Pure Design

Creating a living space that works for both kids and adults shouldn’t mean you have to compromise on grown-up style. By using natural fibres and turning tired items into fabulous new centerpieces, Samantha Pynn transforms a living/dining room from a playroom into a glamourous living space that’s sophisticated enough for a busy working mom yet playful enough for her young daughter.

For many first-time homeowners, decorating – especially private spaces like the bedroom – is definitely last on the list. That’s certainly the case for Tiffany, an up and coming PR executive. By refreshing some of Tiffany’s vintage furniture and bringing in some modern pieces and sustainable choices, host Samantha Pynn takes Tiffany’s dorm-like bedroom with its mish-mash of furnishings and transforms it into an eclectic and soothing space, full of the sophistication a professional woman deserves.

Alexis and Adam are in lifestyle shock: the arrival their son Hudson has meant that this formerly ‘out and about’ couple is now decidedly housebound but their 1980s kitchen just isn’t happening anymore. It’s neither practical nor beautiful so designer Samantha Pynn gives it an eco-friendly and stylish makeover. By taking out the dated metallic backsplash, lacquering their cabinets and updating the furnishings, Samantha converts an open kitchen and living area into a stunning space that is both functional for everyday use and glamorous enough for entertaining.

Marketing executives Kristen and Dave bought their modest first home a few years ago and undertook the much-needed renovations themselves. They did a great job removing walls and installing a new kitchen but then ran out of steam. Now they need designer Samantha Pynn’s expertise to pull their open concept kitchen/dining/living room together and turn it into the beautiful modern space that they had originally envisioned. Sam transforms the space by installing new floors, wall-mounting their oversized TV and adding an area rug and solid modern pieces to augment their black leather sofa. By mixing clean lines and curves, colour and texture, this memorable main floor is now complete.

Homeowners Helen and Niall are getting nervous – they’re a few short months away from the birth of their first child and their never-renovated 1920s home doesn’t contain a nursery. Both work full time – so they’re relying on designer Samantha Pynn to create a bright and practical room for their new bundle of joy. Sam converts their underutilized spare bedroom into a hip, eco-friendly nursery using bright colours, contemporary baby furniture, colourful accessories and natural materials. Helen and Niall’s modern nursery is a warm, welcoming, and playful space for their new baby.

Claudia and Justin are professional foodies – he’s a chef and she’s a food stylist. So it’s no surprise that their urban loft space has a beautifully designed modern kitchen. Only problem is, the rest of the space doesn’t measure up: it’s a mishmash of Danish modern with other inherited and found pieces. Designer Samantha Pynn uses their showpiece kitchen as an inspiration and by recovering older teak pieces with eco-friendly fabrics and redoing the floor plan, she creates a visual harmony between the kitchen and the rest of the space, without spending a lot of money or adding loads to the landfill.

Beth is a busy, successful, single executive whose life consists of five-star hotels, gourmet restaurants and VIP airport lounges. But her own house, a midtown Toronto duplex, doesn’t measure up. As a result, she feels more at home on the road than in her own house. Designer Samantha Pynn uses silks, metallic wallpaper, glass tabletops and mirrored doors to transform Beth’s dowdy living quarters into a glamorous and luxurious space. She does this while using eco-friendly products such as wallpaper made from 50% recycled fibres and salvaged chairs found online which find new life with a fresh coat of paint and upholstery. This over-the-top style, which brings Hollywood glamour into everyday living, may have Beth never wanting to leave home again.

Homeowners Frank and Liliana fell in love with their home’s 1930s architectural details but quickly realized their contemporary collection of furniture didn’t quite fit. Inspired by the look of English Revival, designer Samantha Pynn plays on the classic period features in this living and dining room, while introducing environmentally friendly furniture and modern pieces to bring the look into the 21st century. The result is a stunning design that proves you don’t have to sacrifice old to make new.

New homeowners Juliette and John attempted to modernize their small kitchen but only managed to upgrade the counter and backsplash. Designer Samantha Pynn steps in to offer a practical eco-friendly solution – make the most of what they already have by using colour to integrate the existing elements. Then add a bit of texture to the walls, a cozy banquette, café tables and the result is a Scandinavian-inspired bistro – without having to start from scratch!

Longtime homeowners Carolyn and Derek have a wonderfully unconventional style – funky, colourful and a bit playful – but it never reached their home’s top floor. The angled walls and large space are a challenge, but designer Samantha Pynn uses natural textures and bold colours to create a fun, eclectic family room. And in the process, she makes the space more energy efficient.

Building their dream home was easy for Ania and Walter – but the hard work was deciding how to decorate their vast master bedroom. By dividing then unifying the space, designer Samantha Pynn transforms this bare bones bedroom into a sophisticated boudoir, with a luxurious eco-friendly bed, that’s a haven for reading, writing and romance.

Sixteen-year-old Lindsay has outgrown her childhood bedroom and is ready to leave her hand-me-down furniture and kiddy colours in the past. Lindsay, like every teenager, needs a room for the three S’s: sleeping, studying and socializing! Designer Samantha Pynn steps in to create a space that is functional, eco-fabulous and can grow with her -– proving that a youthful look can be achieved without looking childish.

Professional photographer Virginia loves her cottage-style home in the city - but lately it doesn’t love her back. A look that was once charming is now dated and in need of a serious makeover, starting with the worn out floors and ancient kitchen appliances. Designer Samantha Pynn applies eco-friendly kitchen ideas, energy saving appliances and ‘up-cycles’ existing items in the living room to create a beautiful Modern Country oasis in the city.

