Life Video·On the Inside

Inside a colour-drenched condo that's the epitome of 'restrained maximalism'

Stylist Chad Burton’s home is painted top to bottom and adorned with fashionable tchotchkes.

Stylist Chad Burton’s home is painted top to bottom and adorned with fashionable tchotchkes

Call to mind a condo and you may think of a modern blank canvas at best or a boxy space devoid of character at worst. Chad Burton's condominium in Toronto's Little Portugal neighbourhood couldn't be further from the stereotypes.

A man sitting in a chair in a living room in front of a fireplace.
Chad Burton in the living room of his colourful condo. (CBC Life)

The separate living room makes the home where Burton lives with his husband, Burger, and their cat, Terrence, feel more like the main floor of a house to him. Curves also feature throughout the space. Burton added a pair of symmetrical archways off the living room, and a barrel archway between the entry and kitchen. He even created an archway for Terrance to pass through en route to his litter box.

An archway in a kitchen doorway leading to the entryway of a condo.
A grey cat walking through an arched cat door cut out of a door.
Archways feature prominently in Burton’s home. A barrel archway connects the entryway and kitchen (top), and even Terrence has an archway in his cat corner. (CBC Life)

Burton — a fashion, still life and interiors stylist — shares that his space is accentuated with stylish "tchotchkes" and souvenirs from worldwide travels. 

Closeup on colourful ceramic decorative objects on a bookshelf.
Closeup on white and blue decorative objects on a bookshelf. One is a white marble horse head-shaped match holder.
Objets are on display on shelves and throughout all of the rooms. (CBC Life)

Some of the ceramics on display are Burton and his husband's creations, including the custom handles on the secretary desk. "Burger created these beautiful little ceramic pulls based off our cat — including the little butthole," said Burton.

Close up on cabinet doors that have white ceramic handles shaped like cat butts.
Closeup on desk drawers with white ceramic cat-shaped handles.

But perhaps the defining design detail of Burton's home is colour. 

From walls to ceilings to desks to cabinets, virtually every surface has been painted, and each room in his space has a colour story. 

Closeup on a pink stone fireplace mantel in a living room. It's decorated with candles, flowers and a painting.
Condo entryway with a painted striped cabinet with shelves over top to display colourful decorative objects and books.
Burton took pains to bring a heavy stone fireplace surround into the living room (top), where it matches the warm red walls perfectly and creates a strong focal point. A painted cabinet hides shoes in the entryway, where the walls are limewashed in a sandy hue. (CBC Life)
I like to say I use restrained maximalism — bringing a lot of objects and ideas to the table but thoughtfully curating them and allowing for moments of calm and quiet.

Inspired by terracotta tiles, Burton painted the living room a warm shade of red. In the kitchen slash dining area, he took inspiration from the travertine table and selected creamy tones for the walls, cupboards and ceiling.

A colourful living room with 2 archways on a wall and a stone fireplace in between them. The archways lead to the entryway and to the kitchen.
Interior of a living room with an archway leading to the kitchen. A stone fireplace sits to the left of the archway.
A kitchen with light green cabinets, an island with stools, a white stone dining table and white dining chairs with curved design at the top of them.
Curved archways between rooms and curves on the cabinet pulls and chairs add to the design continuity. (CBC Life)

And for the sole bedroom, Burton used colour-drenching to its fullest extent: painting the walls, ceiling, custom cabinets and chair a powder blue, and bringing in linens and upholstery of the same shade. Powder blue curtains hang at the window, and Burton also hung a powder blue curtain in place of a bedroom door, which he loves for its ability to muffle sound. 

An all-blue bedroom with a bed, chair and built-in cabinets on either side of the bed.
A blue bed in an all-blue bedroom that has built-in cabinets on either side of the bed.
Burton washed the bedroom top to bottom in powder blue. (CBC Life)

Punctuating the wash of blue are small hits of red, including a red picture frame hanging on the wall. "There's like an 'unexpected red theory,' where a little pop of red works in every room," said Burton. "And it kind of does."

A Noguchi-style pendant lamp hangs above the bed. "It's kind of like a soft floating cloud in a sea of blue sky."

Watch this episode of On the Inside to see Burton's vibrant yet refined home, and read on to learn more about his approach to balanced decorating.

An archway leading from a colourful living room to a kitchen in a condo. Text on screen says 'On the Inside.'

Chad Burton on home decor and design 

(As told to CBC Life. These answers have been edited and condensed.)

I like to say I use restrained maximalism — bringing a lot of objects and ideas to the table but thoughtfully curating them and allowing for moments of calm and quiet. 

Our place is a colourful and quirky version of Spanish revival meets English countryside meets '80s modernism. 

We just surround ourselves with colours and objects that make us happy.

 

A man standing in the entryway of his condo, pulling a book off of a shelf.
Closeup on 2 ceramic decorative objects on a book on a coffee table. One is a cat head wearing a crown. The other is a martini glass with shrimp cocktail.

I feel like the arches we had installed really stand out [to guests] — especially the striped barrel arched tunnel leading from the entryway to the dining room. They're also drawn to the powder blue colour-drenched bedroom.  

Colour choice can come very easily sometimes and work immediately, but other times can take a bit of work to get right. So swatches and sample tins, and seeing colours next to each other and at different times of day, is important when choosing.

A man turning off the lamp above his bed in an all-blue bedroom.

I would say my home is saturated, cosy and full of joy. 

We just surround ourselves with colours and objects that make us happy. Some items are trendy, but some are vintage and timeless, and it's that mix of high and low — and how they interact with each other — that makes the space our own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yasmin Seneviratne is a producer at CBC Life, an editor and a creative director.

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