Name: Amy & Keith + cats Biggie & Kitty
Location: Downtown Toronto — Ontario, Canada
Size: About 1500 square feet
Years lived in: Amy 10, Keith 5 — Rented
Welcome to Amy and Keith's downtown Toronto live/work space. From the moment you enter their vibrant front hall, it's clear that this is no conventional home. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to think you have stumbled onto a John Waters set!
Amy's love of all things sweet yet sassy is evident throughout the house, from the business space occupying most of the first floor to her and Keith's living area upstairs. Rounding out the charming home are cats Biggie and Kitty, who managed to worm their way into quite a few photographs in the tour. From the sugary pink hues of the Smitten Kitten design studio to the horse-themed bedroom, this tour is certain to leave a smile on your face.
Amy moved into this house shortly after finishing art school. Back then, it was already home to two other roommates, so Amy was relegated to the smallest bedroom. (Today it's her own walk-in closet.) A few years later, when Amy and her boyfriend Keith decided to move in together, the landlord offered to lower the rent just to keep Amy as a tenant.
Over the years, the place has been transformed to reflect Amy's distinctive, at times hilarious, sense of style. It has also evolved to function perfectly as a live/work space. The area occupied by Smitten Kitten, Amy's paper goods and gifts line, can be completely divided off from the rest of the house via a hanging curtain fashioned out of a vintage floral quilt. The mint green front room houses her office, while the middle pink room holds all her materials, tools and supplies. After the work day, the couple uses the large work table for dinner parties and socializing, where guests have had differing opinions about the dozens of saucer-eyed dolls surrounding them.
Behind the curtain is the kitchen, where kitschy functional decor (poodle tea sets, retro dinner plates, Hello Kitty toaster and coffee maker) is found. Upstairs there is more private space, including the fresh and cozy living room, Amy's very own Kawaii/Barbarella-themed boudoir, the Jesus bathroom, and in a tribute to Keith's love of all things equestrian, their horse-themed bedroom. All in all, this fun and whimsical home is a pattern-happy, tongue-in-cheek celebration of all things Amy and Keith.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: Super-fantastic candy-coated dollhouse. Viva la Maximalism!
Inspiration: Things that are cheery, charming and ridiculously happy. So-cute-they're-creepy accoutrements such as 60's Japanese ceramics, Kawaii, toys, and kitsch. Spaces with a palette of punchy colors and dizzying mix of patterns. Quirky things (and people) that aren't perfect but have a sense of humour. I think we can find inspiration in almost anything really (except for the color beige).
Favorite Element: Amy - My closet! It used to be my tiny bedroom when I first moved in. Now we've converted it into my walk-in closet (lucky girl, I know). It's super girly personified plus there's a "No boys allowed" rule in my closet.
Keith - Easy! The horse racing inspired bedroom! It wasn't even my idea. Two years ago on my birthday, I woke up, as per usual, in our Pepto-Bismol pink bedroom only to return later that night to find blue walls, my vintage horse racing photos hung on the wall and collection of Kentucky Derby glasses on display. Amy put the whole thing together without me knowing!
Biggie - My favorite part of the house is the living room couch, which I take great care in fuzzing up.
Kitty - The super comfy king-sized bed. No Biggies allowed!
Biggest Challenge: When you essentially live and work in the same place, it's hard to know when the work day ends and home time begins. That said, I'm never late for work
What Friends Say: The two things we hear the most from our friends are:
1. "Oh, I never noticed that before," even though they've been here a million times, and
2. "You should charge admission to come in here."
Our friend, J.P, once sat in our studio and counted 72 pairs of eyes staring back at him from the lovable little friends loitering on our shelves. I told J.P that I like working under supervision.
Biggest Embarrassment: We don't take as much care as we should with our back yard since I'm terrified of creatures with more than four legs and Keith isn't the planty type...but I do have a 3ft tall plastic mushroom hidden away in the shed who has been begging me to put him out in the garden. I guess it's time to put on a beekeeping suit and get landscaping.
