Western Living Magazine
Kitchen Design Tip 5: Think Outside the Island for Clever Storage
Kitchen Design Tip 4: Yes, You Can Embrace More Than One Design Style
Kitchen Design Tip 3: Bring in Contrast with Both Colour and Texture
A January Blessing: A $25 Pinot That Tastes Like it’s $45
Recipe: Braised Five-Spice Beef (Hongshao Wuxiang Niurou)
Recipe: Chili-Lime Skillet Shrimp
Local Getaway Idea: Kingfisher’s Healing Caves Redefine Wellness and Escape
Editors’ Picks: Our Favourite Western Living Travel Stories of 2024
Winter Getaway Guide 2024: Wine, Bavarian Charm and Luxe Lodging Without the Skis
The Secret Ingredient to Creating the Perfect Kitchen: Bosch
Everything You Need to Know About the New Livingspace Outdoor Store
New and Noteworthy: 11 Homeware Picks to Refresh Your Space in 2025
Over 50% Sold! Grab Your Tickets to Our Western Living Design 25 Party Now
Join Us for Our First Western Living Design 25 Party!
Announcing the Finalists for the 2025 Western Living Design 25 Awards
Spoiler: It's all pretty cozy.
Between the Brooklinen shoutouts in my podcasts and the Boll and Branch and Casper ads popping up in my social media feeds, it’s clear that the internet really, really wants me to buy linen sheets.
And listen, I’m on board conceptuallyof course I want softer-with-each-wash sheets that breathe well and exude a Parisian effortlessness, I’m not a heathenbutI can’t tell you how many times I’ve loaded up the cart on Brooklinen’s website only to chicken out last minute. Because it’s one thing to believe that linen sheets will improve your life, and it’s another thing to actually drop the cash. So I’ve been sleeping in cotton sheets like a chump, tossing and turning every night as I berate myself for my frugality. “Isn’t $500 is a small price to pay for happiness?” I’ll mutter until I fall asleep.
But my restless nights are over now, because I wandered into EQ3 to kill some time last week, and stumbled across beautiful, crazy-soft linen-blend sheet sets (we’re talking bamboo, baby!) in the sale section for $80. I scooped ’em up and have been having the sweetest dreams since. EQ3 bamboo-linen sheets, queen, $79.95 Stacey McLachlan, executive editor
I think of myself as a man of great spontaneity. At the drop of a hat I’ll happily go on a gambling junket in Macau, swim in whale sharks in the Sea of Cortez, don a wing suit. But the reality is, I’m not. I’m sort of a fussbudget. Exhibit A, I use the word fussbudget. But I’m growing and this blanket is part of that journey. I’ll back up a bitI’ve been on a Yeti kick for a year now and it’s fair to say all my fellow editors are sick of me talking endlessly about my coffee travel mug. Me: “It’s still too hot to drink and I made it an hour ago!” Them: “So your Oahu story is still not done then?”
One of the reasons is that Yeti is one of the few US retailers who will routinely offer the free shipping option to their Canadian customers (BTW – I know I sound like a lunatic reciting things like this as if it’s what passes for normal conversation). But here’s where I went badly down the rabbit holethis blanket is not yet available in Canada but with some ingenuity and a US address I was able to secure one. That’s a lot of work, and at $200 my portable blanket is more than the sheets Stacey (see above) is sleeping on 7/52/365, so what gives? Aside from the reality that I can out-consumer Stacey like nobody’s business, my thought was this: this sweet blanket with its cool carrying case, waterproof on one side and insulated on the other will help with the spontaneity thing. Bullocks you say? Well I give you one impromptu beachside picnic, one perfect shore lunch on a fishing trip and one taking two wet dogs to the babysitters as proof that we all can change.
If we spend enough on cool stuff. Yeti Lowlands Blanket, $200. Neal McLennan, Travel Editor
While I’ve yet to deep dive into Marie Kondo’s Netflix series (I really like to watch shows a good year after they’re relevant), I do enjoy doing Apartment Therapy’s January Cure each year, and as is their goal, pick up a new habit or two. One of them is to always have an “outbox” on the goitems that are ready to go to the Sally Ann, or a friend, or somewhere where they’ll be put to better use than gathering dust in my closet. Used to be that outbox was a Lululemon bag in the corner of my bedroom, but I’ve upgraded to something a little more permanent with this felt number. It looks so great I’m inspired to use it more, which is exactly the point. Minimalist felt basket, $24, simons.ca Anicka Quin, editorial director
If you havent been religiously following my webposts (how dare you) you might not know that I consider myself a bit of a marketplace mavenFacebook Marketplace, that is. It's amazing how many people within 2 kilometres of me are selling things I didnt realize I needed. I also love how, unlike Craigslist, marketplace has the benefit of Facebook profiles so you can snoop into the life of the person you've buying from (because not even the coolest denim jacket is worth giving a white supremacist $20). One of my latest finds is a wooden chairprobably Ikea, but you can’t prove it wasn’t once a bespoke masterpiecethat the previous owner gave new life with a coat of mint paint. Actually, the chair might be on its third or fourth life now, but It's simple design and apparently indestructible frame has stood the test of time. It matches a pineapple pillow sham I got from Hawaii, and together they are in cheery denial that the seasons are changing. don't throw things away, thrift themthey might just end up in a magazine. facebook.com/marketplace Alyssa Hirose, Assistant Editor
Are you over 18 years of age?