Marcella DiLonardo - Her Modest studio

A number cruncher in Toronto's financial district by day and recipe developer by night—Marcella DiLonardo used to juggle two very different avenues before she committed to following her life-long dream of writing a cookbook. Today, she's a full-time writer, photographer, and stylist, delighting her audience with mouthwatering sweet and savory dishes on her blog and Instagram.

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From her studio in Niagara Region, she enjoys her first coffee and a shower of the morning sun pouring through the large window frames.
The studio is a recent add-on to the 1928 craftsman home Marcella and her partner, Justin, bought in 2016.

"It's truly the room our little house was missing, and I can't get over stepping into the studio every morning.
I spend every waking minute in here, from morning emails, to afternoon shoots, to relaxing nights editing by the fire," says Marcella.

Especially the lounge seating arrangement with the beige N701 sofa contributes to the flexibility that Marcella needs daily. "The cool thing about these sofas is that you can you build them into a modular sectional to fit any space. This is exactly what I need depending on what shoot I'm styling or staging."

To contrast the dark flooring and window silhouettes, it was a must for Marcella to integrate light, wooden furnishings into the space. She opted for a range of light oak pieces, like the Mikado coffee table, Spindle bench, and Wave storage sideboard and cupboard.

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Nothing in the space is picked unintentionally. Everything comes with a purpose or a story to tell, like the tiny, wooden 1960s New York yellow cab, originally meant for kids. Among the bigger pieces are the cupboard with the front glass doors. Marcella speaks enthusiastically about the functional aspect of the cabinet. "It holds my most used propsand pottery, and I'm beyond happy to finally have a place to display all my handmade pieces. It also makes picking props for a shoot so much easier when you can visually see everything."

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