David & Bethany’s Abode in the Woods
Name: David, Guitarist of Vancouver band We Are the City; Bethany, co-creator of Treasures and Travels and personal blogger at this ones for you; with baby Poppy Darling (10 Months) and pup Sid
Location: White Rock, British Columbia, Canada
Size: 1,700 square feet
Years lived in: 3.5 years; Owned
David and Bethany have spent the past few years making a home in a house that she longed to live in as a child. The house is tucked away from the rushed life of the city down a long fir tree road and is just steps away from the ocean. They have truly made this space something to see with touches of Bethany’s DIY projects and a unique sense of style.
Their home is filled with a welcoming light that comes through the trees and reaches all the corners of the house. As a blogger for Treasures and Travels, Bethany is constantly keeping up with new trends and ways to improve or change the spaces in the house giving new life to rooms through her DIY projects. Each room has a unique look, either with the touch of old mid century modern décor or with dark modern black and white accents. Elements of nature however on the outside have been brought into their home, from large tree trunks to many wooden objects placed around the home.
Even with newborn Poppy Darling and a dog named Sid, these two have made a place where guests can relax and where conversations go into the late night. The transformation of this old dated home really received much love and care with the newly wed couple moving in. With lots of work and sleepless nights, they have made the space a dwelling for a modern family to grow into.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: I really love spacious, modern, all white, clean homes. But that is basically the opposite of the cabin like home we are in, so I did by best to incorporate the modern style I love and with a homey, rustic, cabin feel that suits this house naturally.
Inspiration: Most of inspiration comes from the time I spent flipping through coffee table books in Anthropologie.
Favorite Element: All the old quirky touches. The large stonewall in the dining room, the single pane windows, and my closet is like its own little attic. Having an old house makes it less intimidating to try out projects; I’m never worried about “ruining” something.
Biggest Challenge: Keeping it clean. We live in the woods, so there are constantly spiders coming and filling my corners with cobwebs, and every time the dog runs inside he brings an entire collection of pine needles along. My vacuum is my best friend.
What Friends Say: It’s cool, cozy, and like stepping into Pinterest.
Biggest Embarrassment: Since I love to take on projects myself, they sometimes don’t turn out how I planned. There are lots of walls with random holes, or screws sticking out. I’ll get around to patching them over one day.
Proudest DIY: My kitchen. My husband went out of town for a few weeks so I decided to redo the kitchen. The moment he pulled out of the driveway I was on my way to Home Depot. I finished it in 3 days, stopping only to sleep. I redid the counters, cupboards, removed the wall cabinets & hood fan/microwave, covered the walls with bead boarding, added exposed shelving, and replaced the fridge. It felt like a brand new room!
Biggest Indulgence: Replacing the floors (Which our dog Sid decided to ruin as a puppy), and redoing the walls/lights.
Best Advice: Plan. Design the way you want a room to look, and make a list of all the items you need to achieve that. Buy them as you can afford them and don’t rush it. It’s easier to do it that way than to finish an entire house with cheap (*cough* IKEA *cough*) pieces and then replace them all a few years later. I’m learning this the hard way as I want to spend money on nicer items but just can’t seem to justify it since I already have them.
Dream Sources: There are so many boutique furniture stores in Vancouver, mainly in Gastown, that I would love to just buy out.
Resources of Note:
KITCHEN:
DINING ROOM
LIVING ROOM
BACK ENTRANCE
- Floating Box Shelves, Ikea
- Decals, Urbanwalls
- Print, Zgallerie
- Bench, Repurposed wood
BEDROOM
NURSERY
- Crib, Ikea
- Crib Sheet, Etsy
- Dresser, Vintage
- Flower Decals, Urbanwalls
- Lamp, Vintage
- Side table, Ikea
- Mobile, Giggle
- Prints, DIY
- Mirror, Homesense
Thanks David and Bethany!
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