Decorating Guides
Design Lessons From a Stylishly Evolving Home
Create a fresh take on your existing space with inspiration from a Canadian designer's own home evolution
Design is about solving a problem. Our homes, inside and out, are problems waiting to be solved. Luckily, if you're anything like me, they're fun and challenging problems.
If you're smart and ensure that your home functions well, you can solve the aesthetic problems in many different ways with the same materials. Most of the fun of interior decorating is the play — moving things around, standing back, taking it all in and moving things again. It's about finding the satisfying emotion you're looking for from the act of decorating.
Modularity is key to almost every object I bring into my home. I want to be able to use a piece several ways in different rooms to different effect. I also like to use different rooms in my home for different reasons to change the whole feel and experiment with new ways of functioning. Staying active in the evolution of your design is paramount to the ongoing evolution of your aesthetic.
Emma Reddington of The Marion House Book takes this notion to heart. She recently added another baby to her family and spent the months up to baby Orla's arrival reimagining her home in Toronto, Ontario. Her living room and dining room were swapped, and a few simple details turned the big brother's old bedroom into the new baby's nursery. The result is a new-feeling home, a new way of moving around the space and a new way of enjoying the things she already had.
If you're smart and ensure that your home functions well, you can solve the aesthetic problems in many different ways with the same materials. Most of the fun of interior decorating is the play — moving things around, standing back, taking it all in and moving things again. It's about finding the satisfying emotion you're looking for from the act of decorating.
Modularity is key to almost every object I bring into my home. I want to be able to use a piece several ways in different rooms to different effect. I also like to use different rooms in my home for different reasons to change the whole feel and experiment with new ways of functioning. Staying active in the evolution of your design is paramount to the ongoing evolution of your aesthetic.
Emma Reddington of The Marion House Book takes this notion to heart. She recently added another baby to her family and spent the months up to baby Orla's arrival reimagining her home in Toronto, Ontario. Her living room and dining room were swapped, and a few simple details turned the big brother's old bedroom into the new baby's nursery. The result is a new-feeling home, a new way of moving around the space and a new way of enjoying the things she already had.
A simple switch of furniture and the living room is now a sophisticated yet relaxed space that enjoys new light. The mirror, the wood stack, and the light fixtures all remained the same.
Mirror: vintage, Thrifttown; white oak table: UpCountry; chairs: Eames molded plastic, Design Within Reach; kilim rug: vintage, St. Lawrence Market
Mirror: vintage, Thrifttown; white oak table: UpCountry; chairs: Eames molded plastic, Design Within Reach; kilim rug: vintage, St. Lawrence Market
The dining room is the larger of the two spaces, and with a family of four, sometimes it makes more sense to skimp on space for a formal dining room.
Credenza: custom, Marion Melbourne Design; bentwood chair: vintage, Mrs. Huizenga
Credenza: custom, Marion Melbourne Design; bentwood chair: vintage, Mrs. Huizenga
The living room is now in the back room of the main floor. With no fireplace to contend with, the furniture layout becomes fluid. Again, art, accessories and lighting all stayed in place. Rearranging everything is a good impetus to inject some bright color and experiment with new textiles.
Pendant light: Mooi, Klaus; sectional: Bensen, Quasimodo; kilim pillows: Sukan, Etsy; coffee table, Bertoia chairs: Commute Home; rug: Thatch, Design Within Reach; flokati rug; Mrs. Huizenga; painting: Tony Scherman; photo: Eugen Sakhnenko
Pendant light: Mooi, Klaus; sectional: Bensen, Quasimodo; kilim pillows: Sukan, Etsy; coffee table, Bertoia chairs: Commute Home; rug: Thatch, Design Within Reach; flokati rug; Mrs. Huizenga; painting: Tony Scherman; photo: Eugen Sakhnenko
Her son's nursery was organic and neutral, and because she is a thoughtful designer, it's a simple switch to a new nursery for her daughter.
Crib, changing table: Nurseryworks, Ella & Elliot; tree mural: Inke Heiland, Ella & Elliot; carpet: Pottery Barn; pendant: Tord Boontje Midsummer Light; curtains: Ikea
Crib, changing table: Nurseryworks, Ella & Elliot; tree mural: Inke Heiland, Ella & Elliot; carpet: Pottery Barn; pendant: Tord Boontje Midsummer Light; curtains: Ikea
Adding a soft blue and cream striped rug and some additional storage baskets instantly updated the space and made it ready to welcome baby home.
Rug: Yacht Stripe Ocean, Dash & Albert; woven pouf: Serena & Lily; baskets: West Elm; curtains: Restoration Hardware
Rug: Yacht Stripe Ocean, Dash & Albert; woven pouf: Serena & Lily; baskets: West Elm; curtains: Restoration Hardware
The large custom credenza that was housed in the original dining room has been relocated to the nursery, providing ample storage. From barware to diapers!
Elephant mural: Inke Heiland, KolKid; lamp: Ikea; basket: The Arthur
Do you constantly reimagine your home? Share photos of your evolution in the Comments below!
More:
Old Dining Room, New Use
Elephant mural: Inke Heiland, KolKid; lamp: Ikea; basket: The Arthur
Do you constantly reimagine your home? Share photos of your evolution in the Comments below!
More:
Old Dining Room, New Use
Pendant light, rug, chairs, sofa, coffee table, mirror: vintage, Commute Home; artwork: Eliza Griffith