Serenity... Soon?
If you Google “renovation stress,” there’s one solution that typically ranks quite high in the results: recite the Serenity Prayer as often as you can. (A reminder: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”) Even our own editor-at-large, Stacey McLachlan, leaned hard on that line when she humorously regaled us with her own renovation diaries back in 2021. (If you haven’t yet read them yet, I highly recommend a peruse-through on westernliving.ca.)
When it comes down to it, a renovation is a brave endeavour. Your home is turned upside down, inside out and often just plain gutted. If you choose to live there while it’s happening, you’re amidst that chaos, too. (I recently had my hallways and bathroom repainted, and that alone was enough of an upheaval to keep me away from any major projects for a good long while.)
This issue, starting on page 22, we’re celebrating those brave souls who’ve decided to create dream spaces out of the lessthan-ideal original homes they began with, to great results. I was particularly intrigued by designer Annaliesse Kelly’s story of renovating her home, an effort she says kept her alert to the trials her own clients go through. “[It’s] always a good reminder about just how stressful this process is, and how much trust people need to put in us for these ideas they can’t test drive or see until it’s too late,” she tells us. I’ve had many designers tell me that they are their own worst client—knowing just how much is out there can make it even more challenging to narrow in on which fixture, paint colour or furniture piece is the perfect one. But as you’ll see from Kelly’s finished space (page 44), she nailed it all around.
The process was a good reminder of another sort, too, she says: “It’s a beautiful opportunity to tell yourself you love you.” That is the real magic of great design—ultimately, when the last of the dust settles and those Serenity Prayer decisions have been embraced, a great renovation is a gift our future selves will be grateful for—even while our present selves are kicking our own butts for getting it all started.