SMALL SPENDER
A Toronto designer saves a lot of money and time when creating an elegant yet approachable living room for her young family.
An elegant and budget-friendly living room created to fit the needs of a young family
They say time is money, and former Style at Home design editor Stacy Begg was keen to conserve both when she endeavoured to beautify her living room. The busy mom of three and her husband, Don Saynor, had recently renovated the main floor of their 2,000-square-foot Toronto home, netting the room a crisp envelope of fresh white walls, black-framed windows and wide-plank hardwood floors. The decor, however, left much to be desired. “We had our dog crate in there and our TV on this little side table,” says Stacy. “The room had a sad university student vibe.”
The space needed a decorative growth spurt, so Stacy began by splurging on a designer drapery fabric that echoed the monochromaticplus-yellow palette of the adjacent kitchen (featured in Style at Home’s June 2014 issue). To further elevate the room, she sourced a high-end grasscloth wallpaper and accented the fireplace wall with it. “Once you have a couple of investment pieces, you can play with lower-cost elements,” says the designer, who applied the principle here: While some of the furnishings – including the velvet swivel chair and statuesque side table – are affordable new purchases, others, such as the celestial-patterned bench and glam gold coffee table, are actually inexpensive secondhand items Stacy had updated. And the chic William Birchstyle sofa? It’s an existing piece the designer updated
by replacing the back cushions with some throw pillows. Budget-friendly artwork and other accessories, ranging from high to low, finish the room.
Sporting a chic California-cool look, the resulting space seems like a tall order, but it only took a couple of weeks to pull together – proof that style need not suffer if you’re strapped for time and cash. DESIGN, Stacy Begg Design, 416-898-0435; Cloud White CC-40 WALL & MILLWORK PAINT, Benjamin Moore; WALLPAPER, Thibaut at Kravet Canada; SOFA, IKEA; SWIVEL CHAIR, SIDE TABLE, BASKETS, West Elm; COFFEE TABLE SPRAY- PAINTING, Beresford; BAR CART, Hudson’s Bay; BENCH FABRIC, TOSS CUSHIONS (except yellow), Tonic Living; BENCH UPHOLSTERY, Master Upholstery; Gastón y Daniela DRAPERY FABRIC, Lee Jofa; DRAPERY SEWING, Q. Design Perfect Drapery and Shades; HEARTH TILES, Mettro Source; FLOORING, Moncer Specialty Flooring; RUG, white CANISTERS, brass BOWLS & TRAY, faux potted olive TREE (on shelf), Elte; PRINTS, Minted; custom MIRROR, Canada Glass & Mirror Co.; PICTURE LIGHTS, Robert Abbey; DRAPERY HARDWARE, Designer Fabrics.