I have often heard May referred to as May-hem, especially from my clients and friends with kids. It has a similar rhythm to December I feel with many competing events and deadlines and the arrival of family members home for the (summer) holidays.

May is when the city as a whole transitions to summer mode, even though its still spring. This year it really did feel like a switch was flipped at the start of the Victoria Day long weekend, temps that had been seasonally low, soared to become seasonally high and the annual search in our closets for lighter weight clothing appeared overnight. 

Summer cottages are generally reopened in May and the sometimes weekly drive to and from begins and the city becomes to feel a little more spacious at the weekends with so many people away.

Life tends to accelerate at this time of year, we all begin to emerge from our cocoons, we want to tend our gardens, go for walks, eat on patios and plan vacations and nights away. It can feel if we don’t jump right to it, we might miss the opportunity to feel the sun on our faces and sit and exhale with loved ones. 

I feel our homes have to work extra hard during these seasonal shifts. The weight and heft of winter is lifted and packed away and our doors and windows are at long last open to welcome in a soft breeze. 

At this time I often think about the spaces in our homes that work the hardest, often behind the scenes – the ones that we need to support us. 

The Laundry Room Deep Dive

Laundry rooms have really evolved from the dark and musty smelling corner in the basement to an increasingly multi-functional space. They play a key supporting role in a household and are no longer an afterthought. 

In our designs we often find a larger laundry room on the main or lower level with a more compact space for stacked machines on the second floor. 

These functional spaces affect well-being just as much as beautiful living spaces – having a zone to launder that includes a space to dry your clothing is so important. 

We always want to know how clothes are dried in our clients homes. Does everything go into the dryer or does the majority need space to hang to dry. Planning for this is critical in making the space a success as no one wants to have damp clothes overflowing into other spaces to dry. 

Laundry Rooms are especially important in busy family homes and cottages and are often combined with the mudroom and pet washing station. 

We like to use porcelain floor tiles for their durability and resistance to stains and we love to have fun with colour as there is no reason why a space that is functional can’t be good looking!!! 

What Makes a Great a Great Laundry Room

Let’s look at this laundry which is an extreme example of a makeover! 

The original laundry room was a closet with a stacked washer and dryer and minimal storage. The original layout did not take into account the door swing on the appliances (the washer on the bottom was hinged on the left) and it was really hard to get things in and out plus there was no space to dry anything. 

We needed to carve out some additional space and to do this we extended into what was the powder room. 

My client also had a guest bathroom that was located opposite the powder room and felt that it was unnecessary to have both and we agreed. So the powder room was removed and the new space was formed. 

The door opening is in the same location but the space from the sink cabinet and beyond to the appliances was taken from the powder room. We added a reeded glass door to allow light to filter in from the hallway. 

A hanging rod allows for ample space for clothes to air dry and there is a pull out wall mounted drying rack out of site of this image. 

What we delivered for our client – 

Improved Flow – this space supports our client

Concealed Storage – good function comes from things having a known place

Durable but Tactile Materials – the floor is planked porcelain

Ease of Maintenance – laminate cabinets on the lowers are super durable

Great Task Lighting – means no dark corners

We also introduced our client to detergent sheets for washing which take up little to no space and mean you don’t have to store huge bottles of detergent. 

Good design comes from good planning and I find that hidden function creates calm and beauty changes behaviour.

Taking Control

Preparing our homes for the warmer months ahead can feel overwhelming but if broken down into zones it can make all more achievable. 

I always start with the mudroom / hall closet / entry – clear away boots and coats that you won’t need or want to see until the fall. 

Then I move into my own closet and edit what is in there and add back in what was removed last fall. 

From there I always feel a need to update what is in the bathroom – skincare, sunscreen – I take a good look at all and edit. 

Then it comes to bed and bath linens – lighter weight, linen and cotton is my perfect combination.

In the main living spaces I’ll edit my throws and cushion cases and I do enjoy moving around my accessories and books. It gives the place a whole new look. 

Window screens are cleaned and put back in place – I always remove mine over the winter. 

Finally its the kitchen – now this is the last place for me as its not really my domain, but even I know that there are small appliances, utensils, linens and other stuff that we use seasonally. So this too is reshuffled. 

This may all sound like a lot but if you get into a quarterly routine of editing and shifting things its not a massive chore and believe me all feels so much lighter at the end and there is joy to be found in being to find things with ease! 

In Print

For two months in a row we are in print – the latest edition of House & Home features our Lawrence Park project! 

Grab a copy now and delve into this colourful, joyful home. 

What’s Next

Thank you for reading this month’s journal!

