Designer Spotlight

Julie Charbonneau Takes a Bespoke Approach to Clean-Lined Design

A Julie Charbonneau Design room
Julie Charbonneau and Janinna Caverly

Janinna Caverly (left) and Julie Charbonneau are partners in the quickly growing Toronto firm Julie Charbonneau Design (portrait by Alex Evans). Top: This library of a Toronto home features a custom JCD sofa with a Stella lamp by CTO Lighting on the right; the glass coffee table is by Fiam (photo by Naomi Finlay).

The lament “They don’t make things like they used to” has a special resonance for some interior designers. Julie Charbonneau — principle, along with Janinna Caverly, of Toronto-based Julie Charbonneau Design (JCD) — is unquestionably one of them. Charbonneau finds anything synthetic, precast or prefabricated unacceptable. “It’s about being true,” she says of her design philosophy. “I like natural colors and materials. I like real bronze or linen. I don’t believe in faux finishes. Things should feel alive.”

That devotion to the genuine characterizes the work of her firm, and one senses it — if only subliminally — in every JCD environment. Substance, weight, materiality, authenticity: these qualities have attracted an international roster of clients whom Caverly describes as successful people in business and sports, as well as families of means. JCD works in Canada from coast to coast, but it has also taken on projects in Europe and is now getting others under way in New York and Florida. At any one time, the studio might have between 20 and 30 commissions in the works — impressive for a company that’s been around in its current form for fewer than four years.

Toronto living room by Julie Charbonneau Design

Phil by Chuck Close hangs on the wall of this Toronto living room. JCD designed the custom sofa, and the Aldo Tura coffee table was sourced through 1stdibs. Photos in this slideshow by Naomi Finlay

Second-floor landing and master bedroom by Julie Charbonneau Design

Left: On the second-floor landing, a Campbell bench from Chai Ming Studios and a shearling rug are positioned outside the master bedroom. Right: JCD designed the custom bed, next to which is a Colombo lamp from CTO Lighting.

Bedroom and dressing room by Julie Charbonneau Design

Left: A girl’s bedroom in the home features a custom sofa and nightstands by JCD, plus a large, cuddly teddy bear. Right: JCD also designed the custom sofa in this dressing room.

Dining room and breakfast room by Julie Charbonneau Design

Left: Art by Robert Rauschenberg is mounted over the mantel in the dining room. The sconces are by CTO Lighting and the banquettes by JCD. Right: In the breakfast room, a Lindsey Adelman pendant hangs over the JCD table and chairs. On the wall is a self-portrait by Chuck Close.

Living room by Julie Charbonneau Design

The living room of the Toronto home includes an Aldo Tura coffee table, R & Y Augousti bowls and a Porta Romana lamp. Photo by Naomi Finlay

Of course, its roots run deeper than that. Charbonneau’s mother “loved to move furniture around, and I became her design partner,” the Montreal-born designer says. She studied interior architecture and got her start working for a chain of fashion stores, where she headed up design and window display. When that company was sold five years later, she bought and renovated a house in suburban Montreal with the intention of flipping it. “I did everything,” she says, “even the runs to Home Depot. It taught me a lot about how construction works.” One couple who came for a look loved the house but not the neighborhood, so they bought elsewhere and gave Charbonneau her first interior design commission. She established her firm in 2002 and slowly developed a client base.

Charbonneau was introduced to Caverly by a mutual acquaintance in 2014. At the time, she remembers, “I was experiencing all the down sides of working by myself, designing only two hours a week because I had so much administration.” Caverly not only took that off her hands but also arrived toting a fat file of industry contacts. The Toronto-born management pro had already helped build another design business from the ground up, serving as vice president of the 30-person firm before connecting with Charbonneau. The pair joined forces in Toronto in late 2014; since then, JCD has more than doubled in size and currently has more than 15 employees.

Kitchen by Julie Charbonneau Design

A trio of Gabriel Scott Briolette pendants is mounted over the thick marble-topped island in the kitchen of a King City, Ontario, home. The artwork near the window is by James Lahey. Photo by Naomi Finlay

Charbonneau believes the firm’s insistence on quality and customization is an imperative, not a choice. “Every interior is different, and every client is different, so we have to adopt a bespoke approach,” she says. “We try to bring in new materials, new details. We spend a lot of time drawing completely new profiles for a door or finding new spindles for a stair and creating a baseboard that has marble insets.” The level of detail JCD achieves is impressive. The millwork is a tour de force, especially in the more classical projects. In one home, for example, a corridor is lined with baseboards that are a foot wide and stepped with a dozen levels. Above them are recessed panels and, at the hall’s terminus, a mirrored niche framed by elaborate pilasters. Meanwhile, the lintel over the kitchen range has about 20 hand-carved, stepped levels.

Integrity of materials is equally important to the designers. By fuming the oak they employ for parquet de Versailles floors, they bring out the wood’s beautiful figuration. Furniture and cabinetry are made of solid wood rather than of lesser materials masked with expensive veneers. Not only is the door of Charbonneau’s own Montreal loft constructed of solid rosewood but so is the generous paneling that frames it. When stone is used, whether rustic and honed or refined and polished, it is thick and substantial, and contrasting types are often juxtaposed, so that the characteristics of each are heightened. And there’s no bait and switch when it comes to construction components. “A lot of contractors use hollow beams and think you can’t tell the difference. But we can tell the difference!” Caverly says, adding, “Hand-painting the paneling in a library instead of spray-painting it takes double the time and double the money, so we’re very expensive.”

