This Home’s Got Cute Styling Ideas, from a Hanging Rug to Cozy Breakfast Nook, and More

Name: Gabriella Nassief Borg and Partner
Location: Toronto, Canada
Type of home: House
Size: 2,000 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years, owned

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: My partner and I live in the West End of downtown Toronto. Our home is a renovated old-school row house that we moved into three years ago. Since we moved in, it’s been a slow but steady daily re-jigging, re-designing, and re-imagining of the space. Aside from my day job, I work as a house design consultant and stylist for my independently run business, House of Borg. Much like the heart of my business model, I have a focus on upcycling found objects, vintage, and thrifting.

Our home is a story in many ways. There’s an ongoing narrative and treasure hunt that runs throughout it. Small vignettes, that may otherwise be known as clutter, that are scattered everywhere. I love to juxtapose items and build a story between them. I sometimes describe our space as an immersive “I Spy” book. It may not seem it at first, but if you hang out in our living room for a little while you may notice things like a small brass monkey next to a lamp, a pair of ceramic lobster claws in the kitchen, or a set of sheep on a windowsill.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: An eclectic vintage color journey.

What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room is our kitchen because it’s where we get to collaborate together. It’s also the space where I have had my greatest expression of color and vibrance. It’s cozy but modern and it’s also where we’ve done the most DIY reno work together like our blue-painted cabinet interiors or walk-in pantry that was formerly a mud room.

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? The last two things I bought was a new rug from Saudade in Toronto in yellow. And found would be a small caster wheel foot stool that now lives in our living room.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Express yourself in every inch and corner of your home or space. Having your home be a reflection of you is a beautiful way to start and end your day. Rental or ownership, doesn’t matter. I moved into a different apartment (with roommates) every year for seven years prior to the place we are in now and I understand it’s not easy to find the motivation when the space isn’t “yours.” But it is! Investing in a space (time too, not always money) is an investment into your well-being and happiness; it’s never a “waste.”

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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