explore our website at   houseandhome.com

CELEBRITY STYLE Meryl’s 3,087-square-foot home highlights the beauty of mid-century modern design. OUR BEST RECIPES Get H&H food editor Kristen Eppich’s favourite slow cooker recipes, including this Milk-braised Chicken dish. NEW H&H TV EPISODES See how Joel Bray curated his handsome Victorian rowhouse in Toronto with a stylist’s eye. PAINT IDEAS Add personality to every room of the home with fresh paint colours. TIPS & TRICKS Get a jump-start on spring cleaning with 20 ways to organize your home. Apple, the Apple logo, and iMac are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Photography courtesy of Trulia (Meryl’s home)/Wikimedia Commons (Meryl’s portrait)/by Stacey Brandford (Kristen’s portrait, chicken)/Jason Stickley (video)/Alex Lukey (DIY, bathroom)…

letter perfect

Have you ever considered going into therapy with your house? I hadn’t — until I met Viktor Olivemark. A member of the Ikea Life at Home research team for 2017, Viktor was telling me how the company recruited 650 people in seven countries to be part of an online focus group. The goal? Gaining insight into how people live. For one homework exercise, volunteers had to take a photograph of everything they touched around the house in a day. Yes, everything. I guessed that no toilet handles made the cut. “Well, it was interesting to see what they deemed important enough to document,” he said with a grin. Another test — one that piqued my interest even more — was asking them to write a love letter to their houses. What…

contributors

SAMANTHA EDWARDS Writer, “Style Files: Profile” and “Home Base” (pages 29 and 78) A writer specializing in arts and culture, Samantha’s bylines have appeared in publications such as Chatelaine and The Globe and Mail. What reno is next on your wish list? I’m planning to “renovate” my backyard by rebuilding my garden beds and laying down new patio stone. What’s one paint colour you can’t wait to try? I’d love to paint my bedroom a rose-quartz pink, but first I need to convince my boyfriend! COLIN WAY Photographer, “Home Base” (page 78) Colin has been shooting in Calgary for more than 10 years for clients like The New York Times. What’s the biggest reno you’ve undertaken? Months before my first son was born, my wife and I bought a bungalow and gutted the…

your letters

I was relieved to see fewer grey interiors in the January and February issues, and a return to warmer neutrals. Grey can feel terribly depressing, especially for those of us living in areas where the weather can be grey for months on end. I also noted with pleasure your promise of more Christmas content in the future (“RSVP,” February). — JILL I wanted to drop you a note to say how much I loved the piece about Devin Connell in the February issue of House & Home (“Kitchen Stories”). She’s my new culinary hero! Her corner store approach to entertaining is such a refreshing break from the weight of “homemade.” I’ll definitely put together some chip hors d’oeuvres at my next gathering. — MARIA Each month, I’m so excited to receive my…

maison pepin

Maison Pepin is 4,000 square feet of eclectic, design-forward offerings — and a return to owner Lysanne Pepin’s roots. When her first shop, Espace Pepin, opened in the ’90s, it offered fashion, art and vintage furniture. “It was a lifestyle store, which no one understood 20 years ago,” Lysanne says. Too ahead of its time, Espace evolved into a clothing store and its owner embraced its singular mission. Until, that is, March 2013, when Lysanne saw a retail space for rent four doors down from Espace’s location in Old Montreal. She bet that the city was finally ready for her original vision — and she was right. Lysanne kept the building’s old ceiling but almost nothing else. A newly minimalist aesthetic shows off the shop’s lighting, furniture and accessories. Last year,…

clare vivier

“ I THINK PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING VIBRANT AND HAPPY RIGHT NOW”— Clare Vivier WHO: Fashion designer Clare Vivier WHERE: Los Angeles CONNECT: clarev.com, @shopclarev THE SCOOP: Clare Vivier’s quirky, hand-drawn illustrations, usually transplanted onto leather clutches, cotton-linen-blend scarves and tote bags, are now appearing on wallpaper, thanks to a collab with L.A. studio Wallshoppe. The fashion designer, with friend and Wallshoppe creative director Nathan Turner, dug into her label’s archives and selected nine eye-catching prints from current and previous collections — think hollyhock florals, puckered lips and graphic tennis balls. Each design is offered in a plethora of colourways. “Unlike fashion, where I’m usually limited by the designs I can produce, I had so much artistic freedom,” says Clare. FRENCH CONNECTION: From French catchphrases to her signature Liberez Les…