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He was born in Richmond Hill, Ontario where he still visits his childhood home to reminisce about the good old days.
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A Home theatre with a black wall covering and carpet along with puffy black couches is an added boon to the basement, the best place to hang out and have a movie marathon during the weekends.
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A luxurious bathroom and walk-in closet is provided to accommodate the couple’s stylish collection and requirements.
Connor McDavid is a professional ice hockey player and the captain of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League. He was born in Richmond Hill, Ontario where he still visits his childhood home to reminisce about the good old days. In one of the episodes of the ‘Go Auto’ youtube series titled ‘At Home with Gene’, the professional player pays a visit to his old abode where the entrance leads down to a living room furnished with wooden walls and flooring coated in rust pink. The walls are lined with shelves consisting of family photos while a pink leather sofa sits in the middle of the living room with a complementary coffee table. The house was of a vintage boho chic style, the kind of décor trending in the 90s.
Moving on a few years ahead, Connor McDavid decided to move to his new house in Edmonton which was designed by the Design Two group, and his girlfriend Laura Kyle who is coincidentally an interior designer. The mansion was designed keeping in mind the climatic extremities since Edmonton is a cold place. The façade is a modern blend of dark colors holding thin sheets of reflective glass, giving the building a sleek look. The style represents abstract cubism but in a darker tone which appears contrasting to the skyline. This is done to give the well-lit interiors an expensive touch after dawn. The materials used are stone, concrete, wooden paneling, and glass sheets. A series of stone steps that emerge from rubble set in between shrubs of green and brown lead us to the main entrance. Evergreen trees give the surrounding a rocky context as they turn into a brilliant shade of gold during autumn.
As we make our way into the three-story mansion through a video by Architectural Digest, the ground floor has an open floor plan where the living room also called the T.V room has a U-shaped Timothy Oulton velvet sofa, large enough for a mini-congregation with friends and family. The sofa is studded with fluffy cushions and faces a set of two circular coffee tables creating a comfortable lounge. Bronze metal panels face the sofas giving the space an elegant finish. Just when one thinks they’ve perhaps missed out on the T.V, the panels are slid over to either side to reveal a huge T.V. The entire space is a projection of earthy tones.
Adjacent to the living room stands a large dining space consisting of a black wooden table lined with green suede chairs on either side. A series of bulbs hang over the table in a grid-like pattern to illuminate the area well. A green bronze panel covers a series of shelves in front of the table revealing a built-in bar when slid over. Next to the panel stands a plant vase breaking the monotony between the shelves. The space further continues into an open kitchen cladded with black, giving it a modernistic touch. Part of the kitchen flows into an outdoor space divided by thin sheets of glass in between which stands a white-veined island lined with grey stools and a single bar light hanging over the island. The outdoor space has two sets of couches with a pair of pyramidal patio heaters that help the space serve as a snow bed for their pet dog, Lennard.
McDavid also escorts us into his office space where Kyle mentions that this was her favorite space as the office had a massive view of the outdoor spaces which helps one connect with the world and relax when they want to. Two pendant tetrahedron-like fixtures hang over the office table with a leather office chair. A small white office sofa leans against the glass pane along with a huge abstract painting hung on the opposite wall lined with narrow vertical panels painted in black.
Climbing down the stairs into the basement, we walk into an enclosed lounge where natural light is completely blocked out to give the area a moody look, with pops of colors added using neon lights fixed in the form of cursive writing stating, ‘If you don’t like dogs get out’ against the black background used throughout the whole space. McDavid then brings us to a bigger bar stacked with colored wine bottles of different brands acting as a partition wall between the bar and the lounge consisting of black velvet sofas. An Abstract painting by Flore adds more color to the bar. The sofas face inwards with two sets of coffee tables acting as a social space used when their friends come over. Adjacent to the lounge stands a party-like niche with a pool table over which balloon-like pendants are suspended, driving the players’ focus to the game. Three portraits of Andy Warhol, Jimi Hendrix, and Jack Nicholson overlook the pool table, adding a bold touch to the black monotone. The portraits are nothing but the biographies of each one of them.
A Home theatre with a black wall covering and carpet along with puffy black couches is an added boon to the basement, the best place to hang out and have a movie marathon during the weekends. A counter lined with candy jars has also been provided to add to the enjoyment. In contrast to the dark entertainment spaces, a well-lit gym overlooking the sports court is one of Connor McDavid’s favorite spots. The walls are white while the flooring is black demarcated with white lines. The color combination helps reflect light off the surfaces. Each of these rooms contains a wide variety of exercise equipment that help them stay active indoors. The gym is accessed by a set of foldable stairs.
To add to the comfort of the visitors, a guest bedroom is provided on the other side of the dark lounge. The transition between both these spaces is from darkness to light. Since the bedroom is located at the basement level, a lot of artificial lighting over the white-washed walls provides an impression of a well-lit space. Kyle used a clever mix of white and black on the marble walls and flooring to give the illusion of good lighting provided in the bathroom.
Mcdavid finally guides us to the top-most floor leading to the upstairs lounge which is one of Kyle’s favorite places to sit and brainstorm over her design ideas. The lounge consists of a simple coffee table surrounded by two identical couches facing each other with fabric stools placed at the corners. Behind one of the couches stands a showpiece table. Light pours into the lounge through large windows. A fireplace faces the lounge with a hidden T.V that can be slid down when required.
This space bifurcates into the master bedroom where McDavid came up with the idea to customize their bed with a T.V attached to the footboard. They could just slide the T.V up or down as they pleased! A black surface is provided behind the headboard to prevent any glare from the screen while watching T.V. A large stream of natural light washes over the bedroom through the wide floor-to-ceiling windows. A black reclining shaggy chair from Elte sits beside the bed serving the purpose of a reading nook. A luxurious bathroom and walk-in closet is provided to accommodate the couple’s stylish collection and requirements. Art from Gray Malin hangs on the white marble wall of the bathroom consisting of a bathtub, a spacious shower cubicle, and a beautiful vanity counter adorned in white. The bedroom is connected to a balcony through a narrow corridor lined with a trio of Andre’ Monet collages. A set of RH Bungee patio furniture, patio heaters, and a fire pit occupy the patio providing an expansive view of the river valley. An infrared sauna, was also added to rejuvenate after a long day of work.
The thoughtful use of the color scheme throughout the interior and exterior spaces showcases an excellent way of reflecting and absorbing light in the right proportion. The material choices and lighting gives the mansion a rich look.
Reference links:
- Connor McDavid: Inside the Cozy Modern Home of Hockey All-Star Connor McDavid from https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/inside-the-cozy-modern-home-of-hockey-all-star-connor-mcdavid
Last edited on 23rd November 2021
- Inside NHL Star Connor McDavid’s Cozy Modern Home fromOpen Door AD| Season 1| Episode 90
- Episode 9: Conversations with Connor Mcdavid -Go auto from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-rUCEJS8xQ
