Name: Natalie and Kevin
Location: Parkdale, Toronto, Canada
Size: Approx. 1500 square feet
Years lived in: 9 months; Rented
When searching for a new place to call home, Natalie and Kevin never dreamed they could find such a spacious, bright, and charming place within their budget in the city. Nine months after moving in, Natalie is still pinching herself. While the bones of their two story apartment are good, it is Natalie's stylish touch and absurdly capable hands that make the place a truly perfect pad.
Their 100+ year-old Parkdale mansion sits on a leafy side street steps from the grittier part of the neighborhood. Occupying the entire second and third floors of the old home, the apartment boasts a soaring wood-beamed ceiling on the third floor and a fabulous rooftop deck. Many of the home's original architectural features remain intact, and they juxtapose nicely with Natalie's mostly vintage modern/bohemian aesthetic.
HR professional by day and hilarious blogger/gal about town by night, Natalie is responsible for most of the apartment's décor and furnishings. While some of the DIY pieces in the home were inspired by things seen around the web — the pipe shelving unit and Kilim pouf, for example — others were conceived of by Natalie alone, like the slatted wood Canada map and the side table made from an old apple crate. The ever-modest Natalie provides step-by-step instructions for all her DIY efforts on her blog, Makes Me Smile.
When Natalie is not busy with projects for her home or penning her blog, she and Kevin are enjoying the fruits of her labor, whether by curling up to read a good book, hosting friends for an outdoor movie night, or playing with Molly, the couple's Boston Terrier. Now that she's given us a tour of their place, we can enjoy it, too!
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: A little mid-century, a little rustic, a little edgy… a little bit of everything.
Inspiration: I'm always drawn to clean mid-century design and beautiful organic materials like wood and slate. Anything that has both of those elements makes me pretty excited.
Favorite Element: The original structural and architectural details of the house… and the *space*!
Biggest Challenge: I have a problem learning when to stop — there is a point when things stop looking interesting and start looking messy. It took a while to learn that sometimes a blank wall can be a blank wall, and that's ok.
What Friends Say: "Your house is a good party house," which is definitely true.
Biggest Embarrassment: The floors badly need a re-fresh — in some cases there are nails that stick up and actually poke into your socks.
Proudest DIY: Either the pipe-shelf or the huge slat-wall map of Canada.
Biggest Indulgence: My teak, tinted-glass mid-century credenza. It was a bit more than I wanted to pay, and going to pick it up was an epic disaster — but it is definitely a piece that I will be keeping for a long time.
Best Advice: Learn to take risks with color. I'd always stuck to neutrals, but when I purchased my crazy bright Turkish Kilim rug, I had to force myself to embrace color and start to design with it. It is much more challenging, but so much more interesting when you get it right.
Dream Sources: Would love to grab some items from DWR, and there is an amazing concept design store in Toronto called Commute Home that I would raid if I had more money, but to be perfectly honest, I'll never stop thrifting and buying off craigslist. There is an addictive rush that comes with a great vintage find.
Resources of Note:
ENTRY
- • Front bench thrifted
• Art by Tami Noa Levy and Dave Murray
BATHROOM
- • Antique Rorschach plates thrifted
• Vintage light bulbs from Anthropologie
• Mason and apothecary jars thrifted
• Dresser, vanity, and light from Ikea
KITCHEN
- • Mugshot Prints from LarkenDesign off Etsy
• Mason jars, arrows, and terrariums all thrifted
• Reclaimed wood beam bench custom made with table in office
OFFICE
- • Pipe shelving unit self-made
• Credenza, teak armchair, record player, and most items on shelving thrifted
• Reclaimed wood beam table custom made
• Art thrifted or painted myself
BEDROOM
- • Credenza, nightstand, lamps, and antlers thrifted
• Clock is George Nelson
• Slatted wall map self-made
• Wall print by Doublenaut
• Bedframe from Ikea
• Bedspread is Missoni for Target
LOFT
- • Credenza, coffee table, arc lamp, Danish cord chairs, teak lounge chair, and sidetables all thrifted
• Ikea Karlstad couch
• Antique Kilim Rug from Turkey
• Pillows from Anthropologie, Ikea, West Elm, Urban Outfitters, or self-made
• Graphic Floor 'Pouf' self-made
• Vintage "Blow Up" poster from eBay
• Ibex drawing by Tami Noa Levy
• Pewter skulls from Shanghai antiques market
Thanks, Natalie and Kevin!
(Images: Abby Cook )
• HOUSE TOUR ARCHIVE: Check out past house tours here.
• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour Submission Form.
• Are you a designer/architect/decorator interested in sharing a residential project with Apartment Therapy readers? Contact the editors through our Professional Submission Form.
The Ultimate Used Furniture Cleaning Kit
Ana Creates a Community at Home
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Z2 iPod Dock and Wi...
Soda Recipe: Homemade Ginger Ale
Recipe: Spring Fruit and Nut Tabouli
As soon as I saw Toronto I got excited! I'm hoping you come to my place next - when I decorate it! Parkdale is a great neighbourhood. We have style in T-dot!
I love the colour and the personality in this place :)
A new favorite!
So pretty & unique! Do you know what the paint color for the bathroom is? I am trying to venture beyond neutrals as well :)
How did you create the self-made map on slatted wood over the bed? I love it!
This is so my style. I love it and totally laughed out loud when I saw the wrestlers in the book shelf.
I live in parkdale too!
Great place! And I finally get to see those mugshot posters from Etsy in action!! Genius in the kitchen. :)
It's awesome! I too am Torontonian, own a Boston Terrier (best dogs ever!) and love vintage Canadiana. Fabulous job! Those mugshot prints in your kitchen are awesome. I thought about buying them, but my 3 year old said they are scary. :(
Wonderfully done!
This is a rental?! Damn, sometimes living in New York seems like a joke.
What a great space. Love love love the pipe shelving. That little recessed bookcase is a dream. You have a deft hand at display, m'lady. Nothing looks too precious and yet everything the eye lands on is so interesting. I am surprised that you say your challenge is knowing when to stop. You clearly figured it out. Really nice.
Sweet place!! I am from London not far from Toronto, I like the way you handled the bathroom, it looks so fresh and clean, !!!
I absolutely love this house tour. The airy feel and rustic textures are just perfect, but the main reason I just *finally* registered on AT to comment after years of lurking is so I can cry publicly about how BEAUTIFUL that rug is. I have been looking for something similar and those colors are gorgeous! Congratulations on your awesome space.
wow. just wow.
Amazing. I'm in awe of the fact you have only been there 9 months. So interesting without being overwhelming.
I. Love. This. Place. That attic space opening onto the the balcony...oh my god.
Reminds me of another gorgeous 2-storey that some friends of mine shared in that neighbourhood about 25 years ago. :-) (Hello Grammo - another London, Canada here!)
My new favorite as well! Beautiful space!! Canada rocks and I second the comment on the wrestlers, hilarious.
such a sweet place with a happy vibe. thanks!
I love this space! You've done an amazing job in only 9 months and I love your style. Those pipe shelves are to die for. I'm a fellow Torontonian (and HR professional actually!), and I always love to see local spaces featured in AT. Great feature!
I'm blown away! From the colorful rug to the piping shelf, I'm LOVING it all : )
Parkdale represent! (I'm nearby, in High Park!)
What a warm, lovely place. I'm soooo fascinated by your wall slat map, and wish with all my heart you'd share how you made it!
I love your home. You have such great taste. Thanks so much for sharing it! Ah, I wish I were handy and could build those plumbing shelves.
Not to be an echo here, but this is my new favorite as well! And not just the decor, but the space as well - amazing. You are frightfully lucky. And your eye for textiles is fantastic.
Love your home. Its beautifully decorated and has a modern sense to it with eclectic styling and furnishings. Truly some wonderful pieces. If there's one thing I dont care for...its the mugshots in the kitchen. I do admit they are captivating with their retro 50s style...but they bring in a sense of negativity to the space. Just my opinion. Otherwise...wonderful place.
It IS such a good party house!
love the mugshots! and great job with the pipe shelving as well - you have such a cool home!
Natalie here - thanks everyone for the comments!
Some people have asked about the slat-map of Canada - the DIY was featured on Design*Sponge here: http://www.designsponge.com/2012/02/diy-project-slatted-wood-map-art.html
... but there is a much more colorful description of its construction on my blog here: http://www.makesmesmile.org/?p=6975
How do people get this fun, fresh but somehow restrained and sophisticated (to me) taste--and so young. Sigh. So good.
Excellent style. Bravo!
(from an ex-Parkdalian)
I'm a Natalie (originally) from Toronto too!
LoveloveLOOOOVVEEE your place. Lots of well thought out design from someone who is obviously innovative and crafty...and your blog is hilarious. Well done you.
Oh my gosh this is simply a wonderful space. So many awesome nooks and architectural features here, and you did a beautiful job decorating it. I can't decide if I want to copy your whole style, or just come over and hang out there!
