For busy couple Ania Boniecka and Tyler Stalman, the condo they renovated is more than just where they live, it’s their sanctuary. “Our jobs have us on and off planes almost 70% of the year so when we are at home we want to spend every possible moment vegging out and editing on our sofas.” Ania’s website, aptly named Ania.B, covers a wide range of topics, from fashion, to home decor, travel, food and drink, to things like fitness, finance, technology, and more. Both she and Tyler are photographers, offering video, print, and interactive design for a number of project types. Because of their creative careers, they wanted a home that felt like a serene space, but also looked beautiful, too.

“It was important to us to also create a space that was not only functional but also photogenic. We take a lot of photos around the house and we wanted to be inspired and as a result be able to inspire others who will later look at the images. The space is constantly evolving and we keep adding elements that were either not available to us at the time or that we decided to wait for instead of settling for something we didn’t necessarily like as much,” explains Ania.

Though Ania and Tyler have lived in the space together for three years, it’s been in Ania’s family for longer. “This home is the first home that my parents bought when we first moved to Canada,” she said. “It changed hands from my brother (who was here before us), then went to my parents, and now my husband and I live here. It has a lot of memories and we were the very first owners, which really means a lot to me mainly because we know every corner, every scratch, and every little thing that was ever done to it. We can feel assured that it is in perfect condition because we were the ones taking care of it. My mum in turn moved into the apartment directly below us so that we can still be close. We played with the idea of getting a house instead of an apartment but in the end the conveniences of being in a condo really win over being a homeowner. At least for now we are not ready for such a big commitment. Plus being able to gut something completely and build it from scratch is a lot more work when you have three stories instead of one!”

The condo wasn’t in terrible shape when Ania and Tyler moved in, but that’s what makes their renovation so successful. The changes they made were subtle, but all their decisions added an updated modern look to the home. They certainly embrace a minimal aesthetic—save for a few black accent walls the home is bathed in clean bright white—Ania explains they wanted the home to be a white box they could fill with color. And when it came to furnishing their home, they made careful choices they hope will last. “Furniture is not only a costly purchase but also takes up space and is not easily disposable,” says Ania. “When we buy our pieces we want to envision them serving us at least 10+ years.”

While the renovation was no doubt hard work, the couple can now enjoy the space to its fullest (when they’re not traveling, of course). “When we are at home we love to spend time in our living room. We use the patio in the summer when the weather is nice and we move into the TV room in the winter. This is where all my puzzles and knitting baskets are; I like to feel cozy while I watch TV, read a book, or play video games,” shares Ania.

My Style: Mixed. I don’t have one particular style and I like too many things; I just wanted my space to make me happy. We work from home so I want to be surrounded with things and objects that inspire me, bring memories of places we love, and be warm and inviting to come back to.

Inspiration: Pinterest, travel, and designers we meet along the way.

Favorite Element: The bathrooms; they went through the biggest transformation. We gutted the whole apartment and basically started from scratch; the only things that didn’t get replaced were radiators and windows.

Biggest Challenge: Finding contractors that you trust, that didn’t overcharge you for the work/made it possible for everything you wanted to happen to come to fruition and were trustworthy. And finding apartment-sized toilets and appliances. Our building was built in 1995 and standard sizing for many things have changed by now. We were scouring far and wide for a fridge short enough to fit our space, and a toilet short enough to be able to close the door in the bathroom. It was surprisingly really hard.

Proudest DIY: The shelving unit in our TV room. We originally wanted it to be walnut with gold hardware but decided to keep everything white so that it blended into the wall. The shelf is already filled with a lot of books and knick-knacks so we didn’t want it to become too overwhelming

Biggest Indulgence: Our most recently purchased Herman Miller Eames lounger; I have wanted it for so long and kept test driving it whenever we saw it. It is one of the most comfortable pieces of furniture I have ever owned. I love it!

Best Advice: When you are renovating, don’t settle. Just because someone says you aren’t able to do something, be your own problem solver and walk through all the possible ways to achieve the dream home that you’ve always wanted. If you see your contractor doing something wrong tell him right away, don’t wait until he is finished. It’s much more annoying and costly to rip out finished work than start over when you are in progress. They may not like it but at the end of the day you are the client and it is YOUR home in which you will have to live in and look at any potential mistakes that you didn’t fix. Because trust me, once you see something you can not unsee it.

• We asked our painters to paint everything sterile white; we wanted our home to be a white box that we can fill with color.

• Mid-Century Buffet Console — West Elm
• PlayType Print — The Poster Club
• Sliding Closet door — Sliding Door Co., which was one of the more expensive things we bought for the reno but was essential as there were really no good sliding closet doors available off the shelf. We were not prepared to settle.

• Cello Sofa — EQ3
• Custom Coffee Table — EQ3
• Arco Lamp — Purchased when I first moved out of my parents’ home in 2008 online on a website I no longer remember.
• Cow hide  — IKEA
• Persian Rug — Pazyryk Art in Calgary
• B&B Italia Chair — Robert Sweep Home
• Picture Frames — Mix of Custom frames, EQ3 and Michael’s
• Cat tree — Vesper from Amazon
• Bar Cart — West Elm
• Mid century plant pots — West Elm
• Wicker seats — IKEA
• Hallway Entry Bookshelf — Custom
• Cow Skulls — Evoke The Spirit

• VOXTORP cabinet fronts — IKEA
• Caesarstone countertop

• Closet System by IKEA ELVARI

• Marcel Platform Bed — EQ3
• Asher Dresser — Rove Concepts
• Asher Nighstands — Rove Concepts
• Metro Table Lamps — EQ3
• Ceiling Lamp — West Elm

• Accessories — H&M Home
• Vanities — Bliss 30” Kubebath Modern Gloss from vanitystore.ca
• Toilets — Toto
• Bathtub — 60” deep square tub ordered through a local plumping supplier
• Faucets — Home Depot

• Shelving — DIY materials from Home Depot
• Love seat — West Elm mid-century sofa
• Desk — West Elm mid-century collection
• Art — Commissioned to John Francis Gerrard

• LG two in one washer/dryer
• Algot Closet System — IKEA

Thanks Ania and Tyler!

⇒ House Tour & House Call Submission Form

See More: 
⇒ Recent House Tours 
⇒ House Tours on Pinterest