Room of the Day: A Stylish Mom Cave Inspires Creativity and Girl Time

“This was the room that always had its door closed,” says interior designer Emily Griffin. After she had finished designing almost every other room of this Rosedale, Toronto, home, this room had become the catchall for discarded furniture and boxes. After all of that work, Griffin had gotten to know her client very well. “My client has extraordinary fashion sense and is very creative. We decided to make it her own space for projects and for hanging out with her daughter,” she says. Hence a mom cave was born — a prime spot for doing creative projects, wrapping gifts, writing notes, paying bills, helping her daughter with her homework and enjoying a glass of champagne on a TV night with a girlfriend.

Griffin recommends first taking an inventory of everything you’ll need in your office. “We sat down before we started and made a list of everything she’d need to store,” Griffin says. “Nothing is out on display; everything is tucked away.” There are drawers for gift-wrapping supplies, hobbies, stationery and craft projects. Items like the printer are concealed.

Floating shelves provide a spot for a few books, photographs and glassware.

“My client loves bold design,” Griffin says. The room’s jumping-off point was this beautiful wallpaper with a large-scale pattern in raised velvet. 

“If you’re going to use a bold and bright pattern, you have to tone other things down,” Griffin says. Here she used a soft gray wall paint with white trim, a darker gray on the island, a shag rug in a soft cream and a taupe sofa. 

The 55-inch by 53-inch island is hardworking, outfitted with deep drawers to accommodate wrapping papers and other craft supplies. The side facing the sofa houses a TV. Across from the island is a vintage Coca-Cola refrigerator, a gift from the client’s husband, where she stashes beverages including champagne for girls’ nights with friends.

Room of the Day: A Stylish Mom Cave Inspires Creativity and Girl Time

 

Room of the Day: A Stylish Mom Cave Inspires Creativity and Girl Time