As partners Fran Miller and Jackie McKeown started to see some traction in their respective careers, it became apparent that the one-bedroom West-end loft they shared with their dog, Bagel, was no longer cutting it. Miller鈥檚 burgeoning skin care line F. Miller had outgrown the living room, and McKeown鈥檚 expanding styling business and new role as creative and design director of the chic activewear brand Literary Sport (Miller is a co-creative director) was rapidly eating up more and more of the property鈥檚 already limited square footage. They needed more space, and fast. It was time for a house.
Thanks to a hot residential market in 2017, the couple made out well on the sale of their condo, and after some nosing about to see what was available within their budget, they settled on a cosy, semi-detached home on a quiet, tree-lined street in their favourite neighbourhood, Roncesvalles.
鈥淲e were just sort of drawn to it in a weird way,鈥 says McKeown, sipping her morning coffee. 鈥淚t was very well maintained, but it probably hadn鈥檛 been touched since the 鈥50s. The basement was fully wood-panelled; there was teal carpet in the living room. Even though we wanted to change everything, we knew it was the one when we first saw it.鈥
McKeown admits to 鈥渟tealing鈥 many of the couple鈥檚 records from her father, who accumulated quite a collection of his own and taught her to play the guitar that now hangs on the wall in the office.聽
Michelle Mengsu Chang/海角社区官网StarWhile McKeown made sure to immortalize the existing decor in some fashion photo shoots, a full overhaul was definitely in order for the long, narrow space that was broken up into a number of small, dark rooms. The couple鈥檚 instructions to the contractor were simple: open it up.
鈥淲ith the layout of the space, we felt it was best to keep it simple and just try and let in as much light as possible,鈥 explains Miller. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not easy in these old places. We literally had to take everything down to the studs.鈥
Despite not changing the original configuration much 鈥 it seemed easier at the time to avoid moving water lines, etc. 鈥 the couple did add a small powder room off of the galley kitchen and invested significantly in large, inward-opening, European-style windows and a stunning staircase replete with a modern glass panel railing. They also converted the basement into Miller鈥檚 studio for her F. Miller Skincare line and added a separate entrance, for future versatility.
McKeown in the main living area, made brighter by removing a stairwell and a number of walls and then installing larger windows and doors.聽
Michelle Mengsu Chang/海角社区官网StarWhen it came to decorating, things weren鈥檛 quick and easy. 鈥淏ecause we moved in when they were still renovating, it was never us walking into a blank canvas and going room by room,鈥 says McKeown. 鈥淭hings were a little more piecey. It wasn鈥檛 until COVID that we had the time to intentionally put things in the space. Everything had been sort of makeshift until that point.鈥
Since 2020, the couple has added a Togo chair and the Miller family鈥檚 Roche Bobois couch (reupholstered) to the living room, an Artek table and chairs to the dining room and a handsome Vitsoe modular shelving unit between the two, upon which rests the couple鈥檚 impressive record and coffee table book collection.
As Miller and McKeown both work from home, the dining room tends to act as a de facto office, with table and chairs from Finnish furniture designer Artek.
Michelle Mengsu Chang/海角社区官网StarThey also embarked on some DIY projects. McKeown, going stir crazy and needing to build something, crafted the coffee table and an office chair. Together, they tackled the back patio, the bedroom鈥檚 wooden feature wall 鈥 ”鈥楲et鈥檚 do an accent wall, that will be easy鈥, we thought. It wasn鈥檛,鈥 says Miller, laughing 鈥 and perhaps most fittingly an art project that now lives on the dining room wall.
鈥淚 think the personal part of the art is more important to us than just buying it generic,鈥 says Miller before McKeown finishes the thought for her: 鈥淭here is a real level of wanting to feel a connection to it. We鈥檙e quite driven and inspired by art when we鈥檙e travelling, so that鈥檚 always been a thing that we wanted to bring into our space and make sure we represent those feelings that we get when we see things abroad. Every piece has a story.鈥
A handmade quilt from an artist friend, unique one-of-a-kind ceramic objects, rocks from Marfa, a resin vase from artist Gaetano Pesce, a painting of Bagel from Miller鈥檚 father. These are the things that make their home incredibly special. While there’s no shortage of high-end design items, there are equal, if not more, vintage, found or homemade pieces that just clicked with the eccentric duo.
鈥淎s we get older, we make more of a conscious effort to be extra intentional with all the items, especially if it鈥檚 something that we鈥檙e spending a bit more money on and investing in, says Miller. 鈥淲e look for pieces that have spoken to us through any sort of time or trend, and we’ve come to learn that even if something becomes mainstream and recognizable, we鈥檝e loved them far before and don鈥檛 need to be so affected by their popularity.鈥
Special pieces abound in the creative couple’s home.
Michelle Mengsu Chang/海角社区官网StarNow seven years in, the place looks nothing like it did the day they signed the paperwork. It’s been and will continue to be a work in progress. Many things have come and gone. One thing, however, may even outlast them.
鈥淚 believe, and not in a negative way, that there is a ghost that lives here,鈥 says McKeown, laughing. 鈥淲e have a lot of things going on with our lights, specifically. And sometimes it smells like someone is smoking right next to you on the couch. It鈥檚 bizarre. But we were drawn to the energy, whatever or whomever that may be.鈥
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