Name: Ralph, Michelle and Family
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Size: 4 BR Home
Years lived in: 5
Ralph and Michelle are modern design enthusiasts - they live in a big, beautiful, light and bright home in Toronto that is firmly contemporary in its decor and even more firmly family friendly. This is home to many Montemurros - Ralph, Michelle and their four kids. This intersection of design and children is not only a way of life at home...
...it is also the family business. Ralph and Michelle are the couple behind the Monte Design Group, makers of modern nursery furniture. Having a big, built-in "testing team" certainly can't hurt with design decisions for their work, but they manage to keep the balance of kid-friendly casualness and grown up design intact at home. A real sense of calm and spareness exists in this recently built house, along with plenty of room to grow and the idea that when it comes to the number of chairs around the family dinner table, sometimes bigger really can be better!
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our style: Modern (at least that's what we strive for), and streamlined, yet comfortable and warm
Inspiration: Our architects- Gianonne Petricone Associates. They helped us with everything from design, to millwork, to paint colors.
Favorite Element: It's a very family friendly home. With lots of open spaces, the flow encourages togetherness while maintaining 'away spaces' such as the kids play room off the kitchen
Biggest Challenge: Having tradesmen who were used to building traditional homes. It took a lot of explaining for them to try to get the streamlined aesthetic.
What Friends Say: They can't believe the lack of clutter- especially with 4 kids
Biggest Embarrassment: We can't get the lock on our main floor bathroom to work...not so cool during dinner parties
Proudest DIY: Having my own upholstery shop comes in handy- I salvaged a few 30 year old club chairs from the priests' residence of my high school and re-covered them.
Also, before I started Monte Design, my wife Michelle and I couldn't find a sectional sofa we liked, so we got one from Ikea, and had stainless steel trim and legs made for it. What most sofa manufactures don't realize is that the legs of the chair or sofa are extremely important to the design- it's like the shoes for the outfit; the shoes can make or break the look.
Biggest Indulgence: The lighting- it's artwork for our ceilings
Best advice: "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful"- William Morris (1880)
Dream source: I Saloni furniture show in Milan
Resources:
Lighting: Artimede, moooi, george nelson, verner panton, foscarini, sistemalux.com, gabrielross.com
Kitchen and bath cabinets: www.downsviewkitchens.com
All stone, granite, marble, tiles: www.ciot.com
Paint: Ben Moore
Appliances: Viking- www.morleysappliances.com
Kitchen Chairs: Stua's Gas chair- kioskdesign.ca
Bathroom Fixtures: Zuchetti faucets www.natfil.com
Master bedroom furniture: custom made by cabinetfurniture.ca
Architects: gpaia.com
(Thanks, Ralph & Michelle!)
Images: via Ralph & Michelle
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Comments (31)
That "Happy Days" art just cracks me up!
squee! love!
One word: Magnifico.
these 2 and their kids are so cute and their house is so cool. great post, great house, darling family. love it. love it!
where did the high-chair come from? i'm looking for one and this one looks perfect!
I love that bed in the master bedroom! Is that one of Michelle and Ralph's designs, or from somewhere else?
Pinktea - the high chair is on their website (Monte Design).
I like how this is modern but not cold modern. That's hard to do I think with strictly modern pieces. It's very homey.
I am curious, however if that baby sleeps in the bassinet next to the bed? She seems way too old to sleep in something so shallow.
So nice! If I may ask, what is the diameter of your round dining table?
Nice place! :)
One question, I know I've seen that coffee table before, but I can't remember what it is now, can anyone enlighten me?
Thanks!
Alex.
beautiful people. beautiful house!
Love the red Twiggy lamp and chandelier over DR table. Also love the "Happy Days" artwork (now the song is stuck in my head!) and love love love the cutie in the stripey tights!
As much as I hate to give Torontonians credit for anything, that is one adorable house.
When I have a baby I will be rocking the little one asleep in the Luca Glider ... have yet to see a better looking one around . Well done !!!
we're waiting for our glider to come in to the store! great to see photos of the designers and their inspiration, thanks for sharing
We have some monte furniture, and we are so happy with it. Nice to see their lovely home!
How do you like the Stua Gas chairs? I've had my eye on them for a dining room...
This is not usually my style, but this is warm and lovely and beautifully executed. I'd love to see close-ups of the three pieces of art in the hallway. Artist?
Great balance of design, color and art. A very happy home. Can you share where you purchased the gray with orange stripe hallway runner rug? Thanks for sharing your home.
To be honest, I find the place a little cool and not inspiring at all. It looks like a catalogue to me and not like a genuine home.
I like the seperate components, but the result looks as if it was put together within a week. I like home to grow and develope.
But: each to their own!
agreed
Where did they get that awesome lamp?!
Hey All...This is Michelle (and Ralph). Thanks to everyone for your comments...our home is a continuous work in progress, and we appreciate all the feedback!
In answer to some of your questions:
** High Chair: It's part of our monte line...please check our webiste at www.montedesign.net
** Bed in MB: We designed it and had it made locally in Toronto at Cabinet
** Baby bassinet: You are correct! Our youngest is much too old (she's 15 months now) to be in that bassinet. The picture was taken before she was born...we had one bassinet beside our bed and one on the main floor...very handy!!
** Diameter of our round kitchen table: 60 inches (seats 8)
** Coffee Tables in LR: Both the white and brown tables are by Botanist
** Stua Gas Chairs: Really like them...they've held up to quite a bit of daily abuse from the kids...also, they were the only chair I (Michelle) could sit in for long periods of time when I was pregnant...so comfortable!
** 3 pieces of art in hallway: We commissioned a local artist to take our wedding photo and both our parents' wedding photos and create abstract art with them...really great results! The artist is James Durant.
** Grey with orange striped rug: We designed it and a local rug company had it made.
** Red Lamp: Twiggy lamp
** Fireplaces: By a Toronto-based fireplace company called National Fireplace at www.nationalhomecomfort.com
Thanks again!
Michelle (and Ralph)
Can you tell me where you got the chairs that the kids are sitting in?
Like the house...don't like that the kids are in the photos.
this is not the site to put the little kiddies on display!
jijmjb - The kids chairs are the monte cubino chairs from their furniture company.
wow! i love every single thing about it!
What a beautiful bassinette! Lovely family and home. Happy Days piece = A .
Any idea where the "Happy Days" art is from? Love this house. Wish I had the talent and resources to live in such a place!
Where is the rug from? I love it!
I love this house and I love to see designs that are kid-friendly. It's great to actually see the kids using the furniture. With 3 small boys at our house, I am inspired by people who live with great design and a family of more than 2 kids!
Resources:
Lighting: Artemide (not Artimede!)