Mason Studio’s Kimpton Saint George is an Ode to Toronto

Ottawa artist Laura Langford’s Marble Moon artwork hangs above Mason Studio’s custom telephone table, tying the room’s many rounded shapes together.

Rich colours and attention to detail give this hotel a renewed sense of place

By Sara Cunningham
Photography by Naomi Finlay for Kimpton Saint George

Before interior design firm Mason Studio came aboard, this Bloor Street hotel was a generic Holiday Inn with little connection to the city. “Tired, dated and dark,” according to the designers, it required a complete over-haul. Mason Studio began by combining pairs of existing rooms into large suites, stripping them back to their stud walls so that the wiring and switches could be reflowed to match the new layout.

Crisp white bed linens by Frette, available at Elte, break up the grey-green-blue palette, while intensely saturated pillows and side chairs amp up the suite’s look.

Next, they designed custom furniture to impart a residential feel and jive with their grey-green-blue palette range. The rounded oak armoires with inset cane doors echo architectural arches found elsewhere in the hotel, while telephone benches featuring metal frames, upholstered leather seats and built-in marble side tables create mini entryways reminiscent of home. Finally, dark green applied moldings give the suites an intimate, lived-in feel. kimptonsaintgeorge.com

The Takeaways

This is your snuggle zone: put comfort first! Mason Studio embraced woven carpeting with a mid-scale pattern to dampen sound and give feet a cushy landing pad – a cheaper, comfier alternative to hardwood.