In June I am very excited to be heading to Copenhagen for 3 Days of Design, which will also allow for a holiday in Stockholm and Edinburgh and then a sourcing trip to London which will coincide with Wow House at Chelsea Harbour. I shall post some of my finds on my Instagram stories, but most of the time I plan to stay simply immersed and present in the here and now. 

Wishing you a wonderful June,  

Gillian 

Credits, images, musings and some more contents of my head.

Trio of header images 1-3, 6 & 13from our Lawrence  Park Family Home project. Image 4 & 7 Entrance Foyer and Mudroom from our Net Zero Ready Home, Image 5 from our Midtown home  Our before and after laundry room was part of an entire Old Mill Condo renovation.

Photography in images 4 & 7 by Younes Bounhar from DoubleSpace Photography All other photos by Virginia Macdonald 

Copyright © 2026 Gillian Gillies Interiors Inc., All rights reserved

The post Designing for the Rhythm of Everyday Life appeared first on Interior Design Toronto | Gillian Gillies Interiors.

 We have had a very busy March in the studio – multiple clients (old and new), guests (Christina’s mum visiting from Mexico, as well as a  designer-girlfriend lunch and the gorgeous Fogo Island Inn / workshop family) and multiple reps visiting the studio with the past week being particularly people heavy. 

Having new eyes in the studio always makes me want everything to be seen in its best light, for first impressions to simply make people feel good, and for all to feel in harmony. I call this the rhythm in the studio and its made up of multiple things, many of them unseen and somewhat intangible. 

From the studio fragrance in our diffusers at each entrance, to our blend of music, to Reba and the presentation table swing. 

I want our visitors, however fleeting in our four walls, to know that they have come to the right place, that their needs will be taken care of. 

The loveliest thing that guests can say is that the space is so me, so Gillian Gillies Interiors. What they feel and see in person in my studio is what we show on our socials and on our website, all these threads connect back to our brand of interior design and level of service.

The rhythm and threads are what I have been refining going all the way back to working for a design studio in Scotland and to opening up my own one here. 

If the rhythm is off or the threads become tangled all can feel forced and inauthentic. 

My studio, my team, the trades and vendors we work with all have to be in harmony or else things feel fake and forced.

I look at my studio and the selections I made a little over seven years ago and I still love and stand by them all, and that is the recipe for long lasting design and harmony at home. 

Our role is to find the magic in the space, find the unseen, get at the core of what our clients really need and bring these often and sometimes competing things together without them getting tangled or missing a beat. 

Its a craft and I am so lucky to have this career, this opportunity and to share it with my wonderful team. 

Self Care – Let’s Design A Sleep Sanctuary

Living through a global pandemic resulted in seismic shifts in how we live and flow in our homes. In almost every project, the need for wellness at home is a client request – from gyms to sauna’s, cold plunge pools and steam rooms,  all are aimed at improving our well-being without having to leave home to do so. 

I feel strongly that self care starts with a great nights sleep and if you often feel like you have to travel to get a good nights sleep its maybe time to consider a bedroom refresh. 

I think its one of the kindest things you can do for yourself (and those that you live with) is to start your day rested and refreshed. 

Let’s look at a few key areas to consider in your own Sleep Sanctuary!
 

1.Light Control

Darkness for most of us aides in making sleeping consistent regardless of the season. Blackout lined curtains to me are non-negotiable. I like mine to extend past the window and return back onto the wall so that you don’t get that awkward chink of light shining in your eyes as the sun rises. 

They are also great at muffling street noise, if that is something you contend with on a regular basis. From garbage trucks to car alarms and barking dogs, life in a city can be noisy and thick lined window coverings can be really helpful at dampening all. This bedroom has four windows split over two walls and so floor length curtains were a must! 

Darkness tells the body its time to decompress and to go to sleep. 

2.Great Bedside Lighting

Many of us have partners that read longer than us in bed or maybe we are in fact the culprit. Reading lights on the headboard wall can mend all bridges if someone likes to stay up later than the other and read. 

I do still like a bedside lamp for decor and general lighting, but a reading light is the mother ship and many come with an option to also illuminate as a very soft night light if you need to get up in the night and want a little light cast to lead your way, or if someone is coming home late, its a lovely thing to leave on. 

We like to pair our finishes with the headboard material so in this case, in the room above the heathered wool headboard blended beautifully with the oil rubbed bronze finish on the reading lights that complimented the ceramic base on the table lamps (rhythm and thread people, rhythm and thread!). 

3.A Tidy Space

I dislike clutter in a bedroom and something that is key for me to get a good nights sleep is a tidy room. 

