Light, Love and Handcrafted Character? This Cozy Calgary Artists’ Apartment Has it All

When the couple first found the 1,000-square-foot apartment, they instantly fell in love with the flowing light and character-rich features (it was built in 1941). However, being new to Calgary at the time, they didn’t initially realize how lucky they were to rent in their new neighbourhood. “Mission is such a vibrant, thriving neighbourhood full of character, rich history and so much delicious food practically right outside our doorstep – which is important to us, since we are both major foodies,” Sheena says. “We’re both so grateful to have such a beautiful home in the heart of the city.”

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The apartment’s living room beautifully sets the tone for the couple’s creative, curated home decor aesthetic. “We are both into clean, simple mid-century lines, with a strong emphasis on earth tones, thick cozy textures, warm wood tones and natural elements such as clay, stone, marble and lots of plants to bring some vibrant life and natural air filtration into our home,” Sheena says.

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Furnishing the living room, however, wasn’t a simple task. “The living room has a deceivingly strange layout, so finding furniture that fit perfectly into the space – while utilizing it fully – proved to be quite challenging, but we finally feel like it’s just right,” Sheena notes. Many of the sleek pieces (including the couch, chairs and coffee table) were Facebook Marketplace finds. As Sheena says, “We got killer deals on all of them, but the coffee table is my favourite.”

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Styling an empty living room fireplace

can be a challenge, but – when done right – it can be the perfect place to bring extra dimension to your living room. For Sheena and Brady, it took a few attempts to find the best mix. “We tried plants, books and a pile of pillar candles – but, in the end, everything just felt a little messy until I landed on the vessels in multiple textures,” Sheena says. Her advice for this unique space? “I would recommend trying a lot of things until something just feels right to you. I always feel like when I stop thinking about a space or corner constantly, that usually means it feels natural and cohesive, and I can just let myself relax.”

What do you do when you can’t find the perfect living room wall art to hang above the mantle? If you’re an artist like Sheena, you create your own custom piece – as she did with this textured art (framed, of course, with a wooden frame built by Brady). “I had searched high and low for a painting with the perfect colour palette and size to tie it all together, and finally decided to just paint my own,” Sheena says. “I used a piece of thin MDF, paint sample cans from Home Depot, Plaster of Paris powder mixed into the paint and added pieces of paper for extra texture.”

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It was also important to Sheena and Brady that the living room be able to serve multiple functions. “I’m a photographer, and up until last year I didn’t have a dedicated studio space – so when searching for a new home, it was vital that at least one area of the home was multi-functional as a studio space,” Sheena says. “I used it for many portrait and brand sessions, right up until I secured a studio space. When designing the space, I wanted it to feel almost gallery-like, approachable and comfortable, but entirely aesthetic.”

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A major key to this multi-functional feel is the wall-spanning wood desk-slash-shelving unit. “This genius piece was one of the very first pieces that Brady built for me with a piece of 1970s teak plywood that we found on Kijiji,” Sheena says. “The tiny apartment we lived in before was also serving as my work space, and he came up with this design for a modular desk/display shelf/bookshelf trio that could be arranged into pretty much any configuration in any space that had at least 10 feet of wall space available.”

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Speaking of art on display, the home is a treasure trove of chic thrifted finds and ceramics – which serve both as art pieces and as mementos of the couple’s road trips and travels. “We try to thrift or find a new ceramic piece at an estate or garage sale on every trip,” Sheena says. “We also went to Mexico for a few weeks right before the world changed, and we brought home some beautiful ceramics. It’s one of our favourite things to collect.”

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The unit is a perfect fit in the couple’s current living room, serving as a work space, a display shelf for art and other treasures and a home to their record player. “We love to sit in the living room, with a glass of wine (for me) and scotch for Brady, and listen to vinyl. There’s something so special about the grit and texture that comes through when listening to music on vinyl.”

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Part of the charm of living in a building that was built decades ago is finding a new purpose for things and spaces that no longer serve us today. Take this area, which used to house a hole in the wall where someone could hang a landline telephone. “We tried a couple of different options here to attempt to fill the hole, but finally decided to design a specific piece that fit perfectly,” Sheena explains. “We worked out the design together, and Brady got to building. It’s so beautiful and functional, and feels very natural to the space.” Below, the fluted-front cabinet was designed and built by Brady – it’s a perfect complement to a coffee bar that he built in the dining room.

For Brady and Sheena, part of the fun of collecting is learning the stories behind much-loved pieces from the past – like these colourful matchbooks. “We picked up the collection of matchbooks at a particularly amazing estate sale on the way to the island, and the wife of the gentleman who had passed shared quite a bit of their life story with us.” Sheena says. “The man loved to collect things, and we love knowing the story behind the things we brought home.”

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In the dining area, Sheena and Brady wanted to create a warm and welcoming space, but the room’s small footprint called for a touch of Tetris when selecting furnishings. Luckily, the round table and bar cabinet (Facebook Marketplace finds) were perfect fits. For a pop of colour and artistic flair, Sheena customized an inexpensive print: “I just added some actual paint on top to add some depth and texture.”

