As we’re all spending more time at home with our families right now, you might be looking for easy ways you can spruce up your space with DIY home projects or by simply swapping in some new decor items around your house. If that’s your stay-at-home vibe right now (and if it’s not, that’s OK too!), then look no further than Amy Elizabeth Peters‘ kid-friendly Canadian home for all the decor inspiration you need right now.
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After moving from the city to the suburbs of Halifax, Nova Scotia with her husband and two young boys a few years ago, Amy has been slowly and mindfully updating their space to make it perfectly functional and stylish for her family-of-four. While this mama’s personal mid-century meets boho interior design style definitely shines through in their spaces, Amy has also made sure to keep their home comfortable and kid-friendly for her boys. A total win-win!
Keep reading to find out where Amy most loves to shop for home decor items, learn how she’s managed to keep her pre-kids style while also ensuring her furniture is durable enough to last with two little boys, and find out why her gorgeous house’s master bedroom is her very favorite space.
Name: Amy Elizabeth Peters
Age: 35
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Home’s Square Footage: 4,500
Years Lived In: 2
Rent or Own: Own
Children: Avery, 6, and Archer, 4
Before we get into chatting about your beautiful home, tell us a little bit about yourself and your family!
I’m a mom of two boys, and we moved a little outside of the city to raise our family so they would have lots of room to play and enjoy the outdoors. We love staying home but we also live for a good adventure. Some of our favorite things to do when we have a free day (in normal times!) is hop in the car and do a little day trip to smaller towns or to explore some beaches.
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You live just outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. What is it like living there?
We love the sense of community we have here. The neighbors, the children playing outdoors. We never need to have set plans and have several friends in our area that we often enjoy impromptu hang-outs with. We spend summertime at our pool and enjoy skating on the lake or playing in the snow in the winter.
How is living in the suburbs different from living in the city of Halifax, where you moved from?
We moved from the city to the suburbs to have a larger home and more space for the children … and a little privacy too. We find more of a community here versus when we lived in the city. Originally, I was hesitant to move as I enjoyed living downtown, but I quickly fell in love with our community and the slower pace here. It is quiet, peaceful, and overall a great community to raise our little family.
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Tell us about the process of finding your home. How did you know this house was “the one” for your family?
We have an interesting story. We wanted to move before our oldest son, Avery, started school so there wasn’t too much change for him all at once. It would allow us to settle into our new home and give him some time to make friends his age in our new neighborhood.
My husband, Adam , was keen to start the house-hunting process, whereas I was dragging my heels since I am resistant to big changes and making major decisions. We knew we wanted to be in this area, so we set up some appointments to view homes to get an idea of how far our dollars would go outside of the city.
We ended up viewing a model home that was for sale, and the owner/builder was there, and we starting chatting. We knew if we built a new house, it would be a long process and we weren’t ready for that. It turned out that his personal home sounded similar to what we were looking for. Our realtor kept in touch with him and then we managed to go view his personal home because he was planning to move. When we first viewed our now home, I quickly recognized there were several things that I would change, but it is incredible what some new light fixtures and white paint will do to a space. So, this home is part of our 3-5 year plan. But who knows, we are very happy here!
What were the most important things on your “must-have” list while looking for homes? Did you end up having to sacrifice any items on your list when you chose your house?
With this home, we wanted to have more space and we certainly didn’t sacrifice that. It would have been nice to have a few different things structurally done to the house, but ultimately, we are very happy with the layout and the bones of the space. We have done several updates over the last two years to make it “ours.” The market is pretty hot out here, so we knew we might not get everything on our “must-have” list, but we got pretty darn close.
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How would you describe your overall interior design style?
That is a tough question because I am not great with all of the interior design lingo. Perhaps mid-century modern with a touch of boho? I’m a believer in creating a home with things that you love or that hold meaning versus trying to stay within a certain design category. I see a lot of trends floating around, and I prefer to stick with what I absolutely love, rather than being overly trendy. I want our style to last and not feel like I have to change things in a couple of months or years after that trend phased out.
Do you think that style changed when you became a parent, especially to two boys? Why or why not?
Becoming a parent turned me into a homebody. Since we spent so much time at home when our family was young, I knew I wanted to love our space. With two young boys, it is key to invest in good quality furniture and things that will last and hold up with the wear and tear of kids jumping on beds, furniture, etc. I find I really gravitate toward neutrals and earthy colors. I’m also really drawn to pink. I think that stems from growing up as the only female in a house with a father and four brothers and also being the only female in our house now!
