This Stunning 1920s Home Enchants With Antique Treasures and Chic Charm

What does it take to make a regular house into an awe-worthy home? The most beautiful homes are filled with character, style and a lot of personality – like the charming, treasure-filled abode of Julie Plantier, her fiancé and her children, Charlie and Sasha. Built in the 1920s, the two-storey (plus an attic) home is located close to the water in Lachine, Quebec – and Julie has filled it with one-of-a-kind antique finds, eclectic art and her warm, whimsical aesthetic. When it comes to curating her home decor, Julie follows her intuition. “I love mixing stuff. When I find something, I never ask myself if it’s going to fit. If I love it, it’s going to be right,” she says. Bonus: check out the video of this magical space.

exterior of grey split-level house with lights on front door

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Curated Charm

Built in 1927, the 1,650-square-foot home is an idyllic fit for Julie’s distinctively charming, vintage-inspired home decor. “I will describe my house style as very antique for sure, and very whimsical,” Julie explains. Curated to perfection, the home’s design serves as an ever-changing, carefully unfurled creative expression of self for Julie and her family. “All the objects, furniture, and mirrors were selected and found over the years.”

front entryway and staircase with photos on wall and antique clock on cabinet

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Memories on Display

The old-meets-now aesthetic is a welcome greeting inside the home, where the view from the entryway doubles as a wood-framed gallery of Julie’s photography. A stunning cabinet is topped with a mix of decorations, including a time-piece with special meaning. “The clock was at my grandparents’ – it’s an important memory from my childhood and very important for me,” Julie explains.

whimsical living room with fireplace and comfy couch

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It’s the Little Details

“The living room is one of my favourite places,” Julie says, and it’s clear why. At first glance, the living room appears cozy and comfortable for a young family; upon closer inspection, it’s that – and so much more. The room’s softly hued neutral walls and warm-wood trim frame the space that Julie’s filled with vintage treasures (all the furniture in the room – and the home – is thrifted), beautiful books and artful accents.

brick fireplace with styled mantel and wallpaper

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Animal Lover

Case in point? The fireplace mantel has been adorned with a mix of charming ceramic creatures, art pieces, and a stunning candle holder by artist Florence Balducci. “I love objects that represent animals,” Julie explains. The patterned wallpaper above the fireplace – a House of Hackney find – further highlights the area while honouring the animal motif in a luxurious way.

corner of white living room with a mix of paintings and wall sculptures

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Art Movement

In the living room, as with the rest of the home, art abounds – and there are no hard and fast rules, with a mix of mediums, artists and styles curated and on display. “I’ve always been interested in art, and, for me, decorating my house is my way of expressing myself,” Julie says.

living room with cozy white couch covered with throw pillows and two wall sconce lights

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Original Light

More than just using styling to convey her personal taste, Julie made many of the nearly century-old home’s authentic features work with her decor today.The lights over the couch in the living room, for example, are an original detail from the house.

cozy kitchen with sage-green cabinets and wallpaper accents

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A Cozy Kitchen

With wood countertops, chic open shelving and gleaming appliances, the kitchen is at once modern and a continuation of the vintage-inspired aesthetic that Julie loves. The classic cabinets make a bold statement through a careful use of colour – a new change made by Julie’s family. “We painted the cabinets in that lovely green recently,” Julie explains.

white kitchen sink surrounded with sage-green cabinets and tile backsplash

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A Stylish Sink

Here, a statement-making white apron-front sink adds a pop of modern farmhouse style, while a mix of textures and shapes lend dimension to the backsplash.

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A Recipe for Charm

While the kitchen requires plenty of practical details, Julie still found ways to incorporate her love of art and her whimsical style in subtle ways – like with pops of elegant wallpaper, which is also by French artist Florence Balducci.

dark-walled dining room with round table, chandelier and candles on the wall

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To Dine For

Lighting

plays an important role in the personal feel of the home’s decor. In the dining room, a stunning chandelier dapples the room in light and sophistication. “All the chandeliers that we have in the house are antique – my fiancé thrifted them many years ago,” Julie says. On the dining room wall, a unique feature adds traditional charm. “Yes, it’s real candles on the wall, on a very old french antique candle holder.”

