B.C. woman transforms house through dynamic designs with connection to moon mission
Despite the dark paint on the exterior of Susan Strangway’s heritage house, there are hints of her home’s bright interior.
“It’s fun,” Susan Strangway says as life-sized statues of musicians seem to perform a sunny soundtrack along the wrap-around front deck.
“The whole feeling of the house is just fun.”
From the moment you walk into the front entrance, which features a large carousel horse and hot-air ballon chandelier, you’ll find moments of magic.
“My nephew gave me this set of Harry Potter dolls,” Susan points to a cabinet featuring Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the residents of Hogwarts.
While wizards greet you below, when you walk-up the ornate curved staircase to the second floor, you’ll pass a wall displaying dozens of quaint characters collected from McDonalds.
“I had to drink a lot of coffee to buy these little dolls,” Susan says.
When you enter the main living area, which is painted all in Barbie pink, don’t be surprised if you feel like you're nestling in a container of confectionary treats.
“As long as it looks like candy and edible,” Susan smiles. “That’s a big rule of mine.”
There’s a coffee table featuring a doll offering a tray full of doughnuts, and the dining table sports a centrepiece surrounded by sweets.
It’s a major transformation from the relatively plain space it was when Susan first walked into it.
“I don’t know what it was,” Susan says of the walkthrough with her realtor. “[The house] was just calling me.”
Susan answered the call by buying the place right away. Before her designs, ideas would often arrive in the middle of the night.
“They’re a-ha moments,” Susan says. “I never second-guess it. I just execute it.”
The professional graphic designer says she worked fast, filling the rooms with her bright prints and bold fabrics.
While the rooms are filled with the whimsical, they’re also inspired by the historical.
“That’s a big moon rock there,” Susan says, pointing to a framed photo of her father holding a large space stone.
Dr. David Strangway was the former chief of NASA’s geophysics branch, who worked on half a dozen space missions, from Apollo 11 through 17.
“He was telling the astronaut, ‘Yes. Pick that up’ or ‘No. Leave that behind,'” Susan says of her dad’s role in Mission Control.
While David studied the samples on Earth, he also brought them to Susan’s Grade 2 class for show and tell.
“His motto was reach for the stars, and he did,” Susan smiles. “He literally brought me the moon.”
It ultimately inspired Susan to boldly go beyond the beige box when transforming her house into a dynamic home.
“Maybe it will give people inspiration,” Susan says of her joyful design’s mix of bold patterns and bright colours. “To be brave enough to do what they want to do.”
And perhaps bring whatever seems out of reach, closer to home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.