A Warm and Collected Lakeside Retreat in Toronto

Four years in the making, the 12,000-square-foot home gave Olivia and Jenna Botrie of Dart Studio the opportunity to shape nearly every detail. Working closely with the homeowners from the earliest planning stages, the sisters created a home that feels warm and collected despite its scale. Natural materials, muted color, vintage finds, and thoughtful custom details give each room its own personality while keeping the larger story cohesive.

Design: / Dart Studio / Photography: Niamh Barry / Styling: Me & Mo

A Gathering Place at the Heart of the Home

With a family this large, the main living spaces needed to feel generous without becoming formal. Dart Studio approached the open floor plan with multiple places to settle in, gather for meals, and linger long after dinner. Custom pieces from Abacus Furniture anchor the rooms, while rugs from Y&Co. help create intimacy within the expansive footprint.

The palette remains intentionally quiet. Benjamin Moore White Dove carries through the primary living spaces, while natural stone, warm woods, and layered textiles add depth. The designers describe their approach as “color non-color”—washed, muted tones that bring character without competing for attention.

The Lounge, Made for Slower Evenings

Of all the rooms in the home, the lounge may best capture its relaxed spirit. Designed as a cozy retreat after long summer days outside, it feels distinctly enveloping. Comfortable seating, layered pattern, and softer lighting give the room a sense of warmth that contrasts with the openness of the main gathering spaces.

Vintage pieces and collected objects play an important role here and throughout the house. Rather than scattering them individually, Dart Studio grouped finds into thoughtful collections. The result feels storied and personal without becoming overly styled.

A Banquette with a Sense of Humor

The banquette brings a more playful energy to the home. Tucked into its own corner, it has the intimacy of a favorite restaurant booth and naturally invites everyone to squeeze in around the table. A statement fixture from Urban Electric adds another layer of character overhead.

The portrait gallery above the banquette became one of the project’s most memorable details. Olivia and Jenna even invented stories for the characters while putting the collection together. It’s an unexpected moment that keeps the room from taking itself too seriously and speaks to the sense of personality woven throughout the home.

A Softer Approach to the Principal Suite

Upstairs, the principal suite shifts into a quieter mood. The palette is calm and restrained, with subtle pattern and texture doing much of the work. Custom furnishings continue the sense of continuity found elsewhere in the home, but the overall feeling is softer and more serene.

That balance runs throughout the entire project. From the natural stone supplied by Cava Surfaces to handcrafted-feeling fixtures from Mullan Lighting and richly painted moments like Sherwin-Williams Rocky River in the pantry and Suitable Brown in the powder room, every finish was carefully considered. The result is a home built for a large family, but designed to feel intimate, welcoming, and lived in from the very beginning.

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