Proudest DIY: Mmm... When I moved in here I was living with two artists who used this house as a gallery. It wasn't unusual to find a naked man in a canoe hanging from the ceiling or a TV in the bathtub as art installations, but outside of the shows the walls were empty and white with maybe a wood chair or two to sit on. Since they moved out we've totally transformed this space into a home. We've painted and wallpapered walls, stripped and reupholstered furniture, put up shelves, installed closets, hung curtains... so I guess the whole house is our proudest DIY project. There isn't a square inch of this space we haven't personalized.
Biggest Indulgence: Our dreamy king size pillow top bed. Bought 5 years ago and still love every day.
Best Advice: Vivienne Westwood was quoted as saying "If in doubt overdress. If you look over-the-top you can make the most boring occasion have some interest". It's kinda of the same motto I have for decorating. Go nuts, overdress your house and have fun! What's the worst that could happen? Your house isn't going to get mad and eat you.
Dream Sources: Bottom shelves of forgotten general stores, dusty back rooms of antique shops, cheesy Chinatown gift shops in any city and little ol' lady estate sales. If we won the lottery tomorrow, we'd probably spend the money traveling around the world and hit up flea markets rather than waltzing into vintage furniture designer stores and dropping a bundle. It's so much more gratifying!
Resources of Note:
I have been compulsively curating our home since forever. Growing up I moved around a lot so some of the pieces came from places like Hong Kong, England and various US and Canadian cities. There's a few hand-me-downs (like the vintage typewriter, sewing machine table, vanity table) from when my family moved to Toronto. My mum made the stain glass lamp you see in our bedroom, she's a pretty crafty lady. We travel to the US quite often these days (because of Smitten Kitten's trade show schedule), so some of the stuff came from various markets and shops in cities like Chicago and New York.
Thanks, Amy and Keith!
Images: Abby Cook
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viva la maximalism indeed! this is joyous and sparkling like a fizzy spring cocktail!!
Fabulous and FUN!
you drive me swayze...ahahahahahaha.
it's like someone threw up my childhood, but in a good way.
interesting, but too many knick knacks for my taste!
Adorable! Pure happiness. I'm still smiling.
That's a lot of knick knacks, but I admire the organization. Also admire that collection of vintage wallpaper.
I saw some really neat stuff in your home. It's a space unlike any I've ever seen. Love the cats!
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!! I LOVE Your home! Looks like the candy house from Henzle and Gretel....
Those cats are cracking me up! What little lovebugs/camera whores:D
Adorable place!
Love it! That barndoor headboard is amazing, and I love the green drawers under the desk!
i love the inventiveness and unique display ideas.
want to see another homeowner who has spent years getting it just right with her collectibles?
check this out:
http://lagunadirt.blogspot.com/2011/05/caris-illness.html
enjoy!!
I like the green wall paint.
Oh my goodness!!!!! I love your place. I wish I was 30 years younger and starting over because your place is exactly how mine would look. I have so many of the things you have and they are packed away.
It's funny, your house is like MY house, only LARGE! I love your style, the color, the kitsch - it's great :)
I love the decor here. It's cheerful, kitschy, and cool. But this is the biggest question that pops into my head whenever I see photos like these: HOW do you keep it clean and dust free? Hiring someone has, without fail, resulted in broken objects in my experience and I don't have the time to move everything!
So Happy to see this! love your advice- bold and fearless is the way to go! all the colors, prints, and pretty little things are really a feast for the eyes! i can only imagine how awesome this looks in person.
Dusting must take forever... or never. Hummm.
How fun! I would be too nervous to use the bathroom...all those images of Jesus watching me, ack!
Keith is super cute in a nerdy way. <3 him!
I'm being grumpy, but I do wish people wouldn't use religious art as kitsch. It's not very respectful to those of us who enjoy fabulous decorating AND are faithful.
I doubt you would use photos of your friends' children or grandmothers, putting them in your bathroom, recoloring them and doing photo effects - it would be creepy. It's essentially the same with pictures of Jesus Christ or the Blessed Mother. I'll kind of grant you the goofy dated pictures of nuns, although those go too far sometimes, too.
Sorry, there are many other images to decorate with. This apartment actually proves that. Removing five images or so wouldn't even be noticed, and all your faithful friends wouldn't have to take deep breaths, shut their mouths, and pray for you!
