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.

Photos by Sian Richards

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.

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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.

Wallpaper: Cole & Son


“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.

Wall paint: Pavilion Gray, Farrow and Ball; trim paint: Oxford White, Benjamin Moore; island paint: Kendall Charcoal, Benjamin Moore; stools: Elte.com; pendant lights: Union Lighting and Furnishings; drawer pulls (on island and desk): Upper Canada Specialty Hardware


Mademoiselle chairs reupholstered in a lively custom fabric energize the long lacquered-wood workstation. This is where the homeowner works on creative projects and keeps the house organized. “Her daughter loves to join her in here and do her homework,” Griffin says. Her daughter also loves to hang out in the Balloon Chair (next photo).

Lamps: West Elm


Griffin balanced the budget with a mix of splurges and steals. The wallpaper, Balloon Chair and mademoiselle chairs were a splurge, whereas the sofa was on sale, the Carrara marble island top came from a remnant pile, and the stools, coffee table, side table, pendant lights, lamps and shag rug were all inexpensive. A mix of textures keeps things interesting, and Griffin added some luxe touches to her steals. For instance, the coffee table was re-covered in a faux-croc textile, and beautiful throw pillows enliven the sofa and Balloon Chair with bright color and beautiful patterns.

Griffin repeated circle motifs and chrome throughout the room, creating continuity. The hemispherical chair is trimmed in chrome and hangs from a chrome chain. The wool window treatments have circular chrome grommets, the chrome side table has a circular top, and circles are seen in several of the fabrics. Chrome on the pendant lights and reading lights creates more continuity throughout the room.

Chair: Pink & Brown; sofa: Restoration Hardware; rug: Carpet Mill; side table: West Elm

See more Rooms of the Day


Here is a plan of the room to help you get your bearings.

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