Having tailored storage for you and your stuff is really soothing to me. The window seat in the room above is a perfect spot to place the decorative cushions from the bed when its turned down for sleeping. There is a ton of dedicated storage in this room that makes the space work really hard at keeping clutter at bay. 

4.An Area Carpet

Not only will your toes thank you on a chilly morning, but area carpets like window coverings add a layer of acoustic insulation. If your bedroom is above the family room and someone likes to stay up late and watch TV, a plush carpet on the floor can help to reduce noise transfer.

5.Bed Linen & The Perfect Mattress

Finding the perfect mattress is a lot like Goldilocks and the three bears, it can take time to find the right one but when you do its life changing. 

Competitive athletes know the benefit to finding and sleeping on a mattress that will work for your body and your ideal sleeping position (many travel with theirs) and there are specialists that we work with to assist our clients and fit them the right mattress a little like a bespoke suit.

We always want to ensure that headboard materials are free from any chemical solvents – its awful that we even have to research this, but in our society’s need for things to always look new and perfect a lot of awful things have been added to fabrics in recent years, so we ensure we source with care. 

The same goes for your bed linens and how you launder them. Toxic and fragrance free laundry detergent should be the only things in your home for washing your bed linens.

I hope this Sleep Sanctuary insight was helpful. 

Sleep is so important and a few aligned changes can really make the world of difference. 

Thank You!

Thank you for being one of my readers! 

Hopefully by this time next month we will have warmed up a little, as here in Toronto its been one of those springs where you don’t know what way is up and what coat to wear in the morning. 

Wishing you a lovely April and hopefully there will be spring flowers in your future and less coats. 

Warmly 

Gillian 

Credits, images, musings and some more contents of my head.

Trio of header images 1. &  2. sourced on Pinterest. Eggs from Etsy and the Ceramic Pendant is from Boha.

All of the bedroom images are from GGI projects and are shot by Virginia Macdonald and styled by Me & Mo. 

Copyright © 2026 Gillian Gillies Interiors Inc., All rights reserved.

The post Rhythm & Thread appeared first on Interior Design Toronto | Gillian Gillies Interiors.

That heavy feeling of not feeling at ease, at not being able to easily find things or put them away, or to feeling like they are the only one who can find and put things away is a frequent occurrence.

Often heavily used areas such as entrances, mudrooms and family rooms become like a jenga puzzle, where at any moment all might topple in, leaving the homes inhabitants buried in a mountain of stuff. 

There is nothing like (what seems like) a never ending Canadian winter to highlight your homes areas of friction. With so many layers worn, boots and mittens coming in often wet and sometimes salt encrusted it is no wonder that people at this time of the year loose hope in ever feeling sane again! Even the family dog has coat(s) and boots… 

So in this month’s journal I thought I’d talk about design challenges we have overcome to help with the bottle necks at your homes main point of entry as well as your mudroom by doing a bit of a deep dive into two different homes. 

This journal does tie back somewhat to last month’s piece on “Are Adult Women the Only People Who Now Use Coat Hangers” a read of this might also be helpful as it shines light on the whole hangers v hooks debate. 

Front Foyer & Mudroom Design

Case Study #1

The front door entrance can be a tricky one to navigate – we want it to look good but it also has to be really functional. In the home above we came up with a a couple of solutions to ensure all was streamlined and organised throughout the year taking into account the flux of seasons and the things that this brings into our homes. 

In the image above the front foyer storage is intended purely for guest coats and shoes. The homeowners use the mudroom entrance from the garage which we’ll showcase next. 

What we did here to encourage flow and reduce friction – 

1.

The space is generous but too narrow to accommodate a standard depth closet that needs around 25” of depth. Instead we opted to have a narrow closet where the rods run front to back accommodating enough hangers for guest coats.

2.

We raised the millwork of the floor. The space beneath was specifically scaled to accommodate rubber trays for winter boot and shoe storage. This way footwear doesn’t become a tripping hazard or block the entrance to the front door. We sourced and supplied the boot trays before we approved the millwork shop drawings.

3.

We sourced and scaled an indoor outdoor mat that fits perfectly in the space and allows room for people to enter, remove their shoes before entering the home. I like indoor outdoor mats that are of a similar colour to the floor. 

4.

The closet doors were upholstered to elevate the finish level. The upholstered banquette was covered in mohair – one of the softest yet most durable and hardworking fabrics you can use. The bench allows guests to sit down and take of their shoes with ease. 

5. 

The walls are wrapped in beautiful matte vinyl from Holly Hunt that looks like a woven textile but is in fact super durable. 

