‘Happy, Quirky And Colourful’—This Family Home Combines Earthy Hues With Clever Functionality

By: Sara Romano

Photography by Jules Lee | Design by Andrea Hylton Home

House Tours

Sep 17, 2025

‘Happy, Quirky And Colourful’—This Family Home Combines Earthy Hues With Clever Functionality

By: Sara Romano

Sunny nature-inspired tones set the stage for a warm family home made to last.

After living in their Waterloo, Ont., house for almost a decade, the homeowners were intimately familiar with how the space wasn’t working for their family. Between a lack of storage and poor lighting, no mudroom, and a closed-off design that prevented easy flow, the abode was in need of some serious TLC.

The couple sought a space for seamless entertaining as well as tailor-made nooks for remote work. For them, successful functionality looked like an updated layout that reflected their family's needs plus a burst of playfulness.

“Rather than start with what would typically be deemed neutral, we elected to begin with our favourite neutral: green,” says Andrea Hylton, founder and president of Andrea Hylton Home.

The result is a contemporary space—designed by creative director Taylor Hylton-Oerton—that’s “happy, quirky, and colourful.”

Photography by Jules Lee

Opening up the entryway was a must for the homeowners. New glass double entry doors and reeded glass passage doors in a sunny yellow-green invite light into the main floor.

The true star of the entrance is the custom cloakroom with built-ins for coats, shoes, bags, and sportswear. “We reframed the existing closet’s opening to maximize internal storage and designed the millwork with a radius corner to prevent the feeling like one might bump into the corner,” says Hylton.

Photography by Jules Lee

The kitchen is where the neutral green colour palette comes to shine. Grey-white zellige-style tiles line the backsplash while wood pendant lights bring in an organic flair. A pet food station is built into the end of the kitchen island.

“We also consumed a partial footprint from the library to add a much-needed pantry space to the kitchen, and a broom closet-slash-craft supply storage,” says Hylton. “The goal was to make storage part of the architecture so it felt intentional rather than added on.”

Hylton opened up the kitchen to improve the flow of entertaining—a must for the homeowners.

The connecting dining area also carries through that line of earthy elegance. Richly-patterned wallpaper on the ceiling adds interest, rounded dining furniture infuses softness, and a voluptuous globe light anchors the space.

Photography by Jules Lee

The cozy family room is all about delightfully clever fixtures.

“We added concealed storage in the family room, including the design and manufacture of a dog crate and doubled as storage for the dog treats,” says Hylton.

The room is also a nod to the family’s years of travel and heirloom collections. “Those treasures became anchors for the design,” says Hylton. “We chose complementary finishes and new furnishings to give those items pride of place, letting them guide colour choices and spatial arrangements.”

Photography by Jules Lee

Having an office space was imperative for the homeowners. The couple often work from home and hop on international work calls at all hours of the day.

“It was important that the new home configuration support their respective need to do so without interrupting family sleep patterns, or the patterns of daily life,” says Hylton.

The refreshed office, just off the main entrance, has distinct work spaces with no shortage of Hylton's signature seamless storage. The warm green palette is repeated in the sunlit room.