Ontario home designed by Julie Charbonneau Design

The formal living room in a Vineland, Ontario, home features a custom JCD sofa and chairs and an antique chandelier and table. Photo by Stacey Brandford

Ontario lounge room by Julie Charbonneau Design

The home’s lounge area is furnished in JCD pieces. Photo by Stacey Brandford

Rooms by Julie Charbonneau Design

Left: A looping Niamh Barry chandelier contrasts with the angled wooden beams in this King City, Ontario, home. Right: JCD designed the round table and plush chairs in the breakfast area. Photos by Naomi Finlay

Toronto living room by Julie Charbonneau Design

In a Toronto residence, a painting by Bobbie Burgers pops in the otherwise neutral-hued living room, which also contains JCD chairs and an antique chandelier. Photo by Andreas Trautmansdorff

a Julie Charbonneau Design room

The entry hall of the Toronto home features artwork by Robert Longo, a Lindsey Adelman Branching Bubbles chandelier and a Collection Particulière marble vase. Photo by Naomi Finlay

To allow these various elements to shine, the firm keeps its environments uncluttered and uncomplicated. “There should be one focus,” Charbonneau says. “I don’t do well with stuffy.” They are also generally monochromatic. “I like to work with a dark-light contrast,” she adds. Color and pattern show up only as accents. Not surprisingly, considering her firm’s emphasis on craftsmanship and quality materials, Charbonneau loves antiques. “It’s good to have a few signature pieces,” she explains. “It’s about how you put things together.” At the end of the corridor mentioned above, for instance, is a garlanded, gilt and marble-topped French Rococo table. A contemporary loft is graced by a vintage Arne Jacobsen Egg chair.

What can be said about all of JCD’s rooms — even the modern ones — is that they have a classical scale, order and symmetry. This rigor underlines the substantiality of the furnishings and materials, reinforcing the overall impression that these women respect and aspire to old-world design ideals. In other words, a historical orientation lends aesthetic substance to the material substance.

Julie Charbonneau Design is now exploring the possibility of licensing designs for interior door hardware, to be produced by one or more of France’s top manufacturers. But the more immediate plan, Caverly says, is to bring an architect on board, “so we can be fully turnkey.” That will likely make things even busier, at least in the short term. “Maybe I’ll clone myself,” she jokes.

“It would be nice to have more time in the day for both work and life,” Charbonneau adds. “But my past experience in this business? I wouldn’t change that for the world.”


Julie Charbonneau’s Quick Picks on 1stdibs

Hervé van Der Straeten bronze Branches mirror, 2008, offered by Maison Gerard
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Hervé van Der Straeten bronze Branches mirror, 2008, offered by Maison Gerard

“I admire Hervé van Der Straeten’s ability to meld inspiration from nature with some of the most luxurious materials and finishes.”

Pierre Paulin Ribbon lounge chair, Artifort edition, 2018, offered by Uber Modern
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Pierre Paulin Ribbon lounge chair, Artifort edition, 2018, offered by Uber Modern

“Pierre Paulin’s designs were so innovative in his time and still are to this day. Visionary works like his are simply timeless.”

<i>Self-Portrait</i>, 2012, by Chuck Close, offered by Dawson Cole Fine Art
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Self-Portrait, 2012, by Chuck Close, offered by Dawson Cole Fine Art

“Chuck’s art always feels so modern and relevant to me. I also feel that he is always inspiring the newest generation of artists.”

Pomellato 7.86-carat cognac-diamond Sabbia ring, 2015, offered by Zadok Jewelers
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Pomellato 7.86-carat cognac-diamond Sabbia ring, 2015, offered by Zadok Jewelers

“This Sabbia ring would be the perfect accessory to any outfit — although it may steal the show!”

Lindsey Adelman 10-globe Branching Burst chandelier, 2015, offered by Leclaireur
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Lindsey Adelman 10-globe Branching Burst chandelier, 2015, offered by Leclaireur

“Lindsey’s contemporary pieces have that rare flair that fits as well in minimal, industrial spaces as in rich, luxurious ones.”

Hermès toile canvas and Courchevel leather Sellier Kelly bag, 2010, offered by Iconic Vault
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Hermès toile canvas and Courchevel leather Sellier Kelly bag, 2010, offered by Iconic Vault

“I don’t think that any wardrobe can be complete without a classic Hermès handbag.”

Vladimir Kagan Cloud sofa, ca. 1980, offered by Converso
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Vladimir Kagan Cloud sofa, ca. 1980, offered by Converso

“All Kagan’s pieces are sensual, but I feel the Cloud series remains the sexiest of his designs.”

Piero Fornasetti for Rosenthal set of 12 Temi E Variazioni plates, 20th century, offered by Showplace Antique + Design Center
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Piero Fornasetti for Rosenthal set of 12 Temi E Variazioni plates, 20th century, offered by Showplace Antique + Design Center

“Fornasetti’s pieces are endlessly fascinating to me. There are hundreds of variations of this same subject, but each one is unique.”

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