Love the Canada map but it looks like Alberta is awol lol...........
The space is fantantastic and you have done a great job!
love all the little nooks
Where on earth did you get the Rorschach plates? Those are supposed to be protected information. (I do love them, however.)
Seriously, the Rorschach cards are NOT "OMG so cute and artsy" decorations to be "thrifted"! As someone who received training in personality measures, I find the protected information displayed highly ignorant and offensive. They're still used to make very important decisions (backed with newer research).
My heart made a huge jump when I read "Parkdale". I knew it would be Toronto.
The space is ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. (And the decor is lovely, too).
I love the Canada map!
Molly is so cute.
Wow. There seems not to be a single detail overlooked. It is perfect.
On the one hand, I love it. On the other hand, it reminds me of my own OCD.
Nicely done! :)
I was trained as a clinical psychologist and know the ethics concerning assessment materials. I would never display my Rorschach cards. Unless either Natalie or Kevin is a mental health professional, those ethics do not apply to them.
What a wonderful space.
I hope you do a how to of the pipe shelf wall in the very near future.
love the simplicity of the space with the colorful accents. and LOVE the pipe shelves!!
Such a gorgeous home! I'd be so grateful if you would share the bathroom paint color. It's beautiful and just the color I'd love in my bedroom.
Beautiful, like a breath of fresh air!
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for posting the instructions to the map. Hilarious blog entry!
Love it love it! My new favorite space, thanks for posting the blog, was hoping it would pop up somewhere in the comments ;), off to read now.
Where's the other half of that eyeglass frame pillow? I know there are two of those...
Charming rental! Seriously, where are all the rentals that are like this? Would like to move into one. When I saw the mugshots in the kitchen, my first reaction was, 'Dude...' But it has a uniqueness about it. Love the light and airy space.
Those legs didn't come with the karlstad couch right?
Apparently the mental health professionals didn't read above where it says the plates were THRIFTED. Get your panties out of that wad. Is there anything identifiable about the Rorschach plates above? These ebay sellers don't think so, perhaps you should go to the APA about them too: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=rorschach+plates
I like it, but it also feels like it's a showroom for current trends/fads. Skulls and antlers? Check. Pipe shelving? Check. Tribal rugs. Arrows. Banners. Mid century. Industrial. School charts. I think it's a little too much all together, even though I think there a lot of nice pieces individually.
i am loving the rug and 'N' light. very cool.
Cute place! I felt a 'pang' when I saw the Danish rope chair - I had one of those back in the 70's, and loved it.
I really love your style! I own a cape cod style home and it's inspiring to see how MCM furniture can be integrated.
P.S. - The clock in photo #1 is from Ikea - just bought one this weekend.
I live down the street from you @Tirinity Bellwoods! I love seeing Toronto homes, especially when it isn't a generic condo with generic furniture. This is so interesting and inviting.
I'm going to keep my eyes open for some Rorschach plates of my own!
Trying to like the LR rug, but can't get past the Barbie® pink. I'll give them credit for boldness.
Don't like it. What's up with the mug shots on the kitchen walls?
Well first of all this is a great house tour and secondly BEST BLOG EVER. Hilarious. Subscribed.
Lovely. Great, great job. Your home looks completely filled with love! And cute skirt too.
This is the most exciting and inspiring home tour I've seen so far, and now wonder, it's in my hood! I think I pinned almost every page. Thanks for the inspiration!
I love your home's style - it's really welcoming and pretty. And the skirt you're wearing in the picture is gorgeous - you can tell that this house isn't "art directed," you're living and wearing the style.
Where did you get the pink/purple pillow? It's divine...
What an amazing space to have found. I can understand why you're still pinching yourself. It's kind of surprising to me how well your mid-century furniture pieces work with the Victorian architecture and details but it all works together. I especially liked the mug shot photo's hung in the kitchen (you obviously have a sense of humor) and those two action figures "engaged in a fight" on one of your built in book shelves is brilliant. Thanks for sharing!
Love it! So Canadian!
Hey, things become trendy for a reason. If you really like, you aren't choosing it just because it's trendy, nor do you avoiding it because it is.
Love your artful place, cute dog and whimsical wrestlers on the bookshelf
That kilim. Is freaking. Incredible.
Can tell you frequents one of my favorite shops, Hot Hunt on queen st. Lovely apartment.
Ah yay fellow Parkdalians! Lovely home, neighbours. Super jealous of your patio!