dark blue wall in dining room with ornate mirror

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A Dining Mood

On the walls, a deep jewel-toned hue evokes luxurious vibes. “We’ve actually repainted this room, I think, eight times,” Julie says. “This is my favourite colour that we’ve done. So dark, so mysterious.”

dark blue wall with deer head and wall art

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Artful Accents

Here, Julie takes another opportunity to display artful pieces that showcase personality and a whimsical feeling.

child's room with wood dresser, black bed frame and lots of toys and art

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Kids’ Corners

In her children’s rooms, Julie strives to create spaces where imagination, natural inspiration and comfort abound. “I want my kids to feel they’re in the enchanted forest with animals and fairies – we love going into the forest for long walks,” she says.

wood dresser styled with books and small nature-theme objects

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A Walk in Nature

For her son’s room, Julie turned to the outdoors for design inspiration, incorporating elements of the forest, sky and stars. “The mushroom and the bunny lamp are from a brand called Egmont – I really love what they’re doing,” Julie says. “I have many of their lamps in the house.”

kids room with trunk topped with small special items

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Passing it Down

When it comes to art, decor and design, Julie notes that her children love finding special pieces, just as she does. “My kids are very sensitive to objects and the arts,” she explains.

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Woodland Whimsy

Animals and nature add sweetness and charm to her daughter’s room as well. “The stickers are from another French artist that I love, Nathalie Lété,” Julie says of the woodland creatures that watch over the bed. Children’s books abound in the room, too. “Books are really important for me, and for my kids too,” Julie explains. “I really love a kids’ book – I think some of them are so special. I like to open their eyes to unique and beautiful stories. I think we are growing a lot from what we read.”

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A Darling Desk

While her daughter’s room showcases sweet toys and textures (like the beautifully shaped area rug), an old wooden desk below the window steals the spotlight. “The desk has been thrifted too; we found it the summer before Sasha started school,” Julie says.

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Sweet Dreams

Julie’s love for selecting special vintage pieces carries into her children’s rooms as much as it does the rest of her home. Here, the gorgeous bed frame is as unique and pretty as a work of art. “The bed is an antique wicker piece from France,” Julie says, noting that finding the special bed took years of research.

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Statement Stairs

The stairs leading up to the master bedroom are framed with wooden posts for linear detail that’s at once bold and clean-lined – a visual palate cleanser as one moves from one beautifully styled space to another.

upstairs bedroom with modern globe light fixtures and wallpaper on one wall

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Stylish Dreams

As with every space she works with, Julie resists any urge to rush when designing her rooms – instead giving the process the time and space it needs in order to find the right elements to fill each nook. “I spent a lot of time thrifting and looking for special pieces,” she says.

bedroom with printed bedding and antique mirror

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Rest and Relaxation

The bed is layered with printed bedding from Garbo & Friends (the same brand of bedding used for the kids’ rooms, Julie notes) for a cozy effect that’s still pretty and elegant. Overhead, lights from a Montreal boutique, Coeur d’Artichaut, illuminate the room with a clean-lined look that offers subtle contrast to the intricate and vintage details.

wicker vanity and matching chair in bedroom

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Dressing Room

The place you get ready for the day can be pretty in itself, as this statement-making vanity illustrates. While the vanity is styled in a trend-right woven design, it’s another thrifted find.

nook with floral wallpaper, books and wooden shelf

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Wall Blossoms

Pops of delicate wallpaper are a new addition that add extra character to the bedroom, in a beautiful floral design from a French brand, Sézane. Love the blooming look? Here are more floral wallpaper designs to help your own wall decor ideas blossom.

bright bathroom with vintage mirror, ornate cabinet and double white vessel sinks

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Ornate Accents

As with the rest of the home, the bathroom delivers a perfectly luxe mix of vintage treasures and whimsy. The ornate cabinet is a recycled gem from another house the family had, while dual round vessel sinks lend a touch of contemporary balance to the show-stopping vanity.

black-and-white bathroom with large white tub and green plans

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Layers of Character

The spacious bathtub is spa-like, but it’s the personal touches – like the wall-mounted hanger (saved from a house that Julie’s fiancé renovated many years ago), framed art and a glamourous antique chandelier – that convey layers of character. An array of potted plants bring life and a freshness that completes the space.