On the evening of November 13, Benjamin Moore and interior designer Colette van den Thillart joined forces in Toronto to host a fall buffet supper inspired by design legend Elsie de Wolfe. Van den Thillart, who operates her firm from Toronto but works globally, has throughout her career drawn inspiration from de Wolfe, the woman largely recognized as the first to establish the profession of interior design.

In 2024, van den Thillart acquired a collection of de Wolfe’s personal scrapbook albums, and she is currently developing a documentary about the designer. She also curated a collection of Benjamin Moore paint colors inspired by de Wolfe, including Peacock Feathers—selected in reference to a turn-of-the-century teahouse on Long Island designed by de Wolfe in 1915—and Timid White, which echoes the parchment covers of de Wolfe’s scrapbooks.

The evening was an occasion for van den Thillart to display a selection of the albums and ephemera from her extensive collection to 20 movers and shakers from the Toronto design community whom she welcomed into her home. In attendance at the private viewing were Gillian Gillies, Ernst Hupel of Fogo Island Workshops, Tommy Smythe and Kate Stuart of TOM Design Collective, and David Winterton of ERA Architects.

Guests were served cocktails such as The Lady Mandl, which de Wolfe—who was married to Sir Charles Mendl—invented in the early 1920s. A buffet supper prepared by The Salt & Pepper Catering Co. featured dishes from de Wolfe’s 1934 cookbook, Recipes for Successful Dining, including braised beef à la flamande, a vanilla cream cup, and a lobster cocktail made with gin. Members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra staged a special surprise performance in the entry hall, playing the first movement of Zoltán Kodály’s “Serenade for Two Violins and Viola.” 

“I was so pleased to have the chance to share some of the magic that is Elsie with my design colleagues at my home,” said van den Thillart. 

In her remarks that evening, she also shared that “Benjamin Moore was founded in 1883, just before the time that Elsie first started designing interiors. There is such synergy between the two—Elsie loved and championed the power of white paint her whole working life, and Benjamin Moore is an authority on color and has been a steadfast supporter of the design community.”

“The gathering offered a meaningful dialogue between heritage and modern creativity,” said Lauren Corbin, senior manager of A&D marketing and programs at Benjamin Moore. “Colette’s curated Benjamin Moore colors, shaped by Elsie de Wolfe’s enduring influence, enriched the evening’s narrative in such an elegant way. [The event] reflected the very spirit of what we aim to champion at Benjamin Moore: meaningful design, shared inspiration, a strong sense of community and the enduring impact of paint color.”