Katherine Newman Design is a multi-disciplinary design firm combining the services of architecture, interior design and decorating, landscape design and construction project management. Katherine Newman Design is guided by the philosophy that the exterior and interior of a building are intrinsically related and that the design articulated within a space should be developed considering its physical envelope whether this be achieved by continuity or contrast. Rather than being defined by a single style, each project is approached as a distinct commission which considers the interplay between the function of a space, the unique requirements related to the client and the surrounding physical context. A diverse knowledge of historical and modernist details facilitates a remarkably bespoke product which, rather than relying on a literal purity of style, allows for the synthesizing of divergent aesthetics in a thoroughly original way. A hybrid language which rejects trends but rather looks to the past, embraces the present and considers the future. Extreme luxury is expressed through an art based, fully custom process which results in a refined and timeless environment.  A high level of technical mastery transfers from architecture to interior decorating affording the same control over the furnishing process whereby artisanal, one of a kind art pieces are realized. A couture approach involves the combining of works by both historical and contemporary designers with custom pieces unique to each project. A unique attention to detail and commitment to design integrity is very much rooted in a business model which limits the number of projects taken per year such that the two principles, designer Katherine Newman and architect Peter Cebulak, remain the lead team members for all projects. A Katherine Newman Design project evokes key words including elegance, refinement, restraint, nuanced, collected, evolved, artisanal, discipline, rigour and conversely dynamic, eclectic, spirited, whimsy, comfort and unexpected.  The firm sees no distinction between architecture, interior design and art. An extension of the firm’s creative activity includes commissioned paintings and sculpture by lead architect Peter Cebulak who spent much time during his university years living and painting in Venice prior to relocating to Toronto. 

 

Founded in 1991, Toronto based Katherine Newman Design is lead by designer Katherine Newman and architect Peter Cebulak. Raised in Toronto, Newman comes from a family ethos focused on the decorative arts including collectors, artists and designers. The pull towards the creative resulted in Newman leaving law school to pursue a career in interior design. Her work is informed by a familial affinity that celebrates equally the classical and the contemporary, infused with her own aesthetic language that has developed over years of practice and application. A consideration of design as an intellectual process leads to a polarity whereby the unexpected and the eclectic are rooted in a disciplined rigour. Impeccable detail expressed across a diverse range of vernaculars is the hallmark of her work. Born in Poland, Cebulak studied architecture at the University of Warsaw. Although trained in modern architecture, as a natural consequence of having been raised in Europe further enhanced by an innate passion, Cebulak is equally invested with remarkable skill for expressing historical detail. A bonafide artist who considered a career as a painter having won a competition in Italy as a young man and having been represented by a gallery in Venice during his university studies, Cebulak’s architectural projects afford him the opportunity to continue this artistic expression. Custom commissions including paintings and sculpture are typical of most projects. Newman and Cebulak, following the model of greats such as Lutyens and Frank Lloyd Wright, view the decorative arts as an integral element of the  architectural process. Much focus is devoted to interior elements such as decorative wall panels, metalworks, murals and marquetry all intended to create a harmonious balance between exterior and interior.

 

To ensure that the design intent is fully realized without compromise the construction arm, Katherine Newman Design Project Management has been providing full scale construction management services related to all residential projects for the past 23 years. Typical project scope is comprehensive and includes the design of new residences and high end residential developments. In addition to the fabrication of bespoke furnishing and lighting items specific to each project, an extensive furniture line Lona Design, established in 2000, is available to the trade through high end showroom.

Katherine Newman Design’s clientele consists of aesthetes interested in architecture and interior design which inspires and is unique. They have an informed sensibility which appreciates the unexpected expressed within the framework of quality and knowledge valuing authenticity and the reference to provenance in the pursuit of achieving timeless environments. Katherine Newman Design’s client base includes a lengthy list of repeat clients, having completed multiple projects for the same clients as well as for various generations of the same families.

 

Since 1991, the firm’s commissions include large scale prestigious projects throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.  Completed projects include a 25,000 square foot Ranch in the mountains of British Columbia, a 50,000 square foot French Style mansion in Toronto, a 8,000 square foot Shingle Style residence in New Jersey, a 15,000 square foot Mediterranean style residence in Miami, a 10,000 square foot modernist Mediterranean style residence in Nassau, Talisker corporate headquarters in Toronto, private apartments in New York City including multiple residences at the iconic One57 and Carlton House, a high end residential building in New York City among countless others. Katherine Newman Design has been published in the most prestigious international design journals and has been included among the Architectural Digest's Top 100 Architects and Designers and was named House and Home’s 2017 Designer of the Year.

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