On a hill in Halifax, happy hues bring Rebekah Higgs’s mid-century home to life.

Honestly, I had no idea I was somebody who likes pink,” says Rebekah Higgs, host of DIY Mom. “But during the opening season [of my show], I painted the front door pink and I can honestly say that every day since, coming home to that door brings me joy.” The same can be said of the rest of her 1950s bungalow, perched on a hill with views of Bedford Basin. The light-filled space is the happy-making home of Rebekah and her eight-year-old daughter, Lennon. But the fresh little jewel box wasn’t always this way. “Picture a dark labyrinth of hallways shooting off to lots of cramped rooms, each one with different flooring,” says Rebekah. Her solution? “Take it down to the studs. By the time I was done, the only original thing left was the windows,” she laughs. And it was then, tool belt tightened and a stack of books about mid-century architecture on hand, that she reconfigured the layout into what it is today: a sparkling, pink-positive zone for this super-creative mom and her equally fun daughter. 

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

“Who doesn’t love a good barn door? But a farmhouse look wasn’t right for this house,” says homeowner Rebekah Higgs (shown left), who refaced it with slats of white oak. “Now it looks Mid-Century Modern, and it transitions nicely to that spacious foyer. I added lots of custom storage and that practical vinyl mat. It’s perfect for catching paw prints when Ziggy Stardust scampers indoors.” Editor’s note: coolest pet name ever!

“The house was boxy and square, so I played around with adding curves to the doorways and in this glass wall.”

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

“This fireplace is super awkward because it’s smack in the middle of the house, so it has to look good from every angle,” says Rebekah. The arched mirror and basket-weave tiled hearth were added for texture and pizzazz. “The sconces were originally supposed to go in the bathroom, but their arches reminded me of the pendants over the island, which are nearby, so I put them here instead.” The wood carrier and fireplace tools are thrift finds.

Button SCONCES, Eurofase. WOOD CARRIER, FIREPLACE TOOL SET, Mission Thrift. Tribeca HEARTH TILE, Centura.

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

Rebekah’s DIY arched “window” makes a gem of this tiny office. “To make the arches, I worked with carpenter Julie Hing and we used my clothing steamer!” she laughs. (See how they did it on season 4 of DIY Mom.) The office walls are draped in banana-leaf wallpaper. “You get a strong statement, but it’s still neutral.” The open wall shelf and sconces make a focal point of the bargain-priced desk. The patterned vinyl rug is no-nonsense, and the modern captain’s chair was a deal from a big-box store. Says Rebekah: “Music has always been a big part of my life, so I hung vintage guitars that double as wall art.”

CHAIR, HomeSense. RUG, Spicher & Co. SHELF, IKEA. SCONCES, Eurofase. PLANTER, Power Designs.

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

 “I went for this parade of big globe pendants because the kitchen island is huge,” says Rebekah. When she and Lennon perch on its cheery pink stools, they have views of Bedford Basin. The room’s pink touches were inspired by a vintage Fiestaware jug and by mid-century interiors that treat pink as a neutral. 

Prospect PENDANTS, Eurofase. Eternal Statuario COUNTERTOPS and BACKSPLASH, Silestone. STOOLS, Wayfair. Pattern 69 RUNNER, Spicher and Co.

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

“I used leftover wood slats for the island. Boom-boom-boom! A nail gun is a girl’s best friend!”

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

Rebekah flipped the original cherrywood cabinetry doors back to front so their profile is a clean-lined Shaker style. Then she restained some doors a lighter shade and painted others. She filled in empty spaces with IKEA shelving. The vinyl rug is family friendly. Says Rebekah: “Who can argue with a rug that wipes clean when there are spills?”

“The table started out as a $90 find online. It was the most horrible shade of orange.”

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

Rebekah took a homely maple table and made it mod with a trestle base tricked out with wood dowels. The blown-glass chandelier was a splurge. “I took a chance on the bright pinks in the rug and ended up really loving it in this space,” she says. The chairs are IKEA. “Honestly, by this point, I was kinda running out of money,” she laughs.

Nottingham CHANDELIER, Eurofase. Wood dowels, East Coast Specialty Hardwood. CHAIRS, IKEA. RUG, RugsUSA.

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

“I tiled the powder room by myself. I went for a modern stacked rectangle design that goes two-thirds of the way up the wall,” says Rebekah. “The tropical wallpaper and teak vanity feel very Palm Springs to me, so they felt great for a mid-century bungalow.” Sconces and a mirror with curved corners are the finishing touches.

Artisan Collection WALL TILE in Rose Mallow, Centura. WALLPAPER, pattern 5356, JF Fabrics. Avanity VANITY, Home Depot. Silestone countertop, Cosentino. FAUCET, Delta. MIRROR, Structube. Tabitha SCONCES, Mitzi.

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

Rose-gold bed frames with nearly-matching prints of menagerie give Lennon’s bedroom fable-like charm. A bell-like pendant brings light for bedtime reading. “The wallpaper is from a line called Bungalow, which seemed perfect,” says Rebekah. The tufted pillows are wool and the carpet is washable.

BED FRAMES, Wayfair. PRINTS, Poster Store. Bungalow WALLPAPER, JF Fabrics. BEDSPREADS, Annie Selke. BEDSIDE TABLE, Walmart. Alexa PENDANT, Mitzi. PILLOWS, HomeSense; Endy.

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

“That tile-to-wood transition on the bathroom floor reminds me of the ocean’s shoreline where the bubbles meet the sand.”

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

Hex shapes and angles are everywhere in Rebekah’s ensuite. The teak honeycomb shelving hangs above a gemstone-shaped tub. Rebekah designed the floor by first printing out the tile shapes on paper. “I moved them around on the floor until I got the design I liked,” she says. The big-box store vanity is topped with a marble-looking quartz. Wallpaper with a subtle gold fleck imparts a touch of glamour. Teak shelves in a niche (below) are ideal for display. 

TUB, Streamline. Avanity teak vaNITY, Home Depot. Silestone countertop, Cosentino. Artisan White WALL TILE; Miki Flower Hex FLOOR TILE; Centura. FIXTURES, Delta. wallpaper, pattern 5358, JF Fabrics. mIRROR, Renwil for retailers. Brielle PENDANT, Mitzi. SHELF (over tub), Lovely Nova Designs. TEAK (for shelves in niche), East Coast Specialty Hardwood. ART, Opposite Wall; thrift shops. 

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

“Gardening is easy thanks to the raised beds, greenhouse, two bunnies and a chicken coop!”

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

When Rebekah bought the house, the raised beds were already there. “It was fall and they were just popping with kale, herbs and chard. I wasn’t much of a gardener back then,” she admits, but she credits her mother for her newfound skills; fab conditions help, too. Says Rebekah: “The backyard has its own ecosystem. It’s very warm, so it’s really great for growing.”

 

Photography, Janet Kimber

Tomatoes thrive in the protected warmth of the small greenhouse, only a few steps from the kitchen. Rabbits and chickens in the yard help keep the soil fertilized.