September always feels like the beginning of a new year, an opportunity for a fresh start! HomeSense is our number one go-to to help us get organized for the hectic season ahead on a budget. To get inspired, we called upon two design-loving Toronto women to show us how a trip to HomeSense helped them get their home ready for fall.

Eve Mayrand (@everyday_eve_) and Mel Hwang (@melhwang) were each tasked with transforming a space in their home for under $500. Because of their very different lives and design styles, it was super fun and interesting to see what they found at HomeSense. 

Eve is a mother of two, so she decided to concentrate on kitting her five-year-old son’s room out with a bedside table to provide nice lighting for bedtime stories. She also found loads of cute items to spark wonder and get him excited about heading back to school. 

Mel decided that instead of sticking to one room in her home, she’d organize several nooks. From the laundry room, to the pantry, and Simba’s cozy area (her beloved pup), Mel did several mini overhauls to bring order to her home. The result was pretty wonderful!

What home project is on your mind? Enter to win our #MyHomeSense contest now, and you could win a $300 gift card to help you get started! With amazing prices, and the most stylish assortment of home furnishings and accessories, you’re sure to score a ton of cute things that will look great and help life run life smoothly.

Eve Mayrand

SDTC: What does September, or the onset of the fall season, mean to you? How do you feel, and how do you like to get your home organized?

EM: I’ve always loved BTS season, because it means shopping for a new fall wardrobe and school furniture! I’m obsessed with the smell of new paper and crayons! Haha! Both my kids will be in elementary school this fall, so we had to get organized with lunch boxes, backpacks, etc., and since Elliot will have some lessons, I wanted his desk area to be organized properly. 

When you went to HomeSense, did you have a goal in mind? Did your goal shift while you were in store? What were you drawn to while wandering the aisles?

No specific goal, but I did have Elliot in mind because I feel like first grade is such a big milestone, and I want to open up his horizons and stimulate his curiosity as much as possible! I always need a million different things, so I let the fab finds from HomeSense lead the way!

What fall finds did you purchase on your shopping trip?

2 Earth Globes (to learn about the world and geography)
2 Clocks (to learn the time, which is still a very abstract concept at six years old)
Notebooks (Elliot is an artist, so he goes through them in no time! He invents stories and always has a ton of projects he wants to put on paper!)
Bed Cover
Mustard Blanket
Bed Sheets
Decorative Pillow with Mustard-Coloured Pom Poms
Rug
Bedside Table
Lunch Box
Desk Lamp (with a phone/tablet charger incorporated)
Rattan Mirror
Planters
Trash Can
3 Storing Boxes
Letter Board

How would you describe the style of your home?

Eclectic mid-century modern bohemian.

Transitions with little ones are always challenging. What do you find is a helpful way to switch gears as smoothly as possible?

I talk to my kids about back to school a lot! They are social butterflies, so they are excited about seeing their friends and who’s in their class this year. Getting out of the house is smoother now that they are able to dress by themselves in the morning!

What are you most looking forward to this season?

The cooler days and fall fashion always get me excited for autumn! I love getting new blankets, jackets and knits for fall! Anything to feel more cozy! Scented candles, big pots to cook stews and lots of pumpkins and squashes to decorate!

Mel Hwang

SDTC: What does September, or the onset of the fall season, mean to you? How do you feel, and how do you like to get your home organized?

MH: I know people find spring as a rebirthing season, but I find fall to be my most renewing season (perhaps because my birthday is in the fall haha). I was always the kid that was excited for school to start, ready with my new school supplies colour-coded and sectioned off in my backpack, so I suppose I’ve always associated the fall season with new beginnings and organization. Since for most of us Canadians, fall is also the transitional season into “coziness,” I think it’s a great opportunity to declutter your life, to be at peace with both yourself and your home and to re-balance everything.

When you went to HomeSense, did you have a goal in mind? Did your goal shift while you were in store? What were you drawn to while wandering the aisles?

I think the reason why I love HomeSense so much is because it serves as a destination of inspiration for me. I knew I wanted to get items that would organize certain spots in my home that I felt were needing organization, but I always find that I come up with ideas while wandering the aisles of HomeSense. For example, I never thought about an inbox/outbox for our mudroom, but I realized that one of my biggest pet peeves was when mail delivery ended up sprawled on our mudroom floor. I think my philosophy to organization is just to make sure that everything has its own place. If everything has its own designated place, there won’t be mess or clutter around. 

What fall finds did you purchase on your shopping trip?

The list is extensive! I think that’s what I love most about HomeSense: your dollar really stretches the extra mile. 

Basket For Blankets 
Inbox Outbox Mail Hanger
Simba Doggie Bowl Holder
Dog Food Container
7 Wire Baskets 
6 Pantry Food Storage Containers
Sugar Holder (Countertop)
Spice Rack Organizer
Rolling (Laundry) Bin
3-Stack Woven Box Tower
2 Woven Boxes For Above the Cabinets
2 Wooden Crates
Wash, Dry, & Fold Wooden Box
Laundry Wooden Box

How would you describe the style of your home?

I like to describe our home as minimal and modern, with organic statement elements. We love having our home bright and light-filled, so most of our home is stark white (including our marble floors), and we love that it allows our statement pieces to shine. We love adding those organic, nature-inspired, almost bohemian textures like wood, woven baskets, and metal details.

What are you most looking forward to this season?

I can’t wait for the fall leaves and breeze to come along, to take a walk in the park amidst amber-coloured trees, and come home to a warm cup of coffee or tea (while watching a new series on Netflix). The fall and holiday seasons are our favourite seasons for hosting, so Dave (@seedavedo) and I can’t wait to host Friendsgiving and holiday parties.

What’s a goal that you have for your home right now?

We bought our Centurion (114 years old to be exact) home two years ago and spent the last two years renovating it, so it always feels like there’s lots more to do. But our goal for the home right now is just to spend time in it and enjoy it, to slowly collect the things that make sense for it, and just to love what we’ve been able to do with it. 

CONTEST

What would you do with a $300 HomeSense gift card? Enter to win one, and get started on your own #MyHomeSense project.

FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM: LIKE + COMMENT on our #MyHomeSense Fresh-Start September posts.

TWITTER: Tweet: “Yes please, @shedoesthecity, I’d love to win a $300 @HomeSenseCanada gift card to help me get organized for September!”