House Tours
Interior: Modern classic on a budget
A warm and tranquil living room.
House Tours
Interior: Modern classic on a budget
Blogger, designer and savvy DIYer Sarah Swanson decorates her sophisticated transitional Calgary home with smart solutions.
When it comes to new construction, it's easy to go wild with tantalizing upgrades: granite, stainless steel, marble oh my! It's all so inviting. And expensive. But as a blogger, painter and designer with a few tricks in her tool belt, Sarah Swanson of the blog Flourish Design and Style declined to go overly deluxe when she and her husband, Kevin, bought their house off the blueprint in a suburb of Calgary five years ago. The three-bedroom 1,400-square-foot abode - where they live with their daughters as well as a cotton-white puffball of a dog named Denver - was builder basic, but Sarah felt up to the task of making it feel like home.
Sarah's DIY projects and pretty personal aesthetic - mellow, modern, uncluttered - are evident from the moment you step through the front door. On the first floor, for example, homemade panelled wainscotting in lieu of pricier architectural moulding gives the walls panache.
The house, which Sarah describes as "traditional with a twist, in a palette of white with tonal browns and hints of purple," is also adorned with clusters of her own artwork: Abstract smudges in watery hues recall orchid petals and lavender buds in the rain. She sells the mini creations through her website for $10 each - an outrageously low price that fits with Sarah's philosophy that not every piece of decor has to be precious."
The family has since moved to a brand new home - a place for fresh DIY projects and art days for the family to tackle. After all, living spaces are never really about the glamorous upgrades, they're about making memories. Because sometimes - actually, often! - it's the simple pleasures that are most rewarding.
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