This Dreamy Montreal Bungalow is the Epitome of Pink Perfection

Built in the 1980s, the couple’s bungalow is located on the south shore of Montreal, in the city of Saint-Hubert. While the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is the perfect size for their young family (they recently welcomed a baby daughter), the home was a bit plain when they first moved in. “I think my biggest challenge was the lacklustre of a 1980s build,” she says. “There are really no elements that give it character – like the pretty molding that you’d find in an older home.” To make their home less basic and more reflective of their style (which Vanessa aptly describes as “scandi-boho”), they transformed it with thoughtful use of paint, hardware and materials.

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The kitchen – which was the first gut-renovation that they took on in the home – is a stunning example of using design and colour to completely modernize a space. “The room felt dated and was tired, so we went ahead and renovated everything ourselves,” Vanessa says. As for the kitchen cabinets? The couple wasn’t afraid to make a statement by painting them a peachy pink hue (the shade is Sico’s “Chinese Scroll”). “We love colour, so it was a no-brainer for us to go with colourful cabinets. We knew we wanted to go with an IKEA kitchen because we love the quality, price and how easy it is to install and to customize it to a space.”

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To accent the vibrantly hued cabinets, Vanessa chose an elegant marble from Polycor. “Although it does need more upkeep, we love that it will age with our family. And marble is easy to repair,” Vanessa says. In lieu of lots of uppers, Vanessa opted to keep things accessible and on display. “We decided not to do any upper cabinets and have all of our dishes out in the open. We love seeing everything we own, and it doesn’t feel too busy visually – it is just the right balance.”

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The kitchen flooring adds interest, without being overly fussy. “For the tiles, we wanted something modern yet timeless. We went with white hex mosaic tiles for the flooring to match our entryway and keep a nice flow. It makes the kitchen look so much bigger compared to the dark brown flooring we had in there before,” Vanessa says.

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“Then for the backsplash,” Vanessa adds, “we went with a simple mosaic tile that we installed vertically for a modern twist. We finished it off with a wooden molding for that warm and custom feel.”

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The home’s dining room is a quiet, calm space that still carries forward the couple’s charming aesthetic. They went with thrifted pieces for the furniture, like an IKEA dining table and vintage school chairs – though they painted the chair legs in a pale pink to be cohesive with the rest of the home. “We then chose this woven light fixture that we found at EQ3 for a bit of texture and visual interest. It also adds that boho look that we love so much,” Vanessa says.

Vanessa plays with lighting throughout the home to enhance the design – just take the delightful fruit-themed wall light in the dining room. “The banana is actually a neon light that is so fun when lit at night time,” Vanessa says.

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To make the most of the dining room’s space, Vanessa created a charming floating coffee station along a narrow wall by customizing an IKEA kitchen cabinet. “It adds storage for our coffee and mug collections, plus it allows for a nice decor moment,” Vanessa says. As for the savoury wall art? “We actually made the pasta-themed art ourselves, that we sell on our online shop. My husband is Italian, and loves everything pasta!”

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Filled with cozy textures and pops of pale pink, the living room is a comfy place for the family to unwind. “For the living room, our goal was to create a comfortable and fresh room,” Vanessa says. “We love spending time at home watching television, so it was important for us that it felt welcoming.”

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The star of the living room’s decor is the curated gallery wall of art, vintage pieces and colour. “We built it around keepsakes we’ve collected, like the yellow scarf that we brought back from our honeymoon in Paris and a vintage postcard that we had framed in a golden frame that we brought back from Rome,” Vanessa says. “Then, we added pieces that we really loved.”

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Small spaces

can have a big impact when it comes to tying an open space together with design – especially in an impactful area like a home’s entryway. “It does set the tone for our whole home when you first go through the front door,” Vanessa says. Here, Vanessa and her husband established the bright, eclectic and colourful feel of their home immediately with hex-tile flooring to welcome people into their home with a lively step.

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To introduce the colour theme of the home, the couple chose a warm neutral, peachy beige paint for the entryway wall (the shade is Sico’s “Maple Beer”), to which they added a hook system and shelf to display artful accents (and everyday necessities). Inspired to build your own entryway decor? This DIY pegboard entryway organizer is surprisingly simple to create.

