Relaxed, Organic Style Meets Modern Lines

Name: Laura and Tyler
Location: Mount Pleasant, Vancouver, British Columbia
Size: 1,200 square feet
Years lived in: 2 years; Rented

This artists’ dwelling is filled to the brim with light that pours through the windows at every turn. It conjures a sense of space through dramatic restraint, a play on traditional minimalism. Laura, the creator of the blog PiperWinston, is passionate about content creation + curation and works for a local communications and social media firm here in Vancouver. Tyler is an entrepreneurial, Juno-award-winning musician for the band Said the Whale who has just embarked on creating an aesthetic-driven merchandise supply company called Magnetic North Co. With Tyler often away on tour during their five years together, he gave Laura free reign on decorating the space as she envisioned it – and she in turn, kept his needs in mind.

Originally they lived in a different unit in the building, but when this larger apartment of their dreams came available they jumped at the chance to transform the space. This home strikes a balance between fresh-modern and calm-comforting. The mix of white walls, vintage furniture and hand-picked objects exudes a sense of care. This calm Vancouver heritage apartment has so many cozy spaces that you could easily be happily nested for days.

As for the neighborhood, it was a major bonus that they found a home in a Vancouver area that exceeded all of their living expectations. They adore the tree-lined streets, beautiful old homes and are a quick bike ride (or walk) away from tons of amazing local startups. Boutique breweries (33 Acres), coffee shops (Matchstick), ice cream (Earnest Ice cream), fresh juice (The Juice Truck), Sushi (Zipang Provisions) and tacos (La Taqueria) are all close by and make it easy to support local businesses.

My Style: Relaxed, organic meets modern. I love open spaces with lots of natural light and clean lines. Throw in a few blanket-filled reading nooks and I’m totally at home.

Inspiration: The space itself. The high ceilings, big windows and open layout of our home have inspired the scale and feel of our furniture and layout. Also, it’s always been super important to us that guests feel totally at home when they visit.

Favorite Element: Hands down: Natural light (and lounge space to soak it up). No matter what the season, this home gets natural light pouring through the windows from dawn until dusk. We love to open up the windows and bring the outside in by letting the sun and breeze blow through. It’s especially lovely in the front room during rainy, lush, afternoons that are so common in Vancouver.

Biggest Challenge: Layout + Storage. There’s definitely some quirky space planning here. The majority of the square footage is in one open and undivided area. The other rooms (the bathroom, kitchen and bedrooms) are relatively small. Built-in storage is also at a minimum, so sticking to essential belongings has been key.

What Friends Say: Once they lose their ‘spilling on something white’ virginity and realize they won’t be kicked out, I think everyone settles in and feels really at home! A home is for entertaining and a little wear + tear is an insignificant price tag for the pleasure of good company. One friend called it “a lounger’s paradise” and that felt pretty on point to me.

Biggest Embarrassment: We have a constant list of to-dos that we’re chipping away at as our budget allows. Fully overhauling the kitchen to make it more contemporary and efficient would be my dream. Also updating the bathroom to include more storage and redoing all of the floors would be awesome. We haven’t focused any updates on our bedroom yet, so that is our next priority. I think everyone has things about their home that they envision differently and you just work at it bit by bit.

Proudest DIY: Our plywood desk in the office, built by Tyler and his Dad. We spend lots of hour working side by side in that office, so the uninterrupted, large surface has been incredibly handy. It’s also a huge bonus that we could drill holes where we wanted to contain cords and keep it tidy.

Biggest Indulgence: Probably the couch. In all honesty, we furnished on a budget because we transitioned from a smaller unit and were in need of quite a few things right off the get-go. We now have our eyes peeled for investment pieces to replace some of our current items. I’m also on the hunt for some artwork to liven up our white walls.

Best Advice: You don’t need as much ‘stuff’ as you think you do. I used to love a lot of knick knacks and thought showcasing ‘things’ defined a space with your personality. This time around it was more important to think about how we wanted the space to feel and function.

There is still lots of work to be done, but it’s definitely a gradual process and we’re enjoying watching the space evolve with our changing needs.

Dream Sources: Dream Sources: Garza Marfa ,West Elm, Jardan, Anthropologie, InForm Interiors & Local Artisans.

• Benjamin Moore paint with 3 parts white base – no added colour.

• Chest: Vintage

• Couch: IKEA
• Coffee Table/Chest: Vintage
• Side Table: Home Sense
• Standing Lamps: Garage Sale finds
• Rug: IKEA
• Tray: West Elm

• Daybed: Ikea
• Scones: Ikea
• Rug: Home Sense
• Chairs: Ikea
• Sheepskin: Gift from a friend
• Hammock: Bought from a local film set sale
• Lights: Target

• Lamps: Rewired vintage find (originally used in an industrial factory in India)
• Table and Chairs: Ikea
• Rug: Ikea
• Firewood Holder: CB2
• Buffet/Bar: West Elm

• Table: Ikea

• Desk: Handmade
• Copper Wall Mirrors: Ikea
• Desktop Lamp: Ikea
• Curtain: Target

BEDROOM

• Bedside tables: Vintage
• Headboard: Home Sense
• Standing Lamp: Vintage
• Dresser: Ikea
• Mirror: Vintage
• Porcelain light: Farmhouse

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