Color and Patterns Know No Bounds in This Gorgeous Bungalow
Credit: Jessica Russell Credit: Jessica Russell
ABOUT THIS TOUR
HOME TYPE: Bungalow
LOCATION: Barrie, Ontario, Canada
STYLE: Colorful, Eclectic, Mid-century Modern
BEDROOMS: 2
SQUARE FEET: 1300
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, professional furniture restorer Jessica Russell and her “husband-turned-business partner” moved from a condo in Toronto to a classic two-bedroom bungalow in Barrie, Ontario.
The couple sought more space as their furniture restoration business, Sunday Stroll, gained momentum. However, restoring vintage furniture bled into other parts of their life — not just the business.
“Going from a condo to a bungalow meant we needed more furniture, and with the well-honed experience of shopping secondhand and upcycling, not a single piece of furniture or decor in our home has been purchased new,” Russell says.
The unique furniture selections pair seamlessly with the “experimental creatives” aesthetic that the rest of the bungalow has. “There isn’t a color absent across our entire main floor,” Russell explains. For example, a pink ceiling rests above mustard yellow walls, two different patterned wallpaper are hung in the same room, and there’s an oversized, pastel leather couch from the ’80s.
“We love trying new things with color and technique and can’t live with a space untouched. We’re maximalists for sure,” Russell shares. “We love color, eccentricities, and clapping back at societal norms.”
Apartment Therapy Survey
Describe your home’s style in five words or fewer: Everything everywhere all at once.
What is your favorite room and why? The breakfast nook might be the favorite. Despite its size, it’s very multi-purpose. We obviously enjoy meals there, but we take video calls there (because of the jungle backdrop, of course!), discuss project planning there, and sometimes I even sneak a TV show in while sitting there. It’s really become the hub of the business as well as our day-to-day.
What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? (Include links if you have them!) The most recent addition to our home was a pair of theatre chairs we use in the entry space. They were found roadside in Stirling, Ontario, and have a date stamp of 1904 on their undersides. They aren’t the most reliable touch down, but they look really cool.
Have you DIYed or renovated anything in your home? Yes! We put up some seriously crazy wallpaper in our breakfast nook and our entryway wall. We also retiled our fireplace and stamped a faux marble finish onto our gigantic kitchen island.
What’s your best decorating, shopping, cleaning, or organizing advice? Just go for it. Nothing is truly irreversible.
Resource List
Entry Wallpaper — Photowall
Theatre Chairs — Roadside in a small town near Ottawa, Canada
Breakfast Nook Wallpaper — WunderWall Mural
Frames — Umbra
Breakfast Prints — Postery
Pink Leather Couch — Facebook Marketplace
Thanks, Jessica!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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