Name: Glenda and David Pedersen
Location: Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue — Quebec, Canada
Size: 1,200 square feet
Years lived in: 18 years, owned
Glenda — a most charming woman — finds the best inspiration from her dreams when it comes to decorating. She has a thing for the quirky, the retro, the playful, and the unexpected. This makes her and her husband’s home full of delightful surprises, like the many puppets and figurines in various rooms, the miniature train, the beach wood chandelier in the dining room, the mirror collection in the living room, the wood branch handles and pulls on the kitchen cupboards, and all the other vintage elements from different eras scattered around the house in an imaginative — yet somehow still cohesive — manner.
Each object has an interesting story. Either it’s the sideboard without a top that was given to the couple by a friend or the handles and pulls on the kitchen cupboards that are all different types of wood from branches downed by the 1998 ice storm, there is always something fun to hear about the items that fill their “cabinet of curiosities” home.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: Quirky, humourous, retro, playful
Inspiration: My kids, nature, Carl Larssen
Favorite Element: The unexpected
Biggest Challenge: Storage…When I can’t bear to part with something.
What Friends Say: What’s new?
Biggest Embarrassment: See “Biggest Indulgence”. Lol.
Proudest DIY: Replacing the balusters on the front porch with honeysuckle branches from a friend’s hedge.
Biggest Indulgence: Our leather sofa. I hate it. It looks like the back of the bus.
Best Advice: Use your imagination and think of an object’s potential.
Dream Sources: Speaking of dreams, they can be the best for inspirations and, wow, the things I find in my dreams.
Resources:
LIVING ROOM:
Mirrors — Most of the mirrors come from second-hand stores or the garbage. I will admit that I used to buy stuff on eBay.
The carpet is a fairly recent find; the colours are amazing.
The two vintage pink vinyl and wrought iron chairs are my daughter’s. They are parked there somewhat indefinitely.
DINING ROOM
The sideboard was a gift from a friend. We lost the top middle drawer on one of our moves; it flew out and smashed on the expressway.
The pole lamp is also my daughter’s. But we have claimed ownership for a while, especially after finding the five matching shades at our local church bazaar.
Both leather chairs were found by the sidewalk. And the stuffed one is filled with feathers.
The oval table at the front window with the lace cloth was my grandparents.
KITCHEN
We’ve left the ’50s trim and cupboards in the kitchen as they were except for all the handles and pulls. These are all different types of wood from branches downed by the 1998 ice storm.