FROM OUR EDITOR
We’re always thrilled when we receive letters from you telling us how much you love our content, and how it inspires you. The fact is, we’re inspired, too. And I think this issue – with its annual themes of small-space living and organizing – is my favourite to put together. Phrases like “tips from the pros” and “small-space secrets” get me every time. Now, I can’t pretend I live in a tiny house, but the idea of using what you have efficiently is one that makes total sense to me. For example, Vancouver designer Peter Wilds is an expert in making a space work hard, noting in our story on the 922-square-foot house he designed (“All in Order,” page 72) that each piece of furniture and accent has to “earn its place.” Exactly. I’m in.
The problem is, I have a lot of stuff. I mean, A LOT. And when I read about people like 27-year-old British design sensation Luke Edward Hall (Inside Design, page 22) who subscribes to a different theory (“Buy the things you instantly fall in love with,” he advises. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t know where they would go. If you love something, get it.”), those ideas makes sense to me, too. It’s like he’s reading my mind! And that makes me feel better about having all the stuff I really don’t know where to put.
This all brings me to the point where I decide I need to do a makeover. Luckily, this issue has inspiration for that as well – and a solution to my conundrum. From a pair of office spaces that embrace their owners’ creativity (“Office Etiquette,” page 40, and “Home Away From Home,” page 86) to sisters who live in mirror-image condos that reflect their individuality (“A Tale of Two Sisters,” page 60) to both winners of our Style at Home Makeover Contest presented by IKEA Canada (“What Dreams May Come,” page 52, and “Beauty Contest,” page 80), these pages are filled with homes that stylishly bridge the gap between minimal serenity and maximal coziness. In other words, I’ve found proof that with a few minor tweaks to arrange my belongings – a corkboard here, a new sideboard there – I can have my decorating cake and eat it, too.