Names: Jag Nagra, Agata Matyszcuk and their two dogsLocation: Port Coquitlam — British Columbia, Canada Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Owned
“When Agata and I decided to move in (and purchase our first home together), we went to visit a new townhouse development on a lazy weekend on a whim,” begins Jag. “As soon as we walked in, we knew we had to live there. It was the only place we visited in person and it was exactly what we wanted. After a few false starts getting our financing in order in such a quick time, we luckily ended up getting the last available unit of the floor plan we wanted. It was the perfect blank slate for us to put our own personal touch on it.”
Since Jag works from home as an illustrator and graphic designer for her company, Page 84 Design, they wanted to create a space that feels inspiring, full of character and full of color every day. The couple love to do DIY projects and while they’re not always perfect, they’re a labor of love and something they can truly be proud of. Agata’s patience and handiwork are what bring their ideas to life. They can happily say that their first home together is full of memories and handmade projects that are a reflection of their lives and personalities.
Apartment Therapy Survey
Our Style: Mismatched, colorful and secondhand pieces that have a story, mixed with DIY projects peppered throughout the home.
Inspiration: Put plain and simple, we like old things.
Favorite Element: The open layout of the second floor with the kitchen, dining room and living room is great. It’s one big room that easily accommodates a fair amount of people without feeling crowded. And the amount of light we get throughout the day is a dream.
Biggest Challenge: We live in what used to be farmland and is now a rapidly developing area. With so much construction across the street, our house gets covered in dust daily and we can’t seem to keep up, no matter how often we clean and vacuum.
What Friends Say: We’ve created an inviting space that is a true representation of our personalities.
Biggest Embarrassment: Our small one-car garage has become an overcrowded revolving door of storage.
Proudest DIY: Our favorite project in the house is the wooden shelves in the kitchen that we made from wood that we found on a farm in Abbotsford. We stained it and spray painted the brackets bright green, and, with the help of my dad, we created a piece that we love to look at every day.
Biggest Indulgence: Our two sofas from EQ3. When we went to choose our fabric swatches, we both immediately fell in love with the green color and knew we had to have it in our home.
Best Advice: Craigslist (and patience) is your friend! Aside from the sofas and beds and one dresser, every piece of furniture in our home is secondhand, many of them found free on Craigslist.
Resources
ENTRY
- Marquee arrow: DIY from wood from Jag’s parents’ garden
LIVING ROOM
- Grey sofa: Solo by EQ3
- Green sofa: Reverie by EQ3
- 1967 school map: Stepback—we wanted to find a map that showed both India and Poland since Jag’s family comes from India, and Agata was born in Poland. It creates a focal point in our living room.
- Faux-brick wall: 4-foot by 8-foot panels purchased at Rona
- Ladder: found in the woods, stained
- Suitcases: belonged to Agata’s grandparents in Poland
- Lamp: Craigslist
- Coffee table: log from a house in North Van that had cut down a tree, turned into a coffee table by our friends at Studio 126 in Vancouver
- TV credenza: Craigslist
- String lights: gift from friend who purchased them while traveling in Southeast Asia
- Area rug: Costco
- School desk: movie set sale in North Vancouver
DINING ROOM
- Chairs: Craigslist
- Ping pong tabletop: DIY, removable to reveal the DIY dining tabletop
- Large mirror: Glass Station
- Light: OMG It’s Small
- Shelf: free via Craigslist
KITCHEN
- Shelves: DIY
- Bus destination scroll: Stepback—Agata is a bus driver and has driven all of these routes shown, so it holds a personal connection.
BEDROOM
- Bed: Burrows by EQ3
- Mirror: IKEA, painted by Jag
- Bollywood poster from 1968: purchased in India
- Dresser: IKEA, painted by Jag
- Side table: Craigslist
- Vinyl lettering above bed: Jag
- Art above dresser: Her heart tasted like vanilla by Jag
UPSTAIRS HALLWAY
- Marquee letter: Stepback
- First-aid kit: belonged to Jag’s family
- Fisherman illustration: Jag
GUEST BEDROOM
- Sewing machine: belonged to Agata’s friend’s grandmother, gifted to us as a housewarming present
FIRST FLOOR POWDER ROOM
- Crates: friend’s garage sale
OFFICE/DEN
- Desk: free via Craigslist
- Shelving unit: free via Craigslist
- Donkey print: Jag
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