SPRING IT FORWARD
We time our renovations issue for April every year, because they don’t call it spring cleaning for nothing, right? It’s around this time of year that I start getting the itch to switch things up in my own place, and not just because the stronger sunlight is shining a spotlight on all the places I’ve neglected to dust these last few months.
I recently read an article somewhere that said people often neglect the design of their bedrooms because they’re rarely going to host a dinner party in it—and up until this spring, I was certainly a prime example of that theory. I’ve lived at my current address for almost five years, yet my bedroom could have easily doubled for a twentysomething’s eclectic and haphazard dorm room. (And I am not a twentysomething. Sadly.) But said article got me in motion, and I put a little love into my bedroom this spring: replaced the dresser, hung some new art, switched out the frames on a mismatched group of photos, brought in some new bedding and added a standing mirror. And voilà—I feel like a new person. (Future parties will remain in the living room—or, who am I kidding, the kitchen.)
Of course, the renovations you’ll see in this issue went quite a bit further to make a space party- (and family-) ready. Architects David Battersby and Heather Howat turned a family home into two empty nesters’ stunning new pad. A Whistler ski bum’s cabin was renovated into a bright, modern and oh-so-angular yearround home by architect David Arnott. And designer Negar Ghorashi rescued a ’50s-era post-and-beam and converted it into a gorgeous retreat for herself and her husband.
While I didn’t go so far in my spring overhaul as the designers in this issue took their spaces, the updates I did make have given my bedroom an entirely new feeling—both refreshing and relaxing at the same time. Let me know if these pages inspire you to make your own updates—whether you go for a modest bedroom flip or a massive whole-home reno, may it all put a little spring in your step and bring an extra party or two to your future.