[Show slideshow]

“I have to be able to read in people what they can’t really see in themselves”
— Heather Segreti

It was 2009, and Carlo and Dora Baldassarra were weathering a brainstorm. The couple was in the midst of dreaming up the design concept for their custom 10,000-square-foot home in Kleinburg, Ont. They were craving something that spoke a different architectural language than the traditional Italian designs that seemed to be gobbling up the rest of their neighbourhood.

“They wanted a more transitional look,” says Heather Segreti, interior designer, who sat down with Dora over a mug of green tea to try and coax their new home from the abyss of scrambled ideas. “They had images in their mind that they relayed to me, and it was my job to make their vision become a reality.” Sparks flew, ideas bloomed and by the time they had reached the dregs of their tea, the blank canvas of the Baldassarras’ home was beginning to look promising, and the paintbrush was in Segreti’s hands.

Four years later, the estate is complete — and after Segreti put all her design secrets to use on the project, it’s just begging to be explored.

It’s an interior concept that gathers together simplicity and luxury, two of the themes that the Baldassarras hold most dear. Statuario marble, the priciest variety to be ordered by square foot, plays a vital role in the home — particularly in the kitchen, where the intricately panelled marble backsplash and countertop take centre stage, and in the master ensuite, which boasts a floor entirely built of the rock. To the untrained eye, the understated elegance of these creations betrays no hint of the painstaking process it took to bring them to life: imported from Italy, the slabs of statuario were strategically pieced together to mesh flawlessly.

“Some people might not see that connection,” says Segreti of minute details such as this that often go unnoticed. “But they’ll feel that connection.”

The showstopper, Segreti admits, is the great room. With its sky-high ceiling and angularity, the room is a testament to Segreti’s flawless melding of classic and contemporary. Without a colonial pillar in sight, it’s a successful stray from the neighbourhood norm.

“When I look at my home, I say, ‘That’s the house I was looking for for a long time,’” says Carlo, who moved in with his wife this past March. As the owner of Sora Construction for over 45 years, Carlo understood how vital it was to take the building and design process slowly — a decision that paid off many times over. The house, which holds three guest bedrooms on the second floor to accommodate four grandchildren and another on the way, is the materialization of what the Baldassarras envisioned four years ago.

And with a slew of sought-after features accenting the home — from the heated driveway to the wall-mounted home-automation devices, which allow Carlo to control the property from the likes of Florida or Italy, to the three-door garage that houses Carlo’s Ferrari 458 Spider, to the ensuite bathroom decked with a waterfall shower, heated towel rack and waterproof TV — Segreti didn’t miss a beat of the couple’s unique style. When asked what inspires her to include these concepts, the designer claims it’s her endless curiosity that allows her to really listen to clients and uncover which features will complement their lifestyle — a process she explains is almost like mind reading.

“When [the client is] telling me something, I’m listening to them but I’m also watching their body language. I’m looking at what they wear, I’m looking at what they show me in images that they like,” Segreti explains. “I have to be able to read in people what they can’t really see in themselves.”

www.segretidesign.com

Makeup & Hair: Gianluca Orienti/judyinc.com using Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Shine Spray to protect hair and TRES Two Extra Hold Aerosol Hairspray for a long-lasting style.