Marie-Ève Best in her living room in the Pointe-Claire suburb of Montreal.Christinne Muschi/The Globe and Mail
Interior design was initially a hobby for Ottawa-born Marie-Ève Best, who moved to Montreal 15 years ago to study art history. She eventually landed a job in a gallery, followed by another in an advertising agency, where she worked as a copywriter. But after launching her interior-design blog, Lake Jane, in 2008 and seeing how popular it was with readers, Best turned her pastime into a full-time career.
The timing was perfect. Following the birth of her first child three years ago, she and husband Michael Johnson set out to buy their first house. They were on a tight budget, and settled on a 1942 dwelling in the Montreal suburb of Pointe-Claire. It was in rough shape, but Best could see its potential and, during a quick three-week period leading up to Christmas, used all her skills to transform it into a modernized family home.
"It was the biggest project I had attempted to date," she says. "It was a colossal job but we got it done." By "we" she means members of her extended family, who jumped in to lend a hand (as well as pieces of furniture). Their labour of love is most evident in the living room, which Best likes most for being informal. "I wanted somewhere I could kick my feet up, and entertain friends and family."
The artwork
"These pieces each have a story, representing certain periods of our life. I like them there because the colours go with the rest of the room, which is something people don't often think about when choosing art but should. The one to the right is a photo I took on a family trip to France when two horses looked me straight in the eye. I never, ever tire of it. The middle one is a vintage piece of fabric that I had framed. The piece to the left I got at Puces POP, a Montreal craft fair that happens four times a year. It's a painting of old barns, one on top of the other."
The wall unit
"This was given to me by my aunt when she renovated. It's a teak Danish wall unit, and as long as I can remember she had it in her home. We had it in storage for many years when we were in apartments. But when we moved here I knew exactly where it would go. We use the left side as a bar and to store our bar glasses and accessories. The right side is where we store vinyl records and my husband's CD collection."
The pouf
"This is from Target. I tried to keep Target in business when they were here. I did my part. I bought this about a year and a half ago for around $40. It's practical. I use it to store our son's toys. At the end of the day it's easy to tidy up the room. I like to mix high-end with affordable pieces."
The chairs
"These were a garage-sale find at the Glebe Garage Sale in Ottawa, a huge affair that takes place every spring. I saw those driving by and I literally parked my car on the curb and ran and threw my body on them, shouting, "They're mine, they're mine, they're mine!" They are vintage Bertoia chairs and I got them for a steal. They are in amazing condition considering how old they are."
The rug
"I purchased it online from a company called rugsusa.com. It feels cozy underfoot. People will sit on the floor if there's a cozy rug there, and that's what I wanted."
The coffee table
"It was given to me following a brand partnership I did with La-Z-Boy furniture through my blog. The company asked if I wanted to select something from their extended La-Z-Boy collection and I chose this piece, which I had originally seen in one of their showrooms. The top is made of glass and the bottom is a solid-wood trunk. It weighs a ton. It probably will have to stay in the house if we move."
The banquette
"This room is not that big and has an awkward floor plan. Fitting in two couches would have been complicated and so we came up with this long banquette idea which would fit perfectly under the two large windows. We used inexpensive pine boards from a hardware store and the frames were made using recycled wooden pallets. The pillows I made from two Ikea children's bed mattresses. I designed and built it with my father."