The home’s mudroom looks like this – it is accessed via the garage or from the side door which is how the home owners and their dog generally enter and leave. 

1.

Similar to the front entrance all the millwork was raised of the floor and boot trays were sourced prior to millwork drawings being approved. Benches with drawers look ‘’nice” but no one puts footwear in drawers and its easier to tuck all under the millwork where its easy to see but not in the way. 

2.

Yes we have wall hooks!! These are unseen in this image but on the wall opposite the millwork we have 16 wall hooks. They are set in a double height row and staggered to allow for maximum use and flexibility. This is for coats and jackets that are currently being used and they also hold dog leashes.

3.

The millwork holds outdoor clothing not in use or pieces that are better hung on a hanger than a hook. The ventilation holes allow for air flow and prevent anything damp getting musty.

4. 

The upholstered bench allows for a comfy perch and the baskets hold seasonal things such as caps and hats!  

5.

Walls are covered in a gorgeous large scale wallpaper – I actually have this in my studio and the client saw it there, loved it and so we found a home for it here. 

Case Study #2

A charming front foyer above that welcomes you from our Lawrence Park project.

1.

This clients love of pattern and play is up there with mine and this diminutive foyer still has room for drama. The ceiling is wallpapered using the iconic Brunschwig & Fils – Les Touches paper which was originally launched in the mid 1960’s. 

2.

A dynamic upholstered bench with a wrap around tray top to hold your phone or a spot to leave your bag! Everyone needs a spot to sit and remove their shoes or to regroup and arrange the contents of their handbag!

3.

The pendant  light fixture has sunshine yellow silk shades that glow when illuminated and are seen all the way through to the family room. 

4.

Unseen on the left hand side is a deep closet with tailored hanging and space for guest shoes. The floor is heated which adds another layer of comfort when you are shoeless.

5. 

A leaning full length mirror allows for that pause before you depart. 

This mudroom allows access from both the garage as well as the side door and its generally how the family leave and enter. This room is so good I have added another image below as it doubles as a doggie spa.

1.

Heated floors are a must in this space and we used a porcelain tile for maximum durability and ease of use. The tile has a light terrazzo feel and the chips of colour hide family life with two dogs!  The walls are covered in a very durable vinyl wallpaper in a botanical print that keeps everything looking ship shape.

2.

More open storage beneath the wooden benches that allows for shoes and boots to be tucked away. The seat height is 19” and so there is 17” of height below. 

3.

We opted not to upholster these benches as the space is more often used for backpacks and things in transition in and out of the home and the wood surface was more practical. 

4.

Through the opening (seen above) there is deep shelved storage on either side for bags and assorted misc mudroom and pantry items. 

5.

The doggie shower is great for both pets and muddy and winter boots alike. A really practical addition to this family home. A sink in a mudroom is a lovely treat – great for when you have been gardening, or cleaning up and the storage holds all the dog food. 

Frictionless Living in Review

Case study one was a newly constructed home and case study two was an extensive renovation in a home that was around 25+ years old.

Both homes had their unique quirks and challenges that we were able to present design solutions for. But as you can see both follow a similar model of development to assist in making entering and leaving as frictionless as possible. 

Thank You

Thank you for being one of my readers! 

Next month I will let you know some of the things I learned from a neuro-architect on a recent design immersive I attended. 

I’m constantly learning and seeking new ways to fully understand what makes us all (including myself) tick. Good design isn’t just pretty things, its functional (and good looking) things that make us known we have been heard and seen during the design process, its living with ease and less friction.

Wishing you an ease filled March! 

Warmly 

Gillian 

Credits, images, musings and some more contents of my head.

Trio of header images 1. English country home – Belmont Home  2. Leather clutch image – original source unknown. 3. Our entrance foyer at our Midtown Quiet Luxury project.

4. A foyer from a past project of ours, here we cleverly re imagined a rad cover to also have storage with addition of a drawer and a stone top! 5 & 6 are images from our Midtown Quiet Luxury project

7, 8 and 9 are from our Lawrence Park project 

All of the GGI images are shot by Virginia Macdonald and styled by Me & Mo. 

Copyright © 2026 Gillian Gillies Interiors Inc., All rights reserved.

The post Living With Ease appeared first on Interior Design Toronto | Gillian Gillies Interiors.

 In January, the weather has certainly kept me on my toes and it has made walking Reba more like an antarctic adventure at times. I pass my fellow dog owners, all bundled up and muffled, we wave our chubby insulated mitts at each other and don’t pause to chat. 