Gorgeous! as a fellow collector ,I love your home .I was having strange thoughts of mimimizing my place ,instead I'm going to create more spaces for more of my collections!!. a lot of people remark about how long it takes to dust to me too ,its become part of my routine and I like my things to look as good as they can so I don't mind dusting at all ,and it is done on a regular basis!
Love your cats, are they Maine Coon?
I like the blue bedroom, looks calm and relaxing and anything equine can't be wrong.
i love the energy and sense of fun in your space; also, that it doesn't follow trends, but is a true reflection of your personalities. the dolls wigged me out a bit, though. my phobia wanted to let you know that
your home is how i imagine heaven will be.
Oh my gosh, I love your house. I could spend hours looking at your things. But I did wonder about dusting, too. :)
Hello Kitty oven and gallon bottles of vodka. That is so my kind of place. And I adore the mug rack! What a great way to showcase all those cute mugs! Your work room is super fabulous and well organized. And what awesome artwork! Very lovely house.
And regarding the religious imagery... to each his own! I think its adorable and would never think you are being disrespectful to Jeezy Chreezy. Do you think Buddha gets all huffy when non Buddhists buy those cute little good luck statues? And what about Dia de Los Muertos stuff? How many Mexicans are outside your door right now upset you kitshy-fied one of their holiest days? Come on folks, take it easy! Amy and Keith's house is super kawaii and so not offensive.
( i apologize for offending anyone by calling Jesus "Jeezy Chreezy", but it's just so funny! I really dont think Big J would mind. He's groovy like that.)
spirited. looks like a house tour you'd see in livingetc
Perhaps if I just nicely say I agree with Therese Z and Kitt'n about the religious kitsch my remarks won't be censored this time.
Love it, love it, love it! Very creative and fun! Great headboard/door (?) for the bedroom. Your guy's got space and the bathroom looks great!
Well done!
You have taken so many things that no one would ever want and put them together with maybe one or two things someone would want and yet made it look charming. If you have this same house style when you are an old lady, it would be a creepy house.
I really like the collection of mugs in the kitchen with the cookie jars (i presume) above them. I like how you have spent so many hours combing flea markets but can't be bothered to straighten the crooked doors on the cabinet in the kitchen. Well do what makes you happy first.
I didn't see the Hello Kitty stove. come here kitty kitty kitty. Oh and everyone should have a Jesus bathroom. Hey I once had a Virgin Mary nightlight and i loved it. Kept me feeling oh so safe. I miss her.
Your place is wonderful -- brimming over with quirkiness and zaniness! I love everything about it. And it's especially delightful to see how you've incorporated your business space into your home. Thanks so much for sharing your tour here.
Although this isn't exactly my style it works and it's definitely very personalized! Also, I like the bathroom...you can tell she must have a good sense of humor. It must've been find to find all those Jesus things! Also, kudos to your boyfriend/husband for totally embracing your style (or at least I'm assuming this is the case)...mine would not be cool with this!
Fun to find*
It feels like a giant marshmallow to me: sweet but too much of it isn't a good thing anymore. Pink is very present, and the enormous amount of knick-knacks makes the house feel claustrophobic (at least in the photos). It's a shame, because you have some really nice things that are drowned in a huge amount of other things. Putting too many objects side by side isn't decorating: it's clutter.
I'd only keep a few in each room, and really make them pop. And maybe use a neutral or two (that isn't a curse word you know); not much, since this clearly isn't your thing, but something darker, maybe on the floor, would anchor and "weight" the rooms a bit.
This may be one of my least favorite house tour, but it's a shame, because it's got so much potential to be the funniest, liveliest place ever. But the funniest person in the world probably is a circus clown and I wouldn't want to live with him; I'd settle for a witty guy I love. Same goes for a funny house.
What and where did you find the picture of the cigarette girl on the dresser? what does the cigarette box say?
LOVE this tour! Bright, multi-patterned, & full of tons of interesting items to look at. Especially love the pink flowered curtains in the kitchen & the mom-made lamp :)
This is how I'd like to decorate my place, chock full of stuff that strikes my fancy. I actually hate neutrals in my house; my "neutrals" are bright pink & yellow. I can't wait to display all my tacky collections & treasures, & feel like I'm living in my own personalized thrift store :P
If I tried to decorate this way, it would be one massive dust trap and mess. Well done.
