Maegan and Stephen Burns moved to Brooklin, Ontario a little over a year ago. After living in Europe, US and Toronto the young couple longed to be closer to Maegan’s family in Durham. Brooklin seemed to be the perfect fit as it was close 407 ETR, reflected small town feel, but was not too remote where the city was not accessible. (fun fact: I live in Brooklin too).

After looking at many homes in the area, Maegan knew that she had to have this house. It had great bones, rustic charm but just needed some love and major updating. Maegan, who studied Interior Design at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) was up to the challenge as she saw it’s potential. Stephen had a little more convincing, but quickly jumped on board. With two small children and no outside help, this young couple has transformed this once meek country home into a stunning and welcoming show home. I got to sit down with Maegan (fun fact: Maegan is also my second cousin) while Stephen had the kids out at the park to ask her a few questions about her home and style and managing it all.

Question) You studied Interior Design at RIT and worked in the industry for a few years prior to becoming a teacher. Tell us about that:

I went to RIT on partial hockey scholarship, and completed a multidisciplinary degree in both interior design and business. I met Stephen at school as we both played on the University hockey teams. After school, Stephen played professional hockey in England, to which I followed. We lived in England for a year and a half and that is where I got my start in the design industry. I worked for a designer, Debbie Fischer. An absolute dream job – I worked in Debbie’s shop in Hull, a small football town, to which we designed many homes for all the footballers and families. I learnt so much from Debbie, as it was my first job out of school. She was very well known for online fabrics and curtains – I really enjoyed working on that part of her business.

After England we were off to Italy, Texas and then back to Toronto. Once back on Canadian soil, I worked for Benjamin Moore (colour consultant), Ikea (interior designer) and union lighting (sales Representative).

Q) How would you describe the style your home?

Growing up we never had a cottage – I always dreamed  for one as I loved the laid - back casual vibe of cottages, and I wanted to reflect that in my home. I would say that my style is classic with rustic elements, but is constantly evolving. I used to feel like you had to stick to one style, but I now open to mixing different styles.

Q) Where do you get your inspiration from and where are some of your favourite places to shop? 

I love Pinterest - many of my ideas and inspiration come from there. I am also a big fan of Jillian Harris, love her style, work and charm. Places and sites I frequently shop at are home sense, wayfair, union lighting and décor-rest. These are my go to shops, however, I think the most inspiring store that I have ever been too was Muskoka Living. Located in Port Carling, this 20,000 sq. ft showroom is full of casual  furniture and décor pieces that are classic and sophisticated. I have only been in Muskoka Living once, but was overwhelmed by all the selections and wanted to take every single piece home.

Q) What Spaces have you transformed and what is left?

We have really focused our efforts on the basement apartment and main floor. When we moved in we had to completely gut the basement and transform it into a proper rental apartment. Our main floor needed a lot of patching, priming and painting. The bathroom was completely redone and we painted out the kitchen cabinets to a crisp white. Our next project is our laundry room -  all the finishes and appliances have been selected, and we plan to start that project very soon. The upstairs, doesn’t need as much work but we will eventually get there.

Q) What were the biggest Challenges renovating your home?

Before Brooklin, we lived in a downtown Toronto Condo. We brought all of our furnishing to Brooklin, and I was challenged with making our existing furniture work, while slowly adding and the right scale of furniture and décor to our new home. I also struggled decorating to the odd shapes of the home. In particular the photo wall, I managed to create visual weight in that area with varying sizes and placements of the pictures. I believe that is all works together as I kept the frames all the same tones and matting for a unifying and polished feel.

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