Having a dog in the winter however is a lovely thing, especially if they love the snow like my girl does. All she needs is a dusting and she’s in it headfirst, performing the dog version of snow angels and jumping around like a cross between a show pony and a rabbit. 

She makes me see the fun and adventure in it all!!

I had a lovely quiet time over the holidays, the Scottish poet Donna Ashworth refers to it as ‘’wintering” which I think is simply perfect. I left my computer at my desk and wasn’t tethered to my phone.  Instead I managed to read three books and around twenty magazines. I adore the flip of the switch that occurs when everything slows down and you can simply be, my inbox slows to a kinder more reasonable level of mail (nearly all unsolicited and not worth reading) and I love to spend more time with the printed page than an illuminated screen.

My winter holiday readings are noted at the end of this journal if you are looking for something to delve into this winter. 

But firstly my trend for this decade or maybe its simply a statement of fact in my humble opinion! 

Are Adult Women the Only People Who Now Use Coat Hangers?

There I’ve said it on the printed page, and its something I’ve been discussing with clients. No one seems to hang anything up anymore on a hanger or use a towel bar in the bathroom unless you are of a certain vintage and that never used to be the case. 

I love a good coat hanger, love arranging my closet in seasons and colour blocks from light to dark with splashes of colour in-between. But many days I feel like this way of living may go extinct in favour of folding (sometimes simply stuffing) or hanging things on wall hooks. 

I say this all without judgement just a healthy dose of curiosity. 

I first noticed it during 2020, everyone and their stuff was at home and it wasn’t pretty. 

Bedroom and bathroom floors in my clients kids spaces would be littered with clothing and damp towels. In several homes we removed the hanging rods completely from their kids closets, in some instances even the doors, and made their closet interiors look more like a mudroom – wall hooks, open cubbies and shelves.

Towel bars were removed from bathroom walls in favour of wall hooks. 

It’s just so much easier to get someone to hang something up if it doesn’t involve any friction and who doesn’t want to live a life with more ease?

I’d love to hear your comments on this thought.

 Even in my own studio especially at this time of year I tire of us all stuffing our puffy coats onto hangers and then into the closet – a wall of hooks would be so much simpler, but then I’d want that concealed behind a door so it wouldn’t feel like we were working in a locker room. 

Hanging Towels on Hooks – 5 Things to Consider!

1.

Having heated floors in your bathroom will assist greatly in the drying of your towels. Something to consider – as a damp towel in a non-heated, poorly ventilated space will simply begin to smell over time. 

2.

When purchasing towels consider ones with built-in loops for hanging. This works really well with smaller hand or guest towels which don’t always hook well. 

3.

Hand towels in a powder room that gets used frequently by multiple people, need multiple towels. This is where wall hooks work really well – hang three in a row and have an abundance of towels instead of just one.

4.

Same thought for a family bathroom with multiple people sharing, hooks allow for each person to have their own towel and we love (of course) mixing colours and patterns so each person knows which one is theirs at a glance! 

5.

A plain linen hand towel looks wonderful when pressed but a little bit awful once its been used. Consider waffle towels or those with texture and pattern to minimize the looks of creases and crunches. 

My (so far) Winter Reads!

I read the following books over the holidays & would highly recommend them all. 

1.

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

This was a selection for my book club and I loved this book, not everyone did. Split into two halves, the first is seen through the eyes of university professor Tom (he lives in 2119) and whose studies are centered around the time period 1990 – 2030, and who has an obsession on the lives of a poet and his wife from this time. 

The second half, my preferred half, is from the poets wife’s journals. 

It shows us, that even with all the technology, all the oversharing on social media, it is very hard to know the real truth and what makes a person tick. It’s also a terrifying glimpse into climate change and missiles gone awry. 

2.

Property by Kate Caley

This is Toronto writer Kate Caley’s first novel. Centered around  a street and its residents in an up and coming Toronto neighbourhood. The novel spans a day. It is a tale of no matter how well we think we know – or simply judge to know our neighbours, we never really know what goes on behind closed doors or in our big heads. Its also a tale of renovating for profit without any care or concern for the workers or the neighbourhood. 

This could all be happening on a street close to you which is what makes it a compelling read! 

3.

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

Truthfully this was a reread as I had purchased The Black Wolf at Louise Penny’s book event at Massey Hall last November, and I knew a refresh of where all was at was needed before I dived into her new one.

As the titles suggest this is a 2-part series although with all her books in the Inspector Gamache series, they can read individually although I think best together in sequence.  

I adore the stories of  Armand Gamache and the village of Three Pines. I won’t give anything away but this and the Dark Wolf make for an at times very unsettling but thought provoking read!