On the subject of religious paintings in the bathroom, I have believer relatives who have no compunctions about putting up pictures of Jesus and Mary and inspirational texts wherever those items will fit. Including bathrooms.
As for non-believers appreciating mass market religious pictures as funky images, I don't see the sentiment as appreciably different from a non-believer looking at the ceiling of the Sistine chapel and appreciating it as a work of art.
Oh what a fun place! It would be fun to have a friend with that style ( a little too much for me on a daily basis).
As for religious art, I say do with it as you please. It's their home. Why do they need to please some strangers who may find this offensive. I think religious people need to accept that not everyone shares their views and that to them it's just art.
OK, I'm not being snarky-
But when I quickly read down the details of the owners, I thought the Amy-10 Keith-5 were their ages.
I thought I was going to hate it, but I loved it! I wish I could get away with all that wallpaper!
I love every inch of this fun, quirky apartment. I don't think I've ever spent so much time going through a House Tour on Apartment Therapy. There is so much to look at. It never ends! And the cats are cute, too!
oh ferchrissakes!
Any time there is a house tour that deviates from a mid-century-modern-with-all-white-walls aesthetic-there are insulting comments left.
I love the kitchsy girlie yumminess of it all!
AND I LOVE the Jesus bathroom- there's nothing disrespectful about it. Honestly if religious themed decorations were not meant to be used as decoration what are they meant to be used as? ashtrays? just wondering...
This is a fabulous house tour- I enjoyed every single picture-thank you for showing us your home.
p.s. I also really liked the LACK (?) bookcase turned on it's side to store the wallpaper. That's a great idea!
Oh, I adore it. It's absolutely dazzling. (As for dusting, so what? I find it therapeutic.)
"your home is how i imagine heaven will be."
ahaha, maybe if you're my 5 yr old daughter.
This place is pretty blah and lacking in personality, don't you think?
*snickers*
Two thumbs up for that cool "head board". Sorry - I disagree with some posters - the Jesus bathroom makes me extremely uncomfortable. Those are some pretty big cats! Maine Coons?
Super fabulous candy for the eye!! makes me feel like a minimalist, which is unusual.
I love, love, love the coffee cup holder in the kitchen and the green paint elsewhere. And if you worship in the bathroom, you're all the more blessed than the rest of us that leave it all at church! Wonderful!!
Poor Keith, nothing. He's probably one smart guy. I'd venture to say he recognizes his Amy goddess as not one to be worshipped, but one to be honored. I am sure they balance each other well. I am always so pleased when people can make a living with their creative talents and hard work. None of their style is mine, but I certainly admire how they pull this off. I giggled at every pic. No shoes stacked by the door - no piles of little stuff stacked on the floor. Amy really does have a good sense of design and order.
I would lose my mind - way too much stuff for me BUT I love your cats.
So fun and unique!! It's not my style, but I still love it and appreciate it for what it is. Biggie and Kitty are just too adorable!!
I would love to know where you found the storage shelf with the cubbies for mugs. I've been searching for something similar for my handmade mug collection.
Oh, hello dream house! So inspiring; thanks so much for sharing this!
Does anyone know anything about those big-eyed, 60s-looking Japanese dolls with the big hair (the dolls displayed in Amy's workroom)? I want one so badly but don't know what they're called. Thank you!
I really liked the house tour, and I LOOOVED reading people's comments. For the record, I'm in the "It's okay for Jesus to see you on the john" camp.
;-)
I can't say I even like it. I would never ever be able to live in something like this. I'll probably go crazy. However you would probably go crazy living in a minimalist-style home which I love. I respect your style.
I do have to say, as an Asian, I love all the dolls, Hello Kitty and Precious Moments stuff. It just seems so HK. I wish I had kept some of the things I had as a child.
Similarly, I am veering closer to minimalist, myself....BUT I dig seeing what others can do with this, and this is just one fabulous eye-candy-palooza!
Also, similarly, I love my urban vinyls and other things, but I'm more of the mindset of bringing out fewer pieces to display at any given time, and then rotate/replace them with something else later.
