Our Favourite Bright And Cheerful Homes

Art gallery-inspired

Designer Jean Stéphane Beauchamp uses an analogous colour palette (hues adjacent on the colour wheel) for a dynamic but not jarring scheme. The art and objects he and husband Gaëtan Larochelle love surround them. In the living room, a daybed (with coveted window view) has a step for the couple’s two small dogs.

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Industrial meets Cali-chic

A cozy sectional defines this Toronto home’s family room and offers ample space for the family who lives here to cuddle up and watch TV. 

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DIY country vibes

The ceiling was torn down to reveal original beams, which lend character to the kitchen.

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Pretty in pink

“The Wests honeymooned in Morocco, so I channelled that look on their patio,” says the designer. “The pendant light, side table and toss cushions resemble items found in a souk.”

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Patterns galore

A soapstone sculpture on a Lucite stand fills a formerly bland void in the living room. The piece is an effective foil to the plaid chaise and lavender chair.

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Open concept

Ten-foot-high ceilings and wall-to-wall windows amplify the expansiveness of the open-concept family room. Bright colours draw the eye to the cozy grouping of a sofa and chairs, where there’s plenty of seating but still lots of room for movement.

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Home away from home

The designer used the green glaze of the kitchen’s artisanal tiles as inspiration for the paint colour here. “It creates a transition between the kitchen and living room,” he says. “Breaking up a small space with colour can actually make it feel bigger because it ups the number of individual rooms. With little effort, one big open space becomes two or even three.” The artwork was taken out of Jann’s storage and works perfectly with the new scheme.  

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Fearlessly colourful

The family room features layers of yellow, orange and green on a soft white backdrop. "The toss cushions were my jumping-off point for the room's scheme," says Maria. 

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Modern and Victorian

 The quilted retro fabrics come from textiles that Julia comes across at work. Vintage sidechairs were reupholstered in a punchy black and white print; for fun, Julia painted their teak frames blue-grey.

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Bold renovation

To create a statement room suitable for meeting with design clients during the day and entertaining friends in the evenings. "I love colour, and it was always in my mind to make this space a big, rich, bold blue," says the designer. "But," she adds, "I didn't want it to feel like a Smurf village."

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Bold and bright

Rental makeover

Contemporary and bright

Eclectic cottage

An heirloom quilt, hung like artwork, cozies up the living area. "My grandmother made this quilt," says homeowner Joanne Clark. "It's something I treasure for its incredible workmanship and beauty, as well as the vivid childhood memories it evokes."

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Modern meets traditional

An oak breakfast table custom-made in England was paired with bentwood chairs finished in a rosy tone pulled from the drapes for a punch of colour.

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Fresh and family-friendly

Jillian created an open-concept space by taking down a wall between the kitchen and dining room, removing a hidden chimney in the process. The archway adds architectural charm. 

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Luxurious new-build

By implementing a bevy of carefully sourced materials, perky hues and high-spirited artwork, the designers transformed the new-build into a high-impact and wholly vegan home.

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Mid-century eclectic

Pierre-Yves Gagnon, the stylist for Sylvie's shop, often helps her arrange pieces in her own home. "He's much quicker at placing things together than I am," says Sylvie. In the living room, a Dar Eiffel chair is paired with a teak daybed. The low table is Montreal artist Guy Monteur's reinterpretation of a design produced by T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, a New York decorator famous in the 1940s and 1950s. 

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Sea of pattern

The velvet sectional does more than lend the living room intense colour. “The combination of its casual silhouette and formal fabric adds depth to the space,” says designer Ben Leavitt. 

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“When you look at the living room’s gallery wall, it’s very much the Kimsas,” says the homeowner. Featuring the kids’ artwork and family photos that were resined or framed, it’s a resolutely personal display. He also added some interesting bird images that are echoed in the collection of owl sculptures and the blue jay toss cushion.

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Garage transformation

The sofa is punched up with bold pink and orange cushions inspired by homeowner Doug Wallace's visit to Hotel Missoni Edinburgh. The Arco lamp spotlights the side tables made from reclaimed railway ties.

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