Thank You

Thank you for making it to the end of the first of my journals for 2026. 

Within the walls of our studio I am excited for what we are creating and what we will be sharing with you in print and online soon. 

We have two projects being published in print in the spring and I am excited for both to hit newsstands. There is nothing like seeing your work in print. My first project to be published was in 2001 in Scotland, not long before I moved to Canada, we also got the cover of Homes & Interiors Scotland which was a massive achievement. 

January brings IDS (Interior Design Show) to Toronto. I am hoping for lots of Canadian content and to meet makers and new industry contacts. 

Wishing you a heart filled February!  

Warmly 

Gillian 

Credits, images, musings and some more contents of my head.

Trio of header images 1. Green scarf and sand coat – sourced on Pinterest, original source unknown. 2. A very cozy bedroom by Susannah Holmberg Studios

3. Creamy Hot Coconut Hot Chocolate by Half Baked Harvest. 4. Her Majesty aka Reba. 5. A shot of a Sezane store interior. 6. Altuzarra interior. 7. Organic brass wall hooks by Mi & Gei

Book covers as linked above! Me and my girl on a snowy winter hike in Caledon.

Copyright © 2026 Gillian Gillies Interiors Inc., All rights reserved.

The post Hello 2026! appeared first on Interior Design Toronto | Gillian Gillies Interiors.

I have more knowledge than I had at this time last year. Its a privilege to keep on learning and growing, although I’ll freely admit that some days I feel like I’ve grown enough and I just want things to stop and stay the same. But in the words of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus ‘’change is our only constant”. 

I love my chosen career as every day is different, every client and every project is unique, and I pride myself on always trying our very best for each and everyone. 

Allowing us into your home isn’t something we take lightly. Not every project or person is fit for us and we are not a fit for everyone. But when we – the project and the studio align then we get to make magic happen. And we do love to make magic happen. 

There is a special kind of chemistry when trust and values align. It sometimes doesn’t show until the very last pillow is placed but when it does everything simply sings. 

I’m not a pushy person by nature but I know when something will work, when a ‘’risk” needs to be taken and honestly, the risks are usually what my clients love and resonate with most. The pattern and play and finding the pieces that talk to them, that will say – hello, you are home, you are safe and surrounded with the things that will support and nurture you – this is what good design does. 

Life can be all too serious a lot of the time and I love the sense of play we can bring into a space. Everything needs to be designed to meet the end purpose, materials have to specified correctly, but I adore a cheeky wallpaper, a happy light fixture or a piece of your kids art framed and placed on a gallery wall. I love these moments of relief, a chance to exhale to remind ourselves to laugh and play and simply be. 
 

This year has given me several special design related travel trips that have formed a lot of my design direction this year. From Sweden, to Madrid, London, Oaxaca and Fogo Island my design travel bucket is brimming with new found feelings and things I want to create and share. 

Travel keeps me moving forward. I love to be immersed in other cultures, to see how people, live, laugh and celebrate, what nourishes and nurtures them. From food to art, architecture and nature, I love to experience it all.

With Gratitude

It takes a village to do what we do and although its my name over the door I am deeply indebted to my all female team who get things done with compassion and creativity – Silvia, Cristina, Tricia, Bonnie and Reba. Each plays a part in making everything come together. Her majesty aka Reba is our personal support dog – always available for a cuddle or a walk around the block when you need to talk something out.  She’s a mighty good listener. 

To all our trades, vendors and suppliers thank you for making our projects shine and for turning our drawings into reality. 

To my clients thank you for your trust, it is never taken for granted and we aim to raise the bar time and time again. 

To everyone who reads our newsletter or follows us on social media, thank you for coming along for the ride. 

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season filled with love, rest and kindness. 

This to me, is the perfect recipe for a life lived well. 

Warmly 

Gillian 

Credits, images, musings and some more contents of my head.

Trio of header images and thank you note all taken from Pinterest and found on our Seasonal Board. Image 5&6 from our Lawrence Park project, photography by Virginia MacDonald. Image 7 taken by me at Ett Hem Stockholm. Image 8 of yours truly taken recently at a holiday design party, and yes I was the only one with a cup of tea, but I like to keep things authentic!!! 

Copyright © 2025 Gillian Gillies Interiors Inc., All rights reserved.

The post My Creative Year appeared first on Interior Design Toronto | Gillian Gillies Interiors.

Alongside this creative immersion, I’ve been captivated by several female-focused documentaries that explore resilience, artistry, and the power of women shaping their worlds. Together, these experiences form a thoughtful lens on how travel, storytelling, and lived experience continually inform the way we design for well- being, beauty, and the rhythms of everyday life.

