Decorating & Design
This Sweet Home Is Filled With Plants, DIY Projects & Budget-Friendly Hacks
Published on November 6, 2020
In our new series, Following Now, we go inside the homes of cool Canadian creatives.
Wendy Lau is not afraid to get her hands dirty. Whether she’s adding soil to one of her many plant pots, spackling a fireplace or painting intricate patterns on her walls, this homeowner knows all the ups and downs of DIY-ing a 1970s home. She and her husband Kwan Chan bought the 1,700-square-foot property in Thornhill, Ontario, using an inheritance from Kwan’s mother, who died three years ago. “I don’t think I could ever look at this house without seeing her,” says Wendy.
Over the next five months, Wendy and Kwan threw themselves into renovating the home, ripping up the carpet, tearing down the dated wallpaper and painting the pink walls. “My husband got sick and tired of hearing me talking about tiles and paint colors,” she says with a laugh. So, she turned to social media. Now, she has over 118,000 Instagram followers, and recently joined TikTok, a popular video platform for creatives, at the start of the pandemic. “Instagram and TikTok is just a way for people to be invited into my home and to show that hospitality that has always been important to me,” she says.
Scroll down to tour this sweet home filled with plants, DIY projects and budget-friendly hacks!
To create the illusion of an arched door (without the hefty price tag), Wendy painted a semi-circle past the top of the door frame. She created a custom color by mixing a few hues together — you can get a similar look with Benjamin Moore’s Antique Glass.
With the help of a contractor and structural engineer, Wendy knocked down a huge wall in the middle of the main floor, creating an open-concept space perfect for entertaining. A spacious island with rustic bar stools encourages guests to gather around.
The dated carpet, linoleum and laminate floors were replaced with hickory flooring sourced from Canada. It’s one of the strongest woods, so it can stand up to the wears and tears of everyday life. The natural knots tie in the original beams framing the sunroom.
Wendy is constantly switching up the items displayed on the open shelves, which she DIY-ed using wooden planks and $10 brackets from Rona. “Style with beautiful items that are functional,” she advises, like gilded tea cups, a ceramic jug, an old-school radio and more. “Have a storyline in your head. I like to evoke a feeling.”
“This house is meant to be used and loved and lived in,” she says. “It’s not a collection of beautiful things you have to tip-toe around.” A buttery soft tan leather sofa from Article encourages you to kick back and soak in the sunshine streaming in from the sunroom.
The sunroom is one of the most unique features in the home, which Wendy converted from a living room into a plant-filled sanctuary. She was initially going to paint the wood black, but said she felt it would do a disservice to the original architectural details.
“I spend a ton of time in here,” says Wendy. She has collected over 100 plants, from tropical foliage to succulents — she even started propagating to grow her plant family even more. “I’m really under pressure to keep them alive now,” she says. “Plants are kind of like heirlooms for me.”
“Plants thrive when you stop meddling with them,” says Wendy. Her best tips? Pick a spot and keep an eye on it. If it’s not doing well, switch it to another spot and keep trying until it blooms. “Find the sun it needs, and don’t overwater!”
Wendy only spent $80 to reface this brick red fireplace. “I took some spackle and went at it with a Ziploc bag, piping it like a cake,” she says. The plastered effect with brick peeking through is called “German schmear.”
“I love to frame calendars as a gallery wall because art is expensive,” says Wendy of the budget-friendly hack she used in her petite powder room. When the year is over, instead of throwing the calendar out, simply frame all 12 photos for a cohesive display!
In the bohemian guest bedroom, black washi tape mimics the look of wallpaper. Wendy glued individual pom poms on the plain white curtain panels for a personalized look.
Wendy continued the theme of DIY wallpaper into her principal bedroom: she bought a stencil for $80 and two water-based sharpie pens, and created an intricate pattern made up of little squares. Earth-toned accessories, abstract artwork and a hanging plant bring even more warmth to the space.