"When Stevie Watson decided to purchase her home, which she shares with her husband and two kids, she hadn’t yet stepped through its doors. Even without seeing it in person, she saw the potential of the “run-down fixer-upper,” envisioning a comfortable and welcoming space where friends and family could gather and their kids could run wild. Confident that it could become the home their family wanted, she and her husband took a leap of faith and purchased the house. The most impressive part? They took on nearly every renovation themselves. Room by room, they breathed new life into each space, aiming to create an atmosphere that felt like a warm hug.
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With a neutral palette, plenty of texture, and a perfectly curated yet lived-in look, the result is a home that exudes effortless coziness. Even filmmaker and interior design icon Nancy Meyers took note, showing her approval with an Instagram like. Read on for a full tour of Stevie’s home, including a closer look at how she and her husband DIYed the renovations and tips for creating a peaceful home that truly works for your family.
Stevie Watson’s British Columbia Home Tour
The details:
Name: Stevie Watson
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Square Footage: 3,300 square feet
Rent/Own: Own
When you bought your home almost four years ago, you hadn’t seen it in person. How did you know it was the right space for your family?
This was the biggest leap of faith ever!! The listing for our home popped up as I was heading out of town for the weekend, and the market was HOT HOT when we purchased. So, like any hungry hopeful new homeowner living in their mother’s basement, I spam-texted a bunch of “911s!!!” to my husband and realtor to get in for a walk-through that evening. He had me on FaceTime, and we both thought the bones were perfect with a ton of space to grow into. We weren’t afraid of a fixer-upper as long as it was THE fixer-upper. Our home checked those boxes with the additional bonus of being in the neighborhood we hoped to be in and having a private backyard. How could we pass it up!?
It felt scary to be signing an offer when I was in a different city, but ultimately, we knew it was the right home for us. We were BARELY the highest offer in a bidding war, so we feel really lucky that our home is ours.
Your home started as a “run-down fixer-upper.” Did you have a vision of the finished product from the beginning, or did the renovation process evolve naturally over time?
We knew we would have to start with the basics like ripping out all the carpets, installing new floors and baseboards, and re-painting every inch of it before we could really dive into any other renovations. So we’ve certainly had time to sit with decisions before we make them, which has been a blessing. We’ve always known we wanted our home to feel cozy and to be a space where we could entertain our friends and family and our kids and their friends could play and run wild. Our home style has evolved over the past four years, of course, but the overall feeling of warmth within our home hasn’t.
Your entryway doubles as a chic office space. How do you keep it both stylish and practical for both functions?
It’s one of my favorite spaces to style because it is so used. I usually keep it simple with books and candles, and, of course, I love adding fresh florals or pops of seasonal decor, but I don’t like to overdo it. The drawers are full of the office basics: pens, paper, and sticky notes.
With all the DIY projects you’ve taken on, how do you decide which ones to tackle yourself and when to bring in professional help?
Professional help is our dream! We do absolutely everything ourselves with the exception of hiring professionals to paint about 75 percent of our home before we moved in and someone to refinish and restore the original hardwood flooring. Thankfully, I’m married to the handiest man of all the DIY handymans, and he learns things so quickly. We team up when we can and have learned not to put too much pressure on ourselves to complete projects in an unrealistic time frame, and we chip away as we go!
You’ve shared on social media that you’ve experimented with various interior design styles in the past. How did you ultimately settle on your home’s current, mostly neutral aesthetic?
Oh gosh, have I ever experimented. I’m such a home design junkie, and I truly love each and every style. It can be hard to nail down what works best for your home and what style you truly want to wake up to and live in every single day. For me, a neutral aesthetic helps my mind feel calm, and I love being able to add pops of color to my spaces with textiles and decor rather than splashing it on the walls.
Your living room captures that classic, cozy, collected Nancy Meyers vibe—and she recently liked an Instagram photo of the room! How does it feel to have the Nancy Meyers stamp of approval?
It was a very, very exciting day, I will say that. Nancy is always the blueprint!
Home renovations are a massive, time-consuming undertaking. How did you prioritize which projects to tackle first?
We’ve really looked at it as, “Which spaces need the most work, and which ones do we use the most?” and tackled them from there. For every finished room you see, there’s another unfinished one beside it.
Your home’s calm, serene color palette connects each room beautifully. How did you select the colors to ensure a cohesive flow throughout?
While I like to keep the overall color palette the same throughout the house (with the exception of our landing and our kids’ bedrooms), I also enjoy having the same style in each room that complements each other. I’m big on wood tones, and you’ll see that in each room as you walk through. I haven’t quite nailed down what I would label my overall home style, but you’ll feel it throughout our main level, and I think that also helps so much in keeping a cohesive flow.
