Southern Breeze Home Design Center, Inc.
Mid-sized elegant laminate floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen photo in Nashville with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, granite countertops, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

There are not many things better than a room full of your favourite people. As you gather you smell dinner cooking in the kitchen and music playing in the background, as joyful conversation and laughter fill the room. I feel so grateful that we are inching our way back to these days. How about you? The project I’m sharing with you today has beautiful moments like these at its heart. Spaces that invite people in, foster connection, and make everyday living so simple that it’s impossible not to enjoy... Meet our Delightful Clients: The family behind this 1950s North Vancouver home transformation enjoy entertaining friends just as much as cosying up to watch a movie together. A professional couple (I'll call them Jon and Anna) with two elementary school-aged sons, Anna and Jon approached us with the task of furnishing the main floor living spaces and the basement of their family home. Anna is a busy lawyer who is now working almost full time from home, and Jon works in the film industry. With full careers, two active boys, and a love of gathering, they craved a home that could support their everyday lifestyle. Design and Lifestyle Goals: Our central goal for this project was simple: to uncover the hidden potential in their home and create a family-friendly space that functioned well and flowed seamlessly. On the main floor, our clients tasked us with creating an area for the family to relax and entertain, along with crafting a work and play space for the boys. They also dreamed of a more functional and bright basement, which they envisioned as a dual purpose family room and home office for Anna. Reveal: Comfortable and Welcoming Entryway & Living Room: Imagine you are coming home, and you walk through a bright, sunny front door like this one. You are met by this entryway of calming earth and sea tones, paired with warm, natural wood flooring. You feel instantly welcomed and eager to venture further inside... The same is now true for our clients! The simple details in their entryway are thoughtfully arranged with clean lines and colourful art as the focal point, achieving a timeless and friendly aesthetic. Dried wheat brings movement into the space and plays up the beauty of nature, while the vibrant yet warm colours and textures evoke feelings of comfort and homecoming. The entry flows seamlessly into this connected living area, which is adorned with ample seating strategically arranged to host and accommodate joyful conversations. With the fireplace and wood mantel as the focal point, these natural elements and hues warm up the room to make it feel beautifully lived-in (not like an untouchable museum). Another colourful work of art graces the space above Jon’s and Anna’s sofa, and we used decorative pillows and a throw blanket to tempt those colours into the rest of the room. A simply styled coffee table keeps the space feeling open and engaged. Reading material, anyone? Just beyond this living area, you get a glimpse of the second space our clients requested on their main floor... A Collected Space for Children to Work + Play: When Jon and Anna realised that their formal dining area wasn’t being used to its full potential, they imagined creating a work and play space for their boys instead. We came up with a plan to create a shared desk area with plentiful storage. This timeless natural wood desk was the perfect way to maximise surface area and give the boys plenty of space to do homework during the school year, or spend time crafting or building LEGOs during the summers. The drawers provide storage for all the wonderful items that fuel their productivity or creativity. Or both. I also love how the white floating shelves display a collection of nostalgic toys, providing just the right amount of childhood endearment to this sophisticated and functional space. This workspace now has endless possibilities for the boys, and it helps Jon and Anna keep their minds and spaces clear, too. Which brings us to... Basement Family Room & Home Office: In general, we knew we had to maximise surface area in this ‘50s home, and this was especially true for our clients’ basement. I’m happy to say that we designed an effortlessly comfortable space that focuses on family and makes it simple to settle in and work… or leave the workday behind. Welcome to this dual-function office and family room. Toward the back of the room, we strategically positioned Anna’s wraparound desk facing out into the room and gave her a wallpaper-and-art backdrop for stunning Zoom calls (she has already received glowing compliments). There is plenty of storage for easy organization including a space to store the family’s shared printer near the door… so they don’t have to interrupt “Mom” to get to it. Anna also wanted the freedom to be able to relax in this space with her family and turn her back on the work day — quite literally! The sofa is perfectly positioned backing onto the desk allowing her to do just that. We relocated an existing mustard yellow chair and used pops of the same colour to integrate it into the overall scheme. The wood armrests on this modular sectional provide surfaces for snacks and drinks where there was no room for an end table. The walnut finish carries the theme of natural comfort from the upstairs spaces down into the family room. The view from the sectional is less business and more pleasure, featuring cosy seating and throw pillows in cheerful colours and patterns. The highlight of this space? A wallpapered accent wall where we were able to achieve the high-end feel of custom built-in shelving with a simple IKEA hack. The shelves and cabinetry around the television offer plenty of much needed storage space to house family games and movies at a budget price point. This fun room is the perfect balance of work and play, accommodating and supporting our clients’ daily family adventures. What Our Clients Had to Say... Our clients could not be happier with their warm yet functional new rooms. With thoughtful consideration and a plan of action, we were able to transform two areas of their home into spaces that function well and feel good. In fact, they had this to say: “Lori and her team were everything we were looking for: great listeners, wonderfully creative and highly professional. We couldn't be happier with our interior makeover.” — Clients That is why we do what we do. If you're ready to start your redesign project, we would love to help. Reach out to us here, and let's get to know more about each other.

Honed limestone tile is a nice contrast to the glossy wall cabinets and shiny quartz counter. Honed simply means that the stone is not highly polished. It has a matte finish. Photo/Design by Will Gowdy for Sunday Kitchen & Bath Rockville, MD 240 314-7011.

Mid-sized minimalist built-in desk light wood floor home office photo in Birmingham with gray walls

The transparent silver shimmer transforms the yellowish OSB-structure in cool and glamorous rooms.

This fabulous patterned tile is for the Powder Room floor. Stone Peak Palazzo Deco Florentina. Images By JH Hunley

maple floor

Jen Brooker Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized timeless light wood floor and beige floor front door remodel in Atlanta with white walls and a black front door

The hardware is a square bar pull from Top Knobs in polished chrome. Kyle J Caldwell Photography
Staircase - large transitional l-shaped staircase idea in Boston with a farmhouse sink, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, an island and shaker cabinets

Seamlessly blending functionality with sleek design, this custom cabinetry upgrade offers a discreet and organized workspace within the kitchen. Featuring a pull-out shelf system with solid wood dovetail drawers and rollouts, this smart storage solution provides easy access to office essentials while keeping them neatly tucked away.

Photography by Lauren Elyse Co.
Inspiration for a scandinavian staircase remodel in Seattle

STEP 1: Tape off area to ombre. With a level and pencil, draw a line where you want the colors to fade into each other. You will be creating wide, horizontal stripes. In this project, the Colorhouse colors used from lightest to darkest are: AIR .05, WATER .01, THRIVE .04, and DREAM .05.

Inspiration for a contemporary staircase remodel in Chicago

Step into the realm of organized elegance with a pristine white reach-in closet that transcends traditional storage spaces. This multifunctional haven seamlessly integrates a meticulously crafted built-in office, redefining the concept of utility and style. The heart of innovation lies in the harmonious fusion of a dedicated workspace within this haven of organization. Nestled intelligently within the closet, the built-in office exudes an air of professional tranquility. A generously sized desk, finished in a complementary shade of white, stretches along the width of the closet.

An integrated step ladder hidden behind an unassuming toe kick.
Trendy kitchen photo in Hawaii

Mid-sized minimalist l-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen photo with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, quartz countertops, blue backsplash, glass sheet backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

A relatively new product from Ralph Lauren, this is Polished Patina in "Old Rock Crystal". It is a troweled finish that has a lovely pearlized effect and looks beautiful in any room.

Detail

Inspiration for a large contemporary straight staircase remodel in Boston