Livable luxury

‘A truly luxurious interior feels curated rather than purchased’

Article content We independently select everything we recommend. Buying through us may earn us a commission, which supports our work. Hear the word ‘luxury’ and you might automatically associate it with ‘expensive.’

But there’s so much more to luxurious interiors than price tags. “Liveable luxury is about nuance,” says Danya MacLean, founder and principal of Toronto-based Danya MacLean Design. “We often associate luxury with expensive light fixtures, loud finishes and obvious statements but that’s rarely where the magic lives.”

Recommended Videos Rather, the most affecting interiors are the quiet ones, she maintains. “The room where you’d expect a crystal chandelier, yet instead a thoughtfully designed coffered ceiling creates depth, warmth and a beautiful ambient glow. The finish that rewards a closer look.

The detail you feel before you can name it.” Subtle detail MacLean is drawn to intentional choices, layers of subtle detail and elements that feel discovered rather than displayed. “Nothing announcing itself.

Everything earning its place,” she says. “Excess, by contrast, tends to come from insecurity – the impulse to signal rather than to create. Authenticity comes from restraint and confidence; from knowing that the right detail in the right place is more powerful than 10 obvious ones.”

A truly luxurious interior differs from an expensive one because it feels effortlessly authentic; curated rather than purchased. “You sense that every decision was made deliberately in service of the people who live there.” MacLean maintains spaces should be defined by the people who live in them and how they choose to use them, not by conventional expectation.

“Sometimes that means designing a spectacular dining room that comfortably hosts 20 guests,” she says. “Other times, it means eliminating the dining room altogether. Sitting rooms become art studios, libraries or creative retreats.

The gym that was once an afterthought evolves into a fully realized wellness and spa experience within the home.” That represents a significant shift. “Traditional luxury was oriented outward – rooms that existed for occasions, spaces that performed for guests.

Today’s most successful homes are oriented inward.” Personalization Luxury has always been about transcending the universally available. Personalization is just the “most direct route” there, MacLean advises.

“The era of the recognizable interior is over at the top end. It’s not about walking into a house and spotting a well-known sofa or designer wallpaper. Those things are widely available.

You can buy a famous piece of art to enhance a wall, but you can’t simply buy the feeling of the afternoon light spilling across a room designed around the art. That’s the difference.” When designing spaces, MacLean focuses on the functional details that are often overlooked but have the greatest impact on how a home feels to live in every day.

“Are there outlets exactly where you’ll need them, thoughtfully integrated into the millwork and tucked away from view? Is the lighting doing more than simply decorating a room? Does it act as an architectural feature, evenly illuminating spaces, washing walls with light, and highlighting art and materials in a deliberate way?”

MacLean also appreciates concealed storage and purpose-built utility spaces. “Something as simple as a discreet cleaning closet on each floor can make daily life easier. Anyone can specify beautiful materials,” she says.

“Almost no one asks where you plug in your laptop in the kitchen or whether you’ll be carrying a vacuum up the stairs for the next 30 years. Those decisions aren’t visible in a photoshoot. They’re invisible until you move in and then they’re felt every single day.”

Priorities Wellness spaces have become a top priority and that “makes sense,” MacLean reports. “Home is where we spend most of our time and clients are increasingly investing in spaces that make that time better, not just more beautiful.” When features like built-in saunas, steam showers, cold plunges and fully realized gym spaces are woven into the architecture of a home rather than treated as afterthoughts, they reshape daily life, she explains.

“The difference between a treadmill in a spare room and a dedicated wellness suite you actually want to spend time in is significant. One gets used out of obligation; the other becomes a ritual.” Finally, MacLean cautions against following trends too closely because doing so results in interiors she likens to “fast fashion – in one season, out the next.”

The better approach is to separate what’s permanent from what’s not. “Invest in the enduring bones of a home: the architecture, the millwork, the materials that age beautifully and hold their relevance. Those decisions should be timeless,” she says.

“Then layer in the styling – textiles, art, objects – where trends can come and go without consequence because swapping a cushion costs nothing compared to ripping out a kitchen. A well-designed home shouldn’t need to be redone every few years. It should evolve.”