My journey to Madrid this November centred around the Design Leadership Network’s annual summit—an immersive gathering that brings our industry together each fall in a new global city. This year, more than 300 designers, architects, builders, editors, and industry partners converged in Spain’s capital to explore its layered history, its modern spirit, and the craftsmanship that continues to shape its built environment.

The summit offers rare access: behind-the-scenes tours of storied buildings, private residences, and ateliers typically closed to the public. Yet, as meaningful as these curated experiences are, the true heart of the trip often reveals itself in the in-between moments. The unplanned conversations on a shuttle between visits, the unexpected seat partner who shares a perspective you didn’t realize you needed, the exchanges over meals that quietly deepen professional and personal connections.

As the event has grown to nearly 350 attendees, its impact has grown with it—demonstrating the strength, diversity, and shared curiosity of our design community. Madrid proved to be a vibrant backdrop for this year’s learning, reflection, and inspiration, offering a richness that continues to echo through my work.

A Night with Lorenzo Castillo

Of all the memorable moments in Madrid, one in particular continues to shimmer in my mind. Before the summit officially began, we were welcomed into the home of famed Spanish designer Lorenzo Castillo for an intimate dinner of just forty guests. It was an extraordinary privilege—and for me, an evening I will not soon forget.

Castillo’s textiles and wallpapers, distributed by Gaston y Daniela through Kravet Canada, have long fascinated me. His work is steeped in history and classicism, yet his colour palettes feel utterly modern—fresh, unexpected, and full of life. To step into his home was to see this duality brought into three dimensions.

The rooms unfold as a masterclass in maximalism: layered, collected, and completely unafraid of pattern or personality. Every corner reveals another vignette, another treasure, another dialogue between eras and influences. It is a space that rewards curiosity, inviting the eye to wander and linger, which I did!

I had the tremendous fortune of sitting beside Lorenzo for nearly an hour over dinner. To hear him speak about his inspirations, his craft, and his love of colour and antiques in such an intimate setting felt like a dream realized. The experience was not merely a dinner—it was an immersion into the mind and sensibility of one of Spain’s most distinctive design voices.

Inside the Playful and Private World 

of Marta de la Rica

Another unforgettable moment from the summit was stepping inside the home of Spanish designer Marta de la Rica. Whenever a private residence appears on the itinerary, I am the first to sign up—there is simply no substitute for experiencing how a person (especially a designer) lives, thinks, and layers a space for their own family. This visit was no exception; in fact, it was a standout.

Marta purchased a humble building on an unassuming street, just beyond the boundaries of central Madrid’s tightly regulated historic district. While that offered some creative freedom, the renovation was still far from straightforward. What followed was a seven-year journey from inception to completion—one that spanned not only the life of the project but several pivotal chapters of her own. During that time, she married and welcomed three daughters.

As Marta shared with a smile, the long timeline turned out to be a gift. Had the home been finished sooner, she said, she would have built for a completely different life. Instead, the space evolved with her—becoming a vibrant reflection of a growing family, a shifting rhythm, and a designer with an irresistible sense of play, colour, and individuality.

The home feels deeply personal and beautifully lived-in, a reminder that the most compelling interiors often emerge not from speed, but from patience, perspective, and the courage to let a space unfold alongside life itself.

Porto: A Quiet Pause and a City Wrapped in Pattern

After several full—and fully energising—days in Madrid, Porto offered a welcome exhale. This was my first visit to Portugal, and it certainly will not be my last. The summit is exhilarating, but it is also intense: long days, constant conversation, and a steady hum of activity. For someone who happily identifies as a sociable introvert, the mix of large groups and continuous noise can be taxing, even when the company is wonderful.

Dean joined me for the Madrid leg (he had his own fun time in the city while I was at the summit), and our four-day escape to Porto was exactly what we needed. The moment we arrived, the city cast its spell. What captivated me first were the vintage tiles—those extraordinary azulejos that wrap the façades of homes and storefronts in colour, geometry, and history. They quickly became both a visual delight and a personal grounding point.

Their rhythm and repetition soothed my mind, offering a quiet counterbalance to the pace of the summit. And, rather unexpectedly, they became my navigational guide. I am not known for having a strong sense of direction, but the patterns, palettes, and motifs helped me orient myself as we wound our way through the hilly streets back to our hotel.

Porto was a reminder of how design—especially design rooted in craft and tradition—can calm, centre, and gently lead us through unfamiliar places. It was the perfect interlude.

