Phew! Just snuck this in before the end of the month! Welcome to the second installment of our new monthly feature, HGTV.ca Original Home Tour, in which you get to peek inside real homes of real people, not at all styled, propped or staged -- this is really how some people live...Sigh.
Who: Designer, chef and writer of cute blog TheMarionHouseBook.com, Emma, and photographer/producer Myles, married, with son Henry, 18 months.
What: Late 19th C. detached Victorian house; 2 stories; 1 bathroom; 4 bedrooms; approx 1200 square feet
Where: Downtown West, Toronto, ON
Why: A stylish work-in-progress, filled with wondrous clusters of artful objects -- a great lesson in how to reign in the eclectic mix!
Both working creative jobs, Myles and Emma have no qualms about constantly changing their home to express themselves and their style. The birth of their son Henry did nothing to abate their love of aesthetics, as they joke about their lack of baby-proofing and the challenges of maintaining artfully arranged objects just so...something the couple is remarkably good at!
HGTV: How would you describe your style?
Emma: I don’t
really think of myself as having a style. I like to mix it all together -
modern, bohemian, organic, vintage. It’s all about a home having
personality and a sense of individuality.
HGTV: Have you done any baby proofing? Has having a baby changed
your design sensibilities at all?
Emma & Myles: Not a lot. We’ve
covered up the electrical outlets and put a gate at the top of the
stairs. Some objects we’ve moved a little higher so they are out of
reach. We are lucky we have a sectional sofa that is easy to move so we
can free up floor space when we need to.
HGTV: What was the general vibe of the house when you took possession?
Emma: The house had great bones but it was drowning in what we call real estate beige. It was a bit bland and in need of some love and attention.
HGTV: What did you have done in the house?
E&M: When we first moved in we sanded down all the original floors and treated them with a natural oil rather than revarnishing them. We also replastered some of the walls, renovated the kitchen, painted inside and outside, replaced most of the light fixtures and rebuilt the front porch.
HGTV: Are there any key pieces in your home that you chose as your jumping-off point? Your inspiration?
Emma: I think the architecture or a building’s history is always the first jumping-off point. You have to respect the space. After that we have some key art pieces that we draw inspiration from.
HGTV: You have a lot of original art -- how did you come by it
and what do you collect?
E&M: Some of it was
handed down through the family, other pieces we bought because we liked
them, some is from our travels and the rest is Myles' photography.
HGTV: You have so many artful objects, how do you know how to group them?
Emma: Like objects go together: white with white, wood with wood. I like things either in large groups or in sets of three.
HGTV: What's the story on your kitchen reno?
E&M: We started the kitchen renovation when we were pregnant with Henry. A good friend of ours told us that pregnant woman should never renovate and he was right! We weren’t focused on designing our dream kitchen but on getting it done on time. The result is a kitchen that neither of us probably would have chosen.
HGTV: Which parts of the new kitchen are you most happy with?
Myles: Range and marble wall.
Emma: Range and all the natural light.
Office/fourth bedroom (left); guest bedroom
HGTV: What is your most favourite part of the house?
Myles: Back [guest] bedroom because of the light.
Emma: The high ceilings and all of the original features like the mouldings, stained glass windows, original doors and door knobs. They give a home character.
HGTV: That’s a great way to display family photos, did that gallery wall just happen naturally or did you plan it and execute it in a short period of time?
E&M: We decided to do it shortly after Henry was born. We think it is nice to be reminded of where you come from. We collected all of the old photos one Christmas from both sides of the family and started this wall. We’ll continue to add to it as we go along.
HGTV: Your bedroom is very interesting -- what kind of feel were you going for? How did you pull it all together? Love the colour palette.
Emma: I thought the room demanded something dramatic and romantic. Our old bed which was low and modern didn't look right in the room. When I saw this four poster bed [similar
product] from IKEA in Blueprint magazine, I thought it was the perfect piece. We picked up the yellow Frette bed spread when we were in Italy. The striped Dwell Studio sheets add a bit of graphic punch and keep the bedroom from feeling too formal.
HGTV: A black bathroom is a bold move -- it looks great! Where did you get the idea and how do you keep the walls from getting water streaked?
Emma: I first saw a black bathroom in Connie Braemer’s home in the October 2007 issue of Canadian House and Home. I thought it looked amazing and was an easy way to update a boring bathroom. The walls do get streaky! We just wipe them down every now and then to remove the soap residue.
HGTV: Henry’s baby room looks so easy breezy, I’m happy to see you didn’t overstuff it with posh baby accessories -- was it hard to control yourself?
E&M: No, we’ve always liked a sort of laid-back, organic feeling for baby’s rooms. We didn’t know whether we were having a girl or a boy so we chose a colour scheme that has blue, orange, yellow and green in it with lots of white oak. The Inke Heiland vintage wall paper tree was really the jumping-off point for the room. Everything else followed from that.
HGTV: With both of you connected to design in your professional lives, how do you commit to a style/look? Do you find it hard to stop moving and changing things around?
Emma: The house is my workshop. I’m constantly changing things around and trying new things out. I love that the house is always in flux. Luckily, Myles doesn’t seem to mind either!
HGTV: What’s your next project?
E&M: Garage with studio space, front garden landscaping, third floor addition, the list goes on and on!
What's your favourite part of Emma and Myles's home? Want HGTV.ca to tour your home? Contact us via email at stylesheetAThgtvDOTca, or via our Facebook or Twitter pages, and your home could be next! Not limited to Toronto area!
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