After more than a decade renting an apartment in Toronto, my partner Simon and I became homeowners in 2021. Not just any home—it’s 102 years old and full of charm. Remember that scene in Howards End when their belongings just naturally fit the house? That was us. Our style is maximalist and eclectic, thanks in large part to Simon’s previous job managing a consignment shop: Peruvian carpets, Cretan pillows, an Etruscan-style terracotta urn mixed up with Ikea and Facebook marketplace finds.

When I share glimpses of our home on social media—be it a vintage light fixture or an unusually beautiful faucet—people want to know everything. There’s something irresistible about seeing how others live, especially when the spaces feel lived in, layered, and personal.

And the garden out back? A wild, glorious secret patch of green that I’m fairly sure would either impress Monty Don, or make him mad.