need to accommodate the kids’ needs but still want your home to look design-forward? We understand. These homes show that you can have comfy, comfortable and child-friendly rooms with a grown-up aesthetic.
A child-sized table and chairs give homeowners rock Huynh and My Le Nguyen’s kids a spot to eat breakfast and draw in the living area, while the small aquarium —one of two in the home — houses some of their 30 fish. “The living room cubbies are a baby play station, book bench and extra seating for guests, in one,” says My Le.
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Source: house & home September 2015 issue
Products: book bench, 1925 Workbench; table, chairs, three Pears.
Two large white slipcovered chairs are ideal for lounging in designer Samantha Sacks’s sunroom. A beaded chandelier, camel leather pouf from Morocco and vintage side table give the airy space personality.
Photographer: Michael Graydon
Source: house & home June 2014 issue
Products: Chairs, floor lamp, Ikea.
Designer: Samantha Sacks
In this family room, two large sectionals give it a loungey feel, while drum tables and a colourful patchwork rug have a mod Moroccan vibe. Samantha Farjo developed the discreet built-ins on either side of the TV to house electronics, board games and other essentials.
Photographer: Alex Lukey
Source: house & home January 2016 issue
Products: Sofas, rug, lights, pillows, throw, drum tables, Elte; blue vase, West Elm; wall colour, White Dove (OC-17), Benjamin Moore; artwork (on wall), Metropolis Living.
Designer: Samantha Farjo
Over in the kitchen, homeowner Andrea Armstrong selected the polypropylene chairs and leather-look vinyl banquette in the breakfast nook for their modern lines and resilience to spilled food. like all of the art in the house, the photographs of colourful fishing lures that hang above the banquette have personal significance. “My family is full of avid fishermen, so it seemed suitable and fun,” Andrea says.
See the rest of this family home in our video tour.
Photographer: Alex Lukey
Source: house & home January 2016 issue
Products: Chairs, Hollace Cluny; flatware, plates, glasses, pitcher, Elte; artwork by Lori Newdick, Corkin Gallery.
Designer: Samantha Farjo
Senior design Editor Sally Armstrong created a wall organizer as a tidy service for storing sunglasses, keys and mail when she walks in the door. She hung her organizer in the mudroom, but you could also use one as a hub in a busy kitchen or in a small front entryway.
To make your own, pick sheets of birch artist’s panel and balsa wood (available at craft and art supply stores) that are substantial enough to support the weight of papers and phones but thin enough to cut easily; Sally’s are ¼” thick.
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: house & home September 2015 issue
Products: Birch panel, DeSerres; wood knobs, Lee Valley, box and knob colour, Citron (74), Farrow & Ball; architecture, Atelier Kastelic Buffey.
Designer: Sally Armstrong
The kids’ activity area shown here is used practically each day by Sally’s daughters. The table and chairs were Sally’s old dining set; she gave them a playful twist with colour-blocked white and hot pink paint. artwork is taped to the wall with Japanese washi tape, making rotations easy. An economical Ikea bookshelf and trolley hold craft supplies.
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Source: house & home September 2013 issueDesigner: Sally Armstrong
Black chalkboard paint turned Sally’s basement powder room into an unexpected design moment and encourages users to indulge their inner graffiti artist. A rustic wall-mounted sink suits the casual design. “It was less expensive than updating the vanity and takes up less space,” says Sally. A round mirror and X-shaped handles add graphic punch.
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Source: house & home September 2013 issue
Products: Sink, faucet, Ginger’s; mirror, EQ3.
Designer: Sally Armstrong
Homeowner, Toronto artist and textile designer Virginia Johnson set the tone for play with dynamic tile in her kids’ bathroom. Art feels fun stuck up with washi tape, and an old ladder-back chair is a warm foil for the crisp palette.
Photographer: Alex Lukey
Source: house & home April 2015 issue
Products: Sink, Catalano; mirror, Ikea; basket, West Elm; towels, Au Lit.
Designer: Litsa Trochatos, Christopher Knight and Jan Eleni Lemonedes
This basement media room is decorated with noteworthy modern furniture, including a bend sofa by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia, a Saarinen Womb chair and a Twiggy floor lamp by Foscarini.
Find much more inspiration and ideas in our Playful design & decorating Guide.
Photographer: Janis Nicolay
Source: house & home best decorating 2014 special issue
Products: bend sofa by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia, pool coffee table by Bensen, floor lamp by Foscarini, Womb chair by Saarinen, inform Interiors, informinteriors.com.
Designer: Nancy Riesco