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PEOPLE in Food & Entertaining

Eric’s escape

By Kathryn Kates

Q: What does your home look like?

A: I live in a two-storey brick house with a narrow veranda across its width and gabled windows on the top two rooms facing the street. If I remember correctly, the realtor described it as a cottage design when we were buying it. This is to distinguish it from the tall narrow Victorian houses, which are such a feature of Toronto, and to make a virtue of the fact that the house has no attic. The roof is the ceiling of the second-floor bedrooms. The east side of the house is bounded by an alley, as is the north end of the lot.

The rear of the house has a rather large porch with many odd-sized windows that we have incorporated into the kitchen. This sunny room has double doors opening directly into the back yard, which has a very modest garden and a large two-car garage that was probably originally a barn. This wood structure was converted into my studio/office space with a single-car garage.

Inside the house, which is square, there are four rooms on each floor. The main floor has a Wedgwood blue living room with white trim and taupe foyer at the front and the dining room and kitchen at the back in a light green with hardwood floors.

Upstairs, there are four bedrooms and a bathroom. The master bedroom is painted a mid-tone green. We have maple hardwood upstairs.

This is not a large house by any means, but with the vaulted ceiling of the living and dining rooms, it gives the impression of a mini-mansion.

Q: What attracted you to this house?

A: I lived in a semi-detached two-storey house about half a block away on the same street.

We wanted to stay in the area, though not necessarily across the street, but when this house suddenly came up for sale, we were very interested. It was a house I had always admired: It seemed so snug and cosy, it was detached and it had a garage — no more street parking.

Q: What is the decor of your home like?

A: The decor of our house is an accurate representation of the people who live in the house — my wife, Annie, and our two teenage daughters, Molly and Katie.

There’s a graffiti wall in Molly’s bedroom and pictures of Orlando Bloom in Katie’s. The house is eclectic, original, a bit cluttered and messy.

Q: What is the most exotic decor piece in your home?

A: Exotic doesn’t really come to mind when I think of the decor of the house, though there is a rather nice Arts and Crafts chair from the set of Billy Bishop Goes To War. In the play, I could stand on the arms of it while enacting one of the dog fights, and I can still, should the mood take me. When John Gray and I performed Billy Bishop Goes To War, our run lasted longer than the actual First World War.
The chair is my treasured memento of that endeavour.

Q: Did you renovate yourself or use professional services? 

A: We renovated somewhat when we moved into the house. Two very good architect friends, Jana Levitt and Dean Goodman, designed and made suggestions for us, and we’re still very good friends.

The contracting was done by a group of enthusiastic artists and artisans. It took a little longer than expected but was generally a positive experience. It was all done the way Annie and I wanted.

Q: What is your favourite room?

A: My house is full of women and animals. We have a lot of pets — cat, dog, budgie and a rat and I love them all. My studio in the garage allows me to live with them in comparative tranquillity, because it allows me my very own space.

It is my favourite room. It is full of books with a counter desk running across one wall. One wall is stained tawny mustard brown and the bookcases are terracotta, another wall and the ceiling are white and the fourth wall is all glass french doors.

The floor is a deep brown. It has a wood stove, which is very pleasant in the cold, wet winter. Here I can make as much noise as I want while rehearsing a part.

Q: What and how much was your most expensive renovation project?

A: The restoration and creation of the studio-garage. It was about 20 grand.

Q: What was the last thing that needed fixing around the house?

A: I replaced the eavestrough. I did it by myself, which is quite a feat when you think about it. How does one hold the end of an 11-foot gutter while attaching the other end?

Q: What was your worst decorating choice?

A: Having hardwood floors in the kitchen. My wife disagrees with me vehemently. In our house, the kitchen is a high-traffic area, and the hardwood has worn out. My wife would like to refinish the floors, and I would prefer to lay ceramic down instead.

Q: What home renovating challenges lie ahead?

A: Painting the interior.

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