Stories of Ambition, Reinvention & Relatability: Victoria Beckham & Martha Stewart

I grew up with Victoria Beckham—at least the public version of her. Like many of my generation, her rise through the Spice Girls and her transformation into a fashion figure felt familiar. Martha Stewart, on the other hand, didn’t enter my orbit until I moved to Canada in 2002. Her highly publicised challenges followed soon after, shaping the limited understanding I had of her at the time. Beyond owning a few of her books and having some of my work featured on her website over the years, I knew remarkably little about her.

Watching both documentaries was unexpectedly fascinating, but it was Victoria’s story that captured me first.

What struck me in her documentary was the depth behind the persona. Beneath the polished veneer is someone who is disciplined, witty, and surprisingly self-aware. The narrative traces her evolution from pop icon to designer, revealing the intentional and sometimes painstaking steps she took to shift public perception. Boy has she worked HARD! Seeing her in her studio—focused, collaborative, and fully engaged in the craft—was a reminder of how much unseen labour goes into building a brand that is both respected and creatively relevant.

Her honesty about the pressures of public life, the resilience required to reinvent oneself, and the discipline with which she approaches her work offered a far more nuanced portrait than the one many of us grew up with. It felt refreshing, grounded, and in many ways, deeply relatable for anyone striving to carve out a path defined not by expectation, but by intention.

My understanding of Martha Stewart, prior to watching her documentary, was almost comically incomplete. She wasn’t part of my upbringing in the UK, and when I arrived in Canada in 2002, the first real headlines I encountered about her were tied to her very public challenges in 2004. Beyond that, my connection was limited to a few of her books on my shelves and the occasional thrill of seeing my work published on her website. I knew the brand, but not the woman.

The documentary shifted that entirely. What stood out most was Martha’s extraordinary capacity for reinvention. Her career path from model, stockbroker, caterer, media founder to global tastemaker. Each chapter seems to have emerged from a combination of sharp intuition, relentless work ethic, and a willingness to embrace opportunity before most people even saw it coming.

But what fascinated me was not just her ascent; it was the way she navigated her setbacks. There is a strength in her ability to rebuild—quietly, steadily, and on her own terms—that is both instructive and inspiring.

Her world, with its emphasis on home, craft, and the rituals of daily life, has shaped how millions of people think about domesticity. Yet the documentary reveals someone far more layered than the polished image on the cover of a magazine: a businesswoman with formidable vision, an instinctive strategist, and a person who has never stopped evolving.

In watching her story unfold, I realised how little I had truly known—and how compelling her journey of resilience, reinvention, and unapologetic creativity really is.

Creativity, Curiosity & What Shapes Us

As I look back on this past month, what stands out most is the interplay between travel, conversation, and storytelling—how each one broadens our perspective in ways both subtle and profound. Madrid offered the vibrancy of shared creative experience, from intimate dinners with design legends to private homes that reveal the lives and layers behind the work. Porto provided the quiet pause I didn’t know I needed, wrapped in colour, pattern, and the gentle rhythm of a city that invites you to slow down and simply look.

And in the quieter moments between unpacking and settling back into studio life, the stories of Victoria Beckham and Martha Stewart surprised me with their depth. Each woman has carved out a life defined by reinvention, clarity of purpose, and the willingness to keep evolving—reminders that creativity is as much about resilience as it is about vision.

November has been a month of refuelling: through architecture and craft, through conversations that linger, through travels that shift your sense of place, and through stories that encourage you to see familiar figures in new ways. All of it folds back into the work we do at the studio—design that is informed by experience, enriched by curiosity, and shaped by the belief that our environments profoundly influence how we live.

As the season turns and we look toward the close of the year, I hope you too find moments that inspire, steady, and delight you. 

Thank you for following along, 

Warmly, Gillian 

Credits, images, musings and some more contents of my head.

Trio of header images from left to right 1. Yes, I want to stay here – La Certosa in Tuscany 2. Simultaneous Dresses (Three Women, Forms, Colours) by the Ukrainian-French artist Sonia Delaunay – this piece captivated me at the Museo National Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid. 3. Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain.  4.Pablo Picasso – Glass, Bouquet, Guitar & Bottle. 5 & 6 Gillian and a room in Lorenzo Castillo’s Madrid home. 7 – 9 Photos from the home of Marta de la Rica, taken by Gillian. 10 – 12. Gillian’s photos from Porto. 13 & 14 Courtesy of Netflix. 14. Yours truly doing a bit of high stakes hat shopping in Madrid. She’s a beauty and I got her home in one piece!!  

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