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When the couple couldn’t find a coffee station that was sized right for the space, Brady decided to design and build one himself. The result is a beautiful blend of craftsmanship, customization and caring. “I am absolutely obsessed with the hand-carved fluted detailing on the front of the cabinet, and the subtle angles of the legs,” Sheena says. “He also inset wine holders into the drawers and had filled them with wine as a little surprise, and that’s just a sign of a man that truly gets me.”

Galley kitchens keep everything close at hand, but can sometimes be challenging when it comes to counter space. Luckily, the couple learned how to maximize a small kitchen while living in their last apartment, which was micro sized. Here, they made stylish use of the space above the fridge by adding a giant Monstera plant and large jars for essentials like flour and sugar.

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While the kitchen may be compact, it’s decidedly cozy and the perfect space for foodies like Brady and Sheena to try out new recipes – especially Brady. “We both are major foodies, and we both enjoy cooking, but I would have to say that Brady is the more exploratory of the two of us in the kitchen,” Sheena says. “He is constantly watching food shows and trying out new recipes from all over the world, and I am always so entirely thrilled to have a plate of delicious new food placed in front of me.”

For Sheena and Brady, keeping the clutter at the minimum is key to keeping the kitchen at its best. “Since we both love to cook, we wanted to make sure we made this space as functional as possible – while still making it feel fresh and beautiful,” Sheena says. “Since we don’t have a ton of counter space, we make a very conscious effort to not keep any appliances on the counters, which helps to automatically make the space feel fresh and allows the beautiful original elements of the place – such as the tiles, the cupboards that reach to the ceiling and the farmhouse sink – to shine all on their own.”

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While the kitchen’s organization keeps the feel clean and cozy, curated details bring a dash of character to the space. A black-framed piece of vintage fabric, for example, is apropos to the cooking space – a sweet touch without being saccharine. “This is a framed piece of an old sugar sack that Brady’s great grandmother had tucked away,” Sheena explains. “She used to bleach the fabric of the sacks and repurpose them as tea towels, pillowcases, etc. This one was spared from the bleach, and Brady proudly claimed it. We love that it has both Manitoba and familial history within it, and we love having it as decor in our home.”

Brady’s craftsmanship is a through-line of style and function all around the home, whether it’s in custom furniture pieces or smaller, practical projects like these wooden hooks – which is something that Sheena thoroughly appreciates. “Again, it’s such a joy to have a woodworker in the house.” Want to embrace your own inner craftsperson? Try your hand at this simple DIY pegboard entryway organizer.

When it came to the bathroom, Sheena focused on playing up the space’s best feature: the light. “I absolutely love a bathroom with a solid source of natural light, so when I started pulling together the decor elements for the space, I decided to keep it as bright and airy as possible so that the light could flow uninterrupted,” she says.

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While they wanted to keep the bathroom’s design clean and airy, Sheena and Brady still found ways to bring life and character to the space – like adding custom wall planters to the bare space above the toilet. “I had tried multiple ideas for decor on that wall, but nothing seemed to feel right,” Sheena says.” I knew I wanted plants in there, and threw around a few ideas with Brady. We came up with the simple, clean design, and then he built them.”

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The planters add interest to the wall, while also bringing a pop of green and a natural element to the bathroom. Sheena’s advice for choosing plants that will thrive in the bathroom? “Tropical plants seem to work well in the bathroom, due to the constant source of humidity and light in there.”

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If the neutral-toned bedroom looks like a relaxing sleep sanctuary, that’s by design. “Sleep is obviously important for all humans, but I really, really love sleeping,” Sheena says. “It’s definitely one of my hobbies, and I find that the less distractions and clutter in a bedroom, the more soothing and calming it is, and it’s so much easier to fall asleep in.” Sheena found the triple-gauze cotton duvet cover at MUJI while on a trip to Vancouver, while the luxe silk rug was a $45 marketplace find.

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The wooden dresser brings more than just vintage appeal – it’s a sentimental piece for Sheena. She first saw and fell in love with the dresser many years ago after her neighbours’ basement flooded and they left it outside to dry for months. “One day, I saw them loading it up into a truck to take to the landfill, and I ran over and begged them to give it to me.” When she got it home, none of the drawers initially fit. “I was extremely disappointed until I noticed hand-penciled numbers on the backs of the drawers, and figured out that I should put them in their coordinating slots. They all fit like a glove!”

Above the bed, a hanging art piece lends texture to the open space and enhances the room’s soothing aesthetic. While the piece looks expensive, it’s actually a thrifted gem. “I found it about 10 years ago at a thrift store in Calgary,” Sheena says. “It was one of my first trips to the ‘big city,’ and I was so stoked to go thrifting. I remember the exact spot and moment I saw it, and also remember the thrill at the $15 price tag attached to it.”

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Lighting is important to Sheena, so the couple took care to make the most of the bedroom’s lighting options – including hanging sconces from IKEA, which Sheena says “cast beautiful shadows on the ceiling at night, and create such a cozy, welcoming environment.” On the windows, “nearly sheer curtains give definition to the windows, while allowing the natural morning light to filter in.”

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