1. MID-CENTURY AND MADE FOR SPILLS (SEEN ABOVE)
Juli Daoust Baker, the owner of Mjolk, a Scandinavian and Japanese lifestyle gallery (where you will find design must-haves from forward thinkers such as Hans Wegner and Naoto Fukasawa) understands furniture is meant for living and doesn’t stress over any inevitable marks. “There are water stains on our Borge Morgensen leather chair and couch but over time the marks will mellow out.” In the meantime, she simply wipes with a damp cloth to hydrate the leather.
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RUSTIC & SOULFUL
About her décor style, Sandra Rojas-Chinni (the owner of online shop La Merceria that features her coveted rustic chic aesthetic), says don’t be afraid to surround yourself with beautiful and meaningful objects, even with mini-me’s at home. “Buy what you love and don’t be afraid to mix high and low priced items,” she says. For example, her living room seen above is kitted with an Ikea couch but she invested in other luxuries like a vintage mid-century chair with linen fabric. With her advice in mind, keep strolling to see more living rooms that will inspire you to design for your grown-up desires without sweating it over little fingers.
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3. ROUGH, LUXE AND LOVELY
Curating her house is second nature to artist and mom Christine Flynn. “I’m not sure I can explain how I do it. I just buy what I love and think the rest just comes naturally to me. I’ve always wanted to be an interior designer. My best advice is don’t be afraid to switch things around and experiment. I’m always moving stuff around.” Her latest a-ha moment was making over an old couch that barely survived two young boys and asking J&J Made to sew a slipcover for it with a vintage pup tent that will stand up to the wear and tear of her family. “It’s my dream couch and I didn’t have to spend thousands of dollars,” she says.
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4. A BOHO CHIC BEAUTY
Photo credit: Anna Lisa Sang
Afiya Francisco, the personality behind The Style House, credits interior stylists Sibella Court and Hans Blomquist for inspiring a love of natural and moody rooms that embraces imperfections. As soon as we walked in, we felt like her home gave us a hug. What you don’t see? Her love of room fragrance. We got a whiff of Province Apothecary Incense in Sandalwood which smelled more sophisticated than granola (trust us).
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5. SUNNY WAYS & SOPHISTICATED
Susie Sheffman’s high energy and stylish personality comes alive in her home. The fashion expert and creative director began with white and neutral basics then accessorized with graphic patterns and citrus tones that made us happy to hang out (likely for a little bit too long; we didn’t want to leave). About her décor inspiration she says, “One of my favourite hotels is The Parker Palm Springs. I did a photo shoot there with [Canadian supermodel] Tasha Tilberg that inspired the decor in my apartment. It’s truly my little sanctuary.”