While the entry area isn’t large, custom details ensure that it’s functional and perfectly cohesive. For added storage and to complete the space, for example, Vanessa’s husband built the pale pink woven bench from wood and vinyl.

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For their baby daughter’s nursery, Vanessa and her husband continued using an array of pretty pink tones, white and light-hued wood, but added extra sweet details like lots of florals.

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The beautiful shelves are another creative DIY that Vanessa took on to evoke a custom feel. “For the shelves, I found the brackets on Amazon and spray-painted them this lively coral colour, and custom cut wood to create the shelves,” Vanessa explains. “I really wanted to create this moment where I could put forward cute baby things.”

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“The first thing we decided on was the wallpaper,” Vanessa says. “I actually designed it myself and teamed up with local small business, Décor Imprimé, to have it made into this mural. I’ve always loved flowers so it was natural for me to go towards that pattern. I wanted to keep the colour palette in line with the rest of our home also.” Want to integrate a floral feel into your home? Here are some pretty floral wallpaper decor ideas that’ll inspire you to go ahead.

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Organization is key – and tricky – with little ones, so the parents created their own system for their daughter’s belongings. “To keep everything organized, we custom made the closet and added an IKEA storage cabinet, rods and baskets to sort everything out,” Vanessa explains. “There are also organizers in the drawers.”

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Vanessa also styled a cozy spot for relaxing in the nursery’s corner. As she explains, “I really wanted to create this special corner where I would rock my daughter to sleep or read a book to her.” The couple started with a comfy rocking chair (a Structube find), and then added on sweet pieces like a playful pink Amazon rug and the mushroom lamp, which comes from a local shop, Le Petit Cocon. “We found a lot of the decor elements from small businesses. Our favourites are Le Petit Cocon, Les Ptits Mosus, La Petite Penderie and Charlotte et Charlie.”

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Vanessa and her husband’s bedroom is a masterclass in blending cozy details with light, bright (and pink) details – with intention. “For the bedroom, we really wanted this cocoon feeling, so we went ahead and painted everything pink – and we really love the result,” Vanessa says. “It kind of starts the day well, and is super cozy at night.” Framed artwork over the bed brings in colour and character, without feeling too busy. “I loved the idea of choosing frames that were slightly different sizes to make it more dynamic and intentional.”

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The bed’s woven headboard looks custom, but it’s actually a cheap-and-cheerful DIY project. “We took this very basic bed from IKEA, and DIYed the headboard with pink vinyl that we cut and weaved ourselves,” Vanessa says. “It was a super inexpensive project, less than $100!”

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How does Vanessa’s husband feel about the pink hues in his home? He’s all for it. While Vanessa studied interior design and visual presentation, her husband is an aficionado of design as well. “My husband is involved in every design decision, even though it is an all-pink home. He loves interior design just as much as I do, and is very proud of our home and supports the pink 100%.” In fact, she adds, “He’s the one that even wanted to go pink for the kitchen!”

The main floor’s bathroom didn’t need a total transformation, but paint and a few simple swaps gave the space a bright (and bold) makeover to match the home’s flow and fresh vibes. “The vanity had this very generic red countertop when we first moved, and we decided to paint it peach to uplift the whole room,” Vanessa explains. “We did add the gold hardware to modernize it. We put pulls where the doors don’t open, to make it more pretty.” A hanging plant adds a pop of green to complete the fresh feel, too. “We chose a plant that would thrive in a humid setting, and it’s been very happy since then.”

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Downstairs in the basement, Vanessa worked to create a playful, relaxing space that matched the feel of the main floor. The centrepiece of the room is a bright, white fireplace, which they created with another DIY project. “We actually DIYed the fireplace transformation by painting the brick white and painting this faux cement tile star pattern on the floor,” she says. “We used paint and a stencil to achieve this look.”

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The basement is also home to an adorable reading nook – perfect for cultivating a love of books. “We started with the pink canopy and layered pillows to create this comfy cocoon,” Vanessa says.

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A big, comfy couch grounds the TV area of the basement, and gives Vanessa and her family space to relax. “We wanted enough space for our growing family to lounge and enjoy watching a movie together,” she says. “We kept the decor pretty simple and colourful; I know that with time, this room will serve as a playroom and be chaotic.”

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