Sabrina Albanese is seen in her favourite room, her Toronto home living room on June 2, 2015.Jennifer Roberts/The Globe and Mail
Thanks to her fashion studies at Ryerson University in Toronto and the prestigious Central St. Martins in London, as well as a five year stint as the co-owner of the clothing label Wolves, Sabrina Albanese brings a well-trained eye for colour and texture to the eponymous decorating company she launched in 2013. The 33-year old Torontonian creates striking interiors for residential clients along with a home accessories line, consisting of mammary motif pillows and jewel-toned throws, sold through her website, creatingcozy.com. Examples of her new housewares collection fill the 660-square foot loft where she's lived alone for the past six years. Featuring 10-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the space with natural light, Albanese's living room is decorated with brightly coloured furnishings that make it the home's focal point. "It's so multilayered with so many things to look at," she says. "It's my style to have lots of points of interest."
The easel
"I paint and give my paintings away as gifts. I get commissions, too, sometimes. I love painting in this room because of the high ceilings and natural light."
The flowers
"I love Hydrangeas and I especially love them when they are blue. They have a beautiful texture. They make a room happy."
The coffee table
"This is from Umbra, and it was a gift from my friend, Matt Carr, who is Umbra's director of design. It's made of Plexiglas and I like that it's clear and doesn't take up a lot of visual space in a room that is small to begin with."
The photograph
"This was a birthday gift, given to me by photographer David Gillespie. He had it in a show and when I saw it I fell in love. It was shot in Muskoka, in a boathouse, and I like the warm tones, the suggestion of summer and Canada, and also the uncomfortable look on the boys' faces. It's as if they were thinking, 'why's this guy taking a picture of me?'"
The couch
"This was given to me by a friend. It's made of super hard foam, which is why I like it. I like my couches to be really hard so they don't lose their shape or dent."
The carpet
"This geometric rug is my design. It's got all the pretty colours that I love. I had it made at Reznick Carpets here in Toronto."
The pouff
"I designed this using some leftover Missoni fabric I had from another job. It was just kicking around and I thought to make a pouff out of it. It matches my pillows."
The lamp
"That's a Jonathan Adler. It's an iconic lamp from his collection. I got it at the Jonathan Adler store in New York and had it shipped to Toronto. I love the quirkiness of the booby texture. Everyone who comes to my apartment photographs it. There's a booby theme to my home and it fits right in."