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.

Sam’s Mom, Colleen Pynn hasn’t had the time to re-decorate her home. She has been in this house for 14 years and she’s always liked it just the way it is. But over the past few years, she’s started to softy ask Sam about re-designing her kitchen. Colleen is one of the “greenest” people we’ve had on the show so far (so it’s no surprise that sustainable design is important to her daughter). She loves to cook (though the jury is out on her culinary skills), she loves the colour pink, her church and her children. For Sam and her younger brother, Allan, the kitchen is full of fond memories of time spent together and meals shared but they both recognize that it’s time for an update. So while Colleen’s away on vacation, her 2 children are going to work together on a design plan and surprise her with a much needed kitchen makeover.

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.

Madeleine is 10. She is a smart, active girl who enjoys playing soccer, beading, reading and playing with her friends. She rejects girly norms, the colour pink and all things frilly. She is an active member of her school’s eco club. Her bedroom is the old master bedroom of the house and it needs updating. They haven't touched it since she was 2 years old when her Mom painted some murals on the walls. Madeleine doesn’t have enough room for all of her things and though she would love to do her homework at her desk and easily find things in her closet, they are both too messy to be functional. There has been some water damage done to one of the walls and ceiling which needs fixing. The floors need to be replaced (Madeleine has asked for bamboo). She has also specifically requested a “clap on light”.

Siham owns her own business, a learning centre for children with learning disabilities. Her husband Maged is a Child and Adolescent psychiatrist (who is currently home and ill). They have a son (24) and a daughter (20) who are both attending medical school abroad. They moved into their house 3 years ago – a stunningly beautiful 1920's house with a lot of character with Lake Ontario as their backyard. Their style is mostly classic, with a tendency towards the old and antique. They need help with is a gorgeous rec. room in the basement that she would like to overhaul as a nice modern, cozy family room where they can spend time together when the children come to visit, as well as entertaining. The room has brick walls (half way up) and a fireplace directly downstairs from the kitchen. It is very dull and dark. It has 8 ft ceilings and outdoor access. She wants a place to celebrate the family. The house is very compartmentalized so when the kids are home, they tend to stick to their own area. Siham wants a room where they can all come together when everyone is home AND a space to entertain – the walk out to the lake is in this space so it should feel like an extension of that area. Her daughter, Elicia is home for the summer and is helping with the design decisions.

able to decorate the kids rooms in time, but they have been too exhausted to deal with the rest of the house. The first two rooms upon entering the house, the dining room and home office, sit almost empty as they struggle to find time and energy to fix it up. Now that the twins are almost a year old, they’re ready to call their friends and start entertaining again but they don’t have a dining room fit for a fancy dinner. And Chad would love to work at home more often and enjoy more time with the kids but the desk is way too small for him to spread out on and it’s not a place he feels inspired to work in. Also, Michelle would love to have the office be the hub of the house (she likes to send email and pay her bills in there etc) but again, it’s not organized properly. What has really kept them stalled is their inability to make decisions. They know what they like in terms of décor, but they have a hard time making decisions and sometimes, when they do, the regret the ones they’ve made! They are relying on Sam to pull these last 2 rooms together for them and complete their home.

Beth and Jack have been in their house for 5 years. Jack used to travel a lot for work and was forced to eat out often so now he really enjoys cooking at home for Beth and for his 2 teenage children (they live with them part time). Beth doesn’t do the cooking but likes to sit act as sous chef or watch Jack prepare the meal while she sips wine (she LOVES wine). They often have friends over and like many houses, guests congregate in the kitchen so they would love an island to anchor the kitchen. They love that their kitchen is bright and open but it doesn’t have enough storage or counter space, the cupboards are very old and the countertop and backsplash is out-dated. Also, Jack is a neat freak and Beth is not so her newspapers and “stuff” often cover the kitchen table so they need an area for her to drop her things. Needless to say they don’t use the table in the eating nook to eat at as often as they’d like to because there is never any room.

Carm and Jason bought their house from Jason's father. It is the house where Jason grew up in and has lived for 26 years. They have done a lot of renovations on the house since they purchased it. They tore down walls on the first floor and closed off the stairs to create a closet so now it’s open-concept. They made changes to the second floor and most recently they put an addition on the back of the house and raised the ceiling height in the basement. The basement will now become the TV/playroom for their 18 month old son named Tobias. Now all of his toys can be moved off the main floor. Pure Design will make this space less of a playroom and more of a grown-up formal living/dining room. Carm and Jason want a dining room fit for entertaining guests and a living room fit for relaxing – adults only!