We love how cozy and peaceful your entire home is. What are your secrets to making sure every room has a fantastic ambiance?
That is the best compliment ever—thank you! I want every room in our home to feel like a warm hug, a place where you can cozy up and feel really comfortable. Every room usually has a variety of textures, candles, and books to grab your eye, and I love love love art. I think it brings any room to life instantly.
What was the biggest splurge in your home, and why do you feel it was worth it?
We originally didn’t plan to restore our home’s original wood flooring before we moved in. They were absolutely destroyed, but we thought we’d just make them work until we finished our first round of renovations. We quickly realized that we needed to get them done to really enjoy our new home, so we splurged and got them completely redone and restored, and we have never regretted it for a second.
Your kitchen went from dated mustard-yellow to neutral and timeless. What were your top priorities when redesigning it?
Timeless with some character and charm is exactly what I had in mind for our kitchen. I love a bright kitchen, and I knew I wanted a cozy built-in breakfast nook, and my husband certainly delivered! We also removed some of our upper cabinets for open shelving. That was a design decision I made on day one, and I’m still so happy with it!
Where do you turn for decorating inspiration?
I’m a Pinterest junkie, but I also love flipping through a good design book.
What has been your favorite DIY project so far, and are there any you regret?
Oh, that is tough, but I’d say my favorite project has been our breakfast nook in the kitchen. Not only is it beautiful and so fun to style, but it’s used 24/7 by our family, and we love gathering around for meals and game nights.
As for regrets, I’ve recently been feeling a bit regretful about painting our family room a very dark navy because the space feels heavy. Sometimes, it’s cozy, and I love leaning into that, but other times, I wish it was much brighter. You might see me with a paintbrush in there sometime soon….
We’re obsessed with your adorable kitchen banquette, and we noticed you recently updated it with an eclectic gallery wall. Can you walk us through how this breakfast nook has evolved since you first moved in?
We built our banquette about two years ago. It was just an empty corner in our kitchen until we were finally able to move forward with the updates. I had originally decorated it with a singular piece of art and a set of scones, then that turned into a few more pieces of art, one less sconce, and then it really just kept growing from there. It’s my favorite in the house.
Are there any decor items you always prefer to buy secondhand or on a budget?
You can find me at a thrift store more frequently than a bigger box store. I love the charm and uniqueness that a secondhand item brings to the home. I’m always on the hunt for art, mirrors, decor, tabletop items, you name it.
You have gorgeous artwork adorning the walls throughout your home. Where are your favorite places to find unique wall decor without breaking the bank?
Thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace. I love bringing new life to old frames using spray paint or Rub ‘n Buff to give them an antique feel. My biggest tip is sourcing my artwork on Etsy! You can purchase so many varieties as a digital download and then print them off at your favorite photo lab. So affordable and easy!
Your home features a majority neutral palette with thoughtful pops of color, like the stunning green paint and wallpaper in your landing. How did you go about choosing this combination?
I was craving the addition of color to some of the spaces that weren’t so central to our main living area, and the landing felt like the perfect spot to add some colorful joy to our upstairs! I’ve always loved greens, so I didn’t even think about it being another color. It was green for about a year before I wanted to add even more excitement with the wallpaper, and I love how they complement each other.
The vintage-looking name pennants inside your kids’ rooms are the cutest touch! How did approach designing kid-friendly rooms without straying from your overall style?
Thankfully, my kids haven’t gotten to the age where they’ve wanted to express much about their bedroom decor, but I’ve always wanted my boys’ rooms to feel like their rooms and not mine. Fun colors, art that matches what they’re into in frames and on the walls, cute personal touches on their dressers, and the cute little pennants are my favorite!
Your backyard features an outdoor dining table and hanging lanterns that look like it would make the perfect spot for entertaining. Do you often host gatherings there, and if so, what are your top entertaining tips?
I love to entertain. I’m big on doing grazing-style gatherings where we sit around and snack on various sorts of shared plates and appetizers so we all get to visit and really enjoy each other’s company. I haven’t nailed down how to host a big dinner and also enjoy it quite yet. I’m a work in progress, as they say! No matter the style of gathering, I like to do as much set up and prep as humanly possible before any guests arrive so I’m as cool as a cucumber for the rest of the night.
Anything else we should know about you or your home?
It’s always evolving and changing and still has a lot of love that needs to be poured into it, but we’re so excited to be able to continue sharing the progress with you!
Lauren Blue, Lifestyle Staff Writer
As a Lifestyle Staff Writer for The Everygirl, Lauren ideates and writes content for every facet of our readers’ lives. Her articles span the topics of home decor, delicious recipes, hobbies, travel itineraries—and everything in between. When she isn’t testing the latest TikTok trend, she can be found scouring Instagram for beautiful homes to feature on the site.