Very well done, thank you for the fun tour! 8^D
Love the picture above the book shelf other than that all I can say is.........wow!
fun, fun, fun, fun, fun! Wherever did you find 1500 s.f. in Toronto?
I love it, the patterns are fantastic. I really envy Amy's closet.
Young, Fun, Cool...makes me want to be 22 again.
@ Therese Z
Seeing as it's not your home I wouldn't worry about it.
Who says they have friends that are "faithful"? Whose to even say it's disrespectful? I know many people that are super religious and have their homes decorated with such images. I'm assuming you're peeved that it's in the bathroom? Don't forget that cleansing is a prominent theme in the bible, see baptism and the washing of the feet.
Chill out.
@paigep
Um, right. The bathroom theme was clearly intended in a respectful, biblical way. Also, the "it's not your home" argument is always lame on a site that offers up homes for observation and comment.
As one who worships in the ways of the ancient Egyptians, I think the house cats should be given greater prominence in these photos. They are after all, living representations of the goddess Bast.
Yeah Toronto! Glad to finally see a house tour that really does our city proud! I love every inch of it. Great Gosia piece in your entrance way. (Little sculpted girl w/ rose in frame.) She is a really talented local artist. You guys rock!!
I once saw an autographed photo of Spiro Agnew (youngsters--look him up) placed at eye-level while "seated". SO not Jesus.
After skimming the comments, I totally had to click through the tour to see if I could spot any actual Precious Moments dolls in the decor. I didn't see any, but that would be hilarious; they'd go with your Jesus bathroom. (I used to live near the town in Misery, I mean Missouri, where they're made.)
In all, it's not my style, but rock on, girl! I do like your philosophy: "your house won't eat you."
I'm impressed that your cats are so well behaved... my young cat (well, he is 6 but he still thinks he is 6mths!) would think all those cute little bits and pieces were put there just for him to play with!
creeepppy place!
poor Keith. At least the bedroom isn't so emasculating.
Yeah, I'm quite religious, but I don't think it's my place to say what people do with my religious icons in their own home. It would be seriously lacking in boundaries for me to tell someone that something they do IN THEIR OWN HOME is "disrespectful" unless it's hurting people, animals, the planet, etc. All this could possibly do is hurt the feelings of people who don't live there.
i love the white chair in front of the office/desk area! what kind is it? i'm looking for something similar...
& your house is fun and awesome! - it makes me think of amy sedaris' apt. (recently in NY Mag)
Its so cool! the kind of place where you never run out of things to look at and amuse over. It's looks so full of personal touch's that, are warm a cheery! It also amazes me that it looks so organized kudos to Amy and Keith!
Whenever I see Buddha sculptures gracing the chimney pieces/hallways/bathrooms of houses not inhabited by Buddhists, i.e., people for whom the object has no religious significance, I always feel this is rather disrespectful and wonder how I, a not particularly militant Catholic, would feel if I saw similar Catholic imagery/objects used merely as "decoration"... well, rather disturbed. Especially as these images in no way qualify as "art", they are mass-produced tat whose only significance is the religious feeling they invoke in the faithful (the Sistine Chapel comparison is therefore not apt). They can also be used ironically, as I think is the case in this instance -witness their being in the bathroom of all places, perhaps as a comment on the general tawdriness of religion and similar belief structures. If so, I think this is scoring a cheap point indeed. I would not be offended (and please realise that I am only mildly disturbed, no hand-wringing or outrage, just a slight nose-wrinkling in distaste) if it is meant as a personal comment on one's childhood, and the irony is tinged with affection. Obviously, then, I cannot endorse the "Jesus bathroom for everyone" manifesto.
This is not at all my personal style, but fun, cheerful and colorful. Most of the houses here on AT aren't my style (which is Craftsman), but I love seeing what everyone does with their place. I think that Amy and Keith may eventually grow out of this style, but it looks TONS better than what I put together out of thrift stores for my first place.
You just don't give two hoots about anyone's style but your own. Good on ya guys.
Love those kitchen curtains and the mug display. Very homey.
I'm in love with your kitchen! ^_^ And I love the fact that kitties are allowed on the table and humans are allowed on the counters. Your house looks like a very fun place to call home.