STARTING FROM SCRATCH

The story of one creative couple, their power tools and their adventures transforming their house into a home.

TEXT IRIS BENAROIA PHOTOGRAPHY ANGUS FERGUSSON

STYLING ANN MARIE FAVOT

A reciprocating saw is not what youd expect to find on a bridal registry. But Jennifer Flores and Sean Stanwick had a specific plan for their wedding booty. Shortly after the couple married in 2007, they purchased a modest 1950s home in midtown Toronto. It was boxy with a red brick exterior and was owned by an older woman who shared the space with her cats. Most notably, the interior was blanketed in pink shag carpeting, including an upstairs bathroom.

PRETTY FUNCTIONAL

Elegant and light filled, the charming Toronto kitchen of Elle Jungkind looks like something that could be found in a New York apartment or a Parisian pied - a - terre, so its hard to believe it developed out of something a little more mundane. "It all started with the introduction of Torontos recycling services," says Elle, who owns the interior design firm Elle Maison Design. Her kitchen couldnt accommodate a recycling container, a green compost bucket and a garbage can, so she set out to fix the problem. "I had seen those clever trash compartments that are part of new kitchens and they could easily go underneath my sink."

FAMILY TIES

With its glass - tiled backsplash, all - white cabinetry and luxurious quartz and marble countertops, this decidedly chic kitchen doesnt exactly shout "suitable for kids." But thats exactly what it is.

Creating a bright, family - friendly space had been a top priority since Sarah and Aaron Smith, both engineers, moved into this Calgary home about three years ago. Originally, the room, with its overbearing cabinetry, felt very dark and confined. Flow between the kitchen and dining area was awkward, and features like an ineffectual pass - through on one side and low - hanging cabinetry on another didnt help. "If people were standing on the other side of the counter, they had to duck down below the cabinets to see you," says Sarah.

Best of the Best

Its French Art Deco, and its Tiffany," says Jodi Pollack, senior vice president and head of the Department of 20th - century Design at Sothebys. "Those are the two markets in which weve really been proactive in trying to get fresh, top - caliber material." As collectors continue to be both selective and unpredictable in their purchases, all the major houses are pinning their hopes on those and other proven blue - chip sectors in this months 20th - century design and decorative - arts auctions in New York and Chicago.

The December 15 sale at Sothebys, estimated to earn between $6 million and $8 million, leads with two spectacular works by renowned Art Deco ebeniste Emile - Jacques Ruhlmann: a dressing table and chair made of Macassar ebony, shagreen, and ivory and a burled - walnut cabinet with a central silvered - bronze mount depicting a dancing woman, similar to a piece that brought $917,037 in the Chateau de Gourdon sale at Christies Paris earlier this year. Another standout is a rare Gustav Stickley china cabinet, featured in the retrospective of the American Arts S Crafts master that wrapped up a nationwide tour in September. .

Auction houses cannot resist the temptation to hike estimates far too high in the hope of wooing consignors. This can kill a market, even when it is awash with cash the stupendous upheaval that shook the market for the "arts of the Islamic world" at the early October auctions in London is bound to have repercussions far beyond this particular category.

Never had the highly efficient Sothebys conducted a widely publicized sale of a noted private collection in which more than two - thirds of the lots —31 out of 44 to be precise —remained unsold. Such was the case on October 4 in a special evening session intended to lend solemnity to the occasion. The day after, in two long sessions dealing with property from various owners, the number of failures exceeded half the lots. .

JOINED UP THINKING