive comments.....and you haters, i love to see your home.....lol
A pop of magenta.....hmmmm no sorry nonie
can anyone source the white cable-knit pattern planter in photo (?
sorry, photo 9.
Not a hater in any way, but though I love the striped chair and, of course, the Chanel lamp, but this pad is too messy and queeny for this boy!
Great use of colour, love the black and white sofa.
Only 700 sq ft and the man has 2 sofas (ok, a loveseat and a ... loveseat... both perfectly sized)... and it works! Just how many chairs do you have? I think this is just great.
Messy and queeny.....lol you are joking right?
The planter is from Bowrings...
Looks like and episode of Hoarders.
Wow, great eye! being more of a minimalist, this is not my style but i really like what you've done here with all the textures and mixing of pieces. a fabulous home.
...love the apt-all of it.... esp. the Chanel pieces.. also like the clear shelving by the front door -Could you tell me the source pls?
Also wondering about the texturized rugs-can they vacuumed? Do they show the dust?
thx :)
Hey rudy123,
the glass shelf..i got it made...do u live in Toronto?the leather shag rug ....yes i do vacuum it.
hi Andrew,
yep-I Live in T.O.... in Midtown/Davisville area.. I like how narrow those shelves are...would be great for my narrow hallway.
:)
hey rudy123,
if you give me the measurement, i can get you a price to make one. :-)
love love love
This makes me miss accessories. Obviously, this is a child-free zone. Sigh! One day, when my daughter is older, I can have breakable things out again. I'm getting a graphic designer vibe here, with all the alphabets and pillows. Nice!
This comment is not for Andrew which has a much nicer place than most people, but to the staff at apartment therapy: Aren't you guys fed up with overly decorated affected little apartments that look all the same? Finding a place with character and personality cannot be that difficult in this big continent. Try a bit harder and work on the editorial.
The black and white theme keeps it from looking overly cluttered. Just lovely. Especially the patio
>Looks like and [sic] episode of Hoarders.
Nonsense. Looks like evidence of a life well lived. Clutter is in the eye of the beholder. I would love to have "only" this much stuff in my 700 s.f. apartment!
I find it endlessly fascinating. Kudos!
I am so jealous....wish I could get you to help me finish my bedroom/bath that I would like for it to look Parisian!
can you or anyone else provide a source to the many glass/lucite tables/nightstands? Amazing! I've been looking for similar for my place!
This is a lovely space. I'm a fan of black and white decor also, you've found some lovely pieces. I love that you actually found something slim enough for your entry way "landing strip". The chanel lamp, I die... when you get tired of it, I'll be happy to take it off your hands.
To the person who mentioned hoarders, was that really necessary? A comment like that is not constructive criticism or saying how your taste is different, its just being nasty.
beautifully executed!
Great place, Andrew. I love the cow-print chair on the patio! Can you tell us where it's from?
classic case of "less is more'...he's got some amazing items but they are not left to stand on their own and just be appreciated.. the eye never gets a rest here..which ultimately takes away from the room.. but love that he's put so much love into this space.. kudos for that!
hi Andrew,
thx for the reply-not sure of the measurements just yet (I'm in the process of decluttering/rearranging/spring cleaning )... I will let you know. Do you know if they could make it in acrylic/lucite vs. the glass (I have active kitties who like to climb/race.
thx Rudy :)
house.kitty@hotmail.com
Love the color scheme, very soothing. Also, the bed, I want it. Too much clutter for me, but that is personal taste and &rew has taste for sure even if it isn't everyone's taste.
Well, mon amis, chacun a son gout! (To each his own?) I looked over the tour twice because there were so many interesting and unusual visual treats - clever arrangements, lovely objects, updates (like the kitchen which looks like it was not so exciting before it was re-painted)... And, I feel the joy of the creator of the space in each of these photos and share his delight in making a ho-hum space into something unique and full of character. If I were in Toronto, I'd love to stop by and sip some bubbly on that lovely terrace. Salut!
love it!
ooooooooooooooh that double "c" lamp. delish!
what a beautiful home,years of collecting new,old,recycle and his own creations. This is a labour of love. This might not be for everyone, but Andrew is comfortable and loves his home. Many of us live in homes that we are not comfortable in or even like. Only if we had the talent to change our place.Black and white and everything is placed just right.I would love an invite.
Thank you casanova's sister for the comment, it was nice :) ......I use to own a home decor store and it was called casa nova.....lol
I love it! So much character. Your outdoor space is stunning.
Messy and queeny? What a completely obnoxious and unnecessary remark!