Food and prop stylist Tara Ballantyne translates her time spent in Norway into a cozy, modern Scandi-chic home.
It was love at first sight. “I had been working in the world of interiors for a while,” says stylist, on-air expert for The Marilyn Denis Show and homeowner Tara Ballantyne of finding her muse. “But when I arrived in Norway, I thought, ‘This is it! This is my style.’” Tara lived there on and off for three years while her husband, Paul, played professional hockey. And although the couple returned to Canada nearly five years ago, in terms of style, Tara never really left.
“One hundred percent of my decor is inspired by
Scandinavia,” says Tara of the 1,700-square-foot open-concept house in
Waterloo, Ont., that she shares with Paul and their two-year-old twins, Archer
and Basil. From the light and airy muted palette to the modern furnishings to
the layers of faux fur and handcrafted touches, Tara brought her favourite
features of Norwegian style home with her, both figuratively and literally. “I
didn’t want to ship a lot home, so I packed the smaller items in my
luggage...and a surplus of stools,” says Tara with a laugh. “I could fit them
in a hockey bag.”
Tara maintains the same scheme and design principles when
decorating for the holidays. “Norwegians place a huge focus on artisans and crafts,”
she says, explaining the inspiration for her festive felt decorations. A light
palette, layers of blankets and furs, paper star lanterns and candles are also
typical. “It’s so dark in Norway at this time of year – the sun goes down by 3
p.m. – but people still sit outside, covered in furs, to enjoy their coffee,”
she says. “When you look inside their homes and everything is so warm and
bright, it’s truly magical.” How wonderful that she recreated that magic here
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