OUR FAMILY FRIENDLY LIVING ROOM

They say that home is where your heart is and I believe this is completely true. For me, that means comfort, playfulness, support, love and moments of happiness when you need them most. Home is mainly the people you love, but creating a house that aligns with these feelings and qualities is something I have always loved doing. Last week, I shared Xavier’s big boy room and today, I’m so excited to share a glimpse into our family friendly living room!

This is a space that gets used by everyone. Forts are built, games are played and at the end of the day it’s a quick and easy room to clean up and look presentable.

The sectional is perfect for family movie nights and pillow fights too. It took a few years before we decided to buy a coffee table again and when we did, we chose a round one so that there weren’t any sharp corners for the kids (or us!) to run into.

The gallery wall is a random selection of both frames and art. Most are paintings that either I or the kids have done and there are also random materials from past travels. I always thought it would be a temporary display, but reality is that art doesn’t get changed in our house too often so it’s been up there for years!

While we don’t have fresh blooms on the table all the time, it sure is lovely when we do!

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KIDS CREATIVE ART STUDIO

It's here!!! I am SO excited to share our children's art space for many reasons. This creative room is such a labour of love and really has taken way too long to complete as clients always come before my own home. I'm sure I started telling you this post was going to happen two years ago! Although it has been one of the most used spaces in our house over the last 18+ months, it has not been ready to photograph or share in a styled way until now!

The idea for this room started when my husband broke his hip (freak casual bike accident) and I knew we'd be home more than usual. I started scrolling other art rooms and saving my favourite art room ideas on Pinterest. All three of our kids love creating...drawing, painting, building, pasting, imagining, designing, etc. and after our dining table started to be constantly full of art supplies, I began thinking of an alternate space we could use.

This space is different than most I share as it is a rough place in our basement that we literally scraped together to give the kids somewhere to make a mess, create in whatever way they want, explore different materials, textures and give their brains a place that they can come when they first wake up or when they get home from school or when they feel they need some time away that is different than anywhere else. I grew up creating, drawing, painting, sewing, making things whenever I could and I dreamed of having a space in our home for our kids to do the same. 

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When we started, this room was literally full of boxes and the space we would just throw stuff to be sorted later (we don't have a garage) but realistically we needed to deal with the junk and use the space.

Once the boxes were removed, we had drywall put up and lighting installed. I painted the entire space in Simply White by Benjamin Moore and then the rest was decor. I used porch and floor enamel to paint the concrete floor and although the entire space is still pretty rough, it is totally fine if paint drips, glitter drops, etc. I quickly painted the floor before photographing this room to make it bright and fresh again, but day to day, it isn't quite like this. I didn't need this room to be perfect; I wanted the kids to be able to be free to explore in here, to get the paint out for themselves and learn how to take, use and put away materials on their own. The only way to learn is to practice, right?

The side of the wall with the paint easels was so bare so we added these cute irregular dot decals in light grey to add a little interest. They are fun and the kids love them! We use old t-shirts as paint smocks, small jars for paint and large clothes pegs to hang wet art. It's not fancy, but it works!

I love how focused and involved the kids are when they are here. The hours of conversation, creations that they come up with and frustrations that turn into proud moments are just a snapshot of what happens in an art space for kids. These three negotiate in here, have another way to release emotion, and show determination with projects that carry on for days. Creating a space for kids to let their creative side run wild is so worth it!

I love how so many of the little details turned out but am definitely most proud of the pegboard wall!!! I could use one in every room. Having everything accessible is great and items, such as the dustpan and brush, at a low height allows an opportunity for the kids to access things easily and help with cleanup. 

It's been such a long time coming and it's finally here...I'd love to know what you think!!!

*A huge thank you to my sister Amanda from Amanda Haddow Photography for photographing this space. 

KIDS CHRISTMAS WOODEN PLAYHOUSE

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Our little wooden playhouse is all decorated for Christmas!!! You may remember the summer makeover of this cubby house from last year and I finally got a few things together to decorate it for the holidays. I had this idea to surprise the kids with a fun afternoon outside eating shortbread cookies and drinking hot cocoa and I am so thankful we did it before the crazy rain started because they LOVED it!

The white lit birch trees were such a fun addition that I will move inside later; one for the girls' room and one for Xavier's.

We swapped summer lemonade for hot cocoa and the menu changed to include cookies, brownies and candy canes (kids dream menu!). All three kids wanted to take turns 'serving' the others and the shortbread cookies were gobbled up nearly instantly.

I just love the unexpected colours in the peppermint garland from Pearl and Jane. It's so cute for the playhouse and would be equally as adorable as holiday decoration in a children's room!

I adore the little details in our playhouse: the tiny HO HO HO banner, gold drop garland and JOY banner are all from Etsy. So many creative makers that I love to support! I just had to include this photo of our youngest smiling broadly and poking over the door. 

If you missed the original makeover, you can find that post here. I hope you find inspiration and a little fun from our holiday playhouse.

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SUMMER PLAYHOUSE

SCANDINAVIAN MAKEOVER OF WOODEN PLAYHOUSE

I have seriously dreamt of making over this wooden playhouse (similar) since the day it was put together...three years ago. Sigh. Children...take what seems like a busy life and they magically make it even busier. It was in serious need of a major overhaul as the stain had faded and wood planks had fallen off. It was a case of "good enough" and "someday" but this summer, it finally got the makeover it deserved! To redo the whole playhouse took a little work, to say the least. We started by removing all of the curved features. Then, after the initial sanding, it took 3 coats of Behr Ultra White paint to get the house covered and then the fun began! We spray painted all of the trim (easy and quick!), fixed the boards, added a few extras and then it was simple decoration.  

Now...let me just show you what this beauty looked like BEFORE the playhouse makeover.

And...AFTER!  

Same same but, oh-so-different! What do you think? Do you like the lighter version with pastel hues a little better??? You can shop the stools (and our play table, not pictured) here!

It's true...so many adventures really do happen here. With three kids 5 and under, there are countless play dates, backyard summer escapes, imaginary pies, lemonade stands, muffins made. Keep in mind I really do have a 5-year-old whose favourite food is blue cheese! Don't you love this adorable wooden sign from Parade and Company? It pairs perfectly with the garland from Canadian maker Jae to the Wall. These peaches were hand picked from Papa's tree the day we left from our week in the Okanagan and apart from making perfect props for the revamped playhouse, they were the juiciest, most delicious peaches I have ever tasted. 

This gorgeous market basket is from Majorel Design and I love the flowers from Gypsy Petal so much. They are indestructible and the kids love playing with them!

So there you have it. Our wooden playhouse lovingly restored and refreshed for the kids to enjoy and make memories in for years to come. Who wants to come over and play?

NEUTRAL NURSERY - XAVIER'S LITTLE NEST

WINTER DAISY is so excited to reveal Xavier's little nest!! This space is airy, serene and fun - a dreamy place for reading books, playing with his sisters and sleeping peacefully. 

The inspiration for this room stems from nature; Xavier is his happiest exploring outside and I wanted to find a way to bring the outdoors in, while maintaining a soft, neutral and relaxed aesthetic.

A very special nursery reveal for a very precious little boy. Xavier sure looks like he's enjoying his nursery, don't you think?