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What are some of your favorite places to shop for furniture and home decor?
I love Article, West Elm, and Structube for great quality stylish pieces and HomeSense Canada (AKA HomeGoods in the U.S.!) for all of the unique finishing touches.
Every room in your home is seriously stunning! Do you have a favorite room? Why do you love it?
I think our bedroom is my favorite. It’s so cozy and has multiple layers and textures that make it warm and inviting. Naturally, I love to sleep—I just wish I could say that I got more of it! LOL
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We love all of the natural, earthy elements and textures you have in your home. Do you have a favorite piece of furniture or home decor in your house? If so, tell us about them!
Thank you! It is too hard to pick just one piece of furniture. Our home has been a work in progress, and we were very selective and took the time to really think about what we wanted and waited to find the perfect items for each space. I love timeless styles and well-made pieces.
What were your biggest influences or inspiration when you were designing your home?
I really enjoy surfing Pinterest for ideas. I often joke that I was a California girl in another life because I love that cool California style that is light, open, and airy mixed with lots of neutrals and earthy natural elements, so lots of wood and warm tones.
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What was your decorating and design process for this home like?
Our home has come a long way in the last two years, and for the most part, I’ve enjoyed accumulating things I love over the last decade and incorporating that into our decor. I love collecting knick-knacks when we travel and bringing things into our home that have meaning. I still love a good IKEA run, but I enjoy a good hunt for the perfect item too. It’s so nice to be able to look around our home and see pieces that we have picked up throughout our travels and thinking about the memories of those trips.
At our old home, I would sometimes just purchase something to fill a space even though it isn’t really what I wanted. I’ve learned to be patient and save for that dream piece rather than replacing it later. Also, as trends change over time, I’ve become more and more aware of the things I love versus what is stylish or trendy. I don’t want my home to be trendy—I’d prefer for it to be timeless and “us.”
Do you have any interior design or home decorating projects still to come in 2020? If so, tell us about your plans!
We would love to tackle our pantry. I’ve become more interested in DIY projects. Until recently, I was intimidated by them and now after recently updating our master bathroom, I feel empowered doing some of the work ourselves. We’d like to replace our countertop with a butcher block countertop and update the sink/faucet and backsplash as well as reorganize the space a bit to make it more functional and pretty.
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What was the biggest challenge in designing and decorating your home and how did you handle it?
Our home is 10 years old. The house is newer with great bones and an open concept, which we love—yet several things were not our style. Paint has been a game-changer, the white brightens the space and gives a nice blank canvas to let our decor stand out. We’ve also made a few bigger changes like swapping out the countertops in our kitchen and changing the tiles in our entryway.
We didn’t have a big budget to renovate or make these changes, so we have been picking away at things slowly. I would have liked to change everything right away, but taking our time has allowed us to not make quick decisions and really think about the space and how it best functions with our family.
Do you have any advice for other moms who want to create a beautiful yet functional space for their children?
Since we have two young children, I wanted to be mindful of having well-made furniture, but also furniture that suits our style. Just because we have kids doesn’t mean we can’t have a nice home or own nice things. So, we planned for real life with two busy boys jumping on furniture and possibly even the odd thing being tossed. I try to keep more fragile or breakable items out of reach, like on our built-in shelves for example. We also have our fabric furniture protected to help prevent stains.
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What has been your favorite memory as a family in your new home thus far?
Just before we moved in, our house was completely empty and my boys were twirling and dancing and running around. During that moment, I knew we were going to make some pretty incredible memories here.
Amy Elizabeth Peters is The Everymom…
My ideal Sunday is… Staying home and having coffee while snuggling with the kids as they are watching cartoons.
Go-to coffee order? Coffee with milk
Favorite TV show right now? We recently finished watching The OA, and we really enjoyed it!
Best mom hack? Adding veggies to smoothies! Also, if you’re looking for an activity to do with the kids at home, throw them in the bath. It entertains them, puts them in a good mood, and it saves time in the evening.
The last book I read was… Does a children’s book count? LOL
Favorite vacation you’ve ever been on? A Mediterranean cruise just before Avery turned 1 before I went back to work. We hope to do this with both kids in the next couple of years.
This year I want to learn how to… Take better photos on my DSLR camera. I’ve been wanting to take a course or have a private lesson to improve my skills and to hold onto memories.
Biggest mom fail? I’m pretty sure I still have a few Christmas gifts that I hid that I still cannot find.
