Interior Design: A Quaint Condo With Timeless Coastal Vibes

We are currently in South Burlington, walking distance from downtown, and we are standing in the living room of our client's condo. She has beautiful views of Lake Ontario. She recently wanted to downsize from her larger home in Toronto so she could be closer to her family and her grandchildren. The condo before was very dated. It's about 1,500 square feet, two bedrooms. She wanted the condo to be for herself, but also to house her guests or family that wanted to come stay. Because it's on the water, we really wanted to bring that appeal into the overall aesthetic of the condo. So we mixed that coastal feel with this timeless transitional approach throughout. Our one challenge in the living space was, it is smaller, but there was no wall space for much. Because we have a beautiful view of the water, we really wanted to integrate a TV for her for lounging around, hanging out. But the question was where we were going to put it. We had this beautiful locally made cabinet done, which housed the TV that could be lifted up or down, depending on how she was using the space. We also integrated a lot of curves throughout. It is smaller, so we wanted to just feel very cozy. We also added beautiful wood beams that span from the living room to the dining room. So that also just added that coziness and that overall coastal aesthetic that she wanted. We added a lot of natural oak tones throughout. We kept a lot of the pieces neutral, very light, but added a lot of those textures. The rug is a natural fiber as well. The chairs also have this really cool rope detail. And then just the blues, like we really wanted to add a lot of that blue to have that coastal feel. The dining space is very cute and quaint. We wanted this to be a space where she could have dinner by herself or with four people, but also have a table that could expand. So this is a custom piece that we got locally made. We also paired that with a really fun carpet. It adds a lot of texture and pattern. And then the light fixture is something that we just love. It has that woven texture. It kind of feels like a banana leaf. The walk-up bar area, that's where we had some fun. We added that light blue detail in the tile. There was a lot of texture. The bar feels very casual. You can walk up, grab a drink. We also love the arch that plays up on a few things that we did throughout, especially the kitchen. And also the shelving has this really fun dental detail, which just plays on the pattern on the rug as well. And we love wall sconces. We find that it just adds that warmth and coziness in a space. So adding that in the dining room was just the perfect little touch. The kitchen before was very dated, like the rest of the condo. It was just a plain white kitchen. So we really wanted to add those wood details, a lot of warmth in the space, but also focus on storage. So on the left side, we added an integrated coffee bar, which she could store a lot of her larger appliances. We want to keep the counters just clean and fresh. We mixed a lot of creams, oaks, and golds. Then at the end of the kitchen in the bay window, we added a little seating nook for her, a spot that she could wake up, have coffee, and just look at the water as well. When we first came into this space, there was an island that spanned from one wall to the other. And we found that the transition from the kitchen to the living space was very cut off. It also made it just feel very small. So we really wanted to open it up and have an island where you could walk around and we could integrate barstools as well. So the one challenge with condos we find sometimes is that we can't be moving a lot of HVAC or plumbing. So in this case, the reasoning for the island was the HVAC span from one side to the other. So we ended up opening it up and then putting the HVAC up the wall and across the ceiling. And that's where we thought of this really fun idea to create an archway to hide it, but also just add that warmth and pick up on the details that we did in the other areas. With the natural stone that we did, we did this really great wood detail that wraps underneath. It really just adds that extra touch. We also love how the island has that curve as well. Just adds a nice flow when walking from the kitchen to the living space. When walking in the condo, we wanted to add some really unique light fixtures. These brought your eye down into the space as well. And then we wanted to bring some of those warmer tones in. So the cabinet was actually a piece from her original home in Toronto, which is nice to integrate some of her original pieces. And then we added this really cool mirror, which has this wood notch detail. And then we picked up on the gold as well. And then just off the entryway is the laundry space. So this is also a very small space. So we really needed to focus on how we were going to integrate everything that she needed. She's housing her vacuum, a lot of the utilities, her washer and dryer. We also did a really unique ironing board in one of her drawers. And then we designed these foldable drying racks. The back area, we picked up on this beautiful blue tone. We really wanted this space to be fun and unique for her. And then we added this floral tile on the back as well. And this beautiful white faucet, which we love, with an integrated white sink and then just gold details throughout. The primary bedroom has this really hotel feel. It's very soft, cozy. It is a long bedroom, but it's also figuring out how we're going to create zones in this space. So on one side, we wanted a space where she could put on her makeup, have that natural light coming in. The other end, we wanted her to have a chair where she could hang out, look at the water as well, her sleeping area. And then along that big, long wall, we integrated beautiful built-in cabinetry, but also this linen wallpaper into the cabinet and a desk area for her to work, filing cabinets and just overall storage that she needed. We love the curved detail on the back of the bed. It just picks up on a lot of those soft details that we put throughout. The lamps are also nice. It has this beautiful soft lighting, which we love wall sconces. So having those just really brings that presence in there and highlights this really cool millwork wall that we did along the back. That wood oak tone and then inlaid that same wallpaper that we have on the millwork onto that back wall. The primary bathroom is a very cute and cozy space. This is where the ceilings are a little bit lower. There's also no window. So we really needed to create an open, airy space. We added a micro cement. It's waterproof and we put it throughout the floor and all the way up the walls. Just to create the seamless neutral palette in there. And then we had some fun mixing in some tiles. There's a lot of fun details bringing that coastal feel. We have a beautiful beaded chandelier over the bathtub. And then the wall sconces in there have a nice little rope detail as well. The focal point is this beautiful white tub. We also added ledge along the back where she can put a lot of her stuff. And then on the other end, we created this really pretty arc detail. We have a nice blue tile in there just to bring that coastal feel. We wanted to continue that beautiful palette into the guest bedroom. A spot where guests could come and feel cozy and at home. This is a spot where her kids could come sleep overnight or even her grandchildren. So we wanted to integrate this really fun bench under the window as well. We picture her grandchildren cozying up there, reading a book. Also a spot where they could put on the TV. Just, you know, a multifunctional space. In the main bathroom, this is a space also utilized as a powder room. So we can have a little bit more fun in there. We wanted a wallpaper that was very impactful. This wallpaper had this striae ombre effect, beautiful blue tones. Something that picked up on that coastal water feel as well. The vanity was also a very unique design. We offset the sink so that we could add this beautiful pendant. It has a lot of those woven tones. But once again, just brings in this really nice moody light. There's no window in there. So just picking up on those really soft details. We wanted a spot where she could put towels for guests, extra toilet paper. Just another spot to house all the essential items. So this cabinet that we have in there picks up on that beautiful arch detail and integrates a little bit of that wood and oak tone that we've put throughout the condo. Our client absolutely loves this condo. We're continuously getting feedback from her as she's living in the space. I know it was going to be a challenge for her downsizing from a larger home in Toronto. So we really wanted to create a space for her where she felt at home and it was just a cozy, fun environment. It's an amazing transition from where we started. This is an older condo and it really just needed a lot of love. And our team and myself, we just love the overall feel. We think the color palette's great. It really emphasizes the view that we have and just picks up on all the little details that we design throughout.