Olivia’s grandmother lived in this house her whole life. When she went into a home about 4 months ago, Olivia couldn’t bear to see it sold to a stranger and purchased it. Olivia is thrilled that her fiancé John has happily gone along on this journey with her and would like to please him by fixing up the kitchen and make it comfortable for him to cook in. John is an avid cook and finds the kitchen cramped, lacking counter-space and in need of properly working appliances (Dishwasher and oven don’t work properly. Only the fridge works at 100%). John and Olivia’s styles are quite different – she’s more traditional and he likes modern spaces. She wants to maintain the character of the house and keep the look cohesive (that’s why she’s excited to have Sam on board). Making this project as “green” as possible is important to Olivia and John because they don’t want their makeover to come at the expense of the environment.

Lauren and Mike call themselves ‘the hand-me-down’ family. Although they’re into re-using and re-purposing pieces, they haven’t felt like their family hand-me-downs were ever really ‘theirs’ and because a lot of stuff has followed them from place to place, everything is mismatched. They now want a grown up living room that reflects who they are and helps them feel like they are in an adult space. Their 50’s bungalow home has never been renovated by any previous owners, and the living room feels drab and run down instead of being the cozy space they know it can be. They call this their ‘forever house’ and know that eventually the entire house will need to be renovated to fit with their personal style. Right now, every room in the house is outdated with an unfinished feeling so they want this living room to be their first pulled-together, finished space to kick off their lives there. They have a lot of strong ‘green’ philosophies in how they live and don’t like the idea of ‘stuff for stuff’s sake’.

Lori and Jason bought a beautiful old house about 3 years ago and renovated the entire place, except for an awkward old kitchen space that’s attached to their son Atticus’s room. They had no idea what to do with the space or even where to start. They use it as occasional storage but always keep the door closed because it’s such an awful room. They want to ditch the old, energy inefficient kitchen and turn it into a playroom for their son, and upgrade his nursery into a bedroom that’s better suited for a growing toddler.

Erin and Ryan are an active, eco-conscious and newly engaged couple with little time to think about decorating their living space. They moved into this open-concept condo in December of 2008 before building was complete. Though Erin likes French, frilly, feminine pieces and Ryan prefers furnishings that are sleek, modern and shiny, they rarely disagree about how to decorate and often find a compromise. They love the condo’s location, high ceilings, modern kitchen and industrial feel but they’re frustrated by the space’s lack of storage, incohesive feel, lack of colour and bad lighting. Erin and Ryan are anxious to entertain friends and family in their new home and get the rest of their possessions unpacked. They need Sam’s expertise because they have hit a roadblock. Now that the kitchen is complete, and they’ve made some adjustments to the rest of the unit, they aren’t sure how to finish the living space. They believe that Sam will make their condo into a “home”, find a pleasing way to incorporate more storage into the space, marry their 2, very different styles and give them a place they’re proud to entertain in. And they are thrilled to have a knowledgeable designer that will do it all in a way that is as earth-friendly as it can be.

Paula, Pete and their 2 children, Ava (9) and Eric (13) moved back to Toronto from Vancouver in August. They bought a house that needed a little work and have made minor adjustments to it to make it feel like home. But there’s one space that has them stumped – the master bedroom. They know it has so much potential, but they just can't find a way to make it work. They would love to fill up the blank walls that are desperate for pictures, organize the overflowing walk-in closet, and lighten up the space with better lighting. Their favourite area of the room is the adjoining sunroom which Paula would love to make into a sitting area, or a cozy reading nook but Pete contends that it could also be an adult space – complete with bar cart and humidor. They want Sam to do the design because they identify with her “green” style. They use natural cleaners, buy organic fruits and veggies and try to stay away from things that aren’t made locally. And Paula is really jazzed about her new veggie garden!

Chetna and Bhups have moved around a lot. They’ve live in L.A., Britain and Asia. In January 2009, they bought a house and settled in Canada. Because they have been moving around a lot, they haven’t had a change to collect heirloom pieces. They want their living/dining space to reflect their personalities and feel like it’s been decorated over time – as if they added pieces as they found them. Their house was built in the 1870s and has beautiful original architectural details that they love – the floors, rads, dining room ceiling and baseboards. The main problem with the space is furniture placement. The original rads run the length of the walls so furniture can’t be placed in front of them. And though the windows bring in a lot of light, they are a prominent element in the rooms and need to be addressed. There used to be a fireplace in the living room and now the space really needs a focal point. They are not afraid of colour and pattern. The one piece of furniture they want to keep in the space is a dining table made from the wood of a felled city tree. They expect to have many visitors from overseas and are eager to make their guests feel warm and welcome.

Nadine and Jacques are a young, unmarried couple (they also have a wiener dog named Sasha). They purchased an 1886 row house in Summerhill in 2005 and they love the old character of the house. Jacques grew up in Italy and Nadine in Montreal. They run their business out of their home. They like to entertain and find there isn’t enough seating for all of their guests. Often they will serve dinner and guests will linger around the table because the living area is currently not conducive to sitting and chatting. They applied to the show because they feel that their living/dining areas are bland, empty and boring and they look “unfinished”. They both appreciate rustic pieces with history, and old world design mixed with a bit of modern. They detest clutter and they are afraid of making a design faux pas (colour and pattern scares them) so though they successfully completed the kitchen together, they haven’t done much to the dining/living areas. They say that they don’t know where to start with the design.