Each month we have the chance to peek into the private spaces of some of Vancouver’s most style-savvy residents. I promise you that this month’s My Digs tour of the home of local comedienne and writer, Morgan Brayton (MorganBrayton.com), is like no other house we’ve ever featured. It’s a tough gig to awe me with an interior space, but Morgan and her family achieved it beautifully – at every turn there is a wonder of kitsch and story to take in. This house truly is a home of curiosities that you won’t want to miss. The only lure that managed to steal my attention away from exploring the décor was the impossibly handsome dog of the house, who of course has his own Instagram account, @thisisbunbury.
Morgan is the host of OutTV's Morgan Brayton & Other People and the writer/performer behind the award-winning theatrical solo shows Girls Like Me and Raccoonery. Her new show, Give It Up, a comedy about her decades-long career as a wildly moderately successful film and television actor, premieres this week at the Vancouver International Fringe Festival (VancouverFringe.com).
What is it:
Ours is a weird and wonderful house in the Sunset neighbourhood [near Main and 49th]. It was built in 1923 and owned by the same family up until a few years ago when they sold it to our landlords who live across the street. It is rich with character and eccentricities and, frankly, a good chunk of wacky.
Occupant:
I'm a writer/actor/comedian/flibbertigibbet. I share the house with my wife, son, niece, four cats, a dog and a revolving door of rescue kittens we foster for VOKRA (Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association).
Major selling feature:
We couldn't really believe our eyes when we came to view the house. I've never seen anything quite like it and neither has anyone who has ever visited us. Every room is a different pattern of wallpaper from a different decade, the house came with a bunch of vintage 1960s furniture, the kitchen is Betty Draper's dream and the master bedroom is like a Holly Hobby acid trip. Speaking of the master bedroom, the view from it made me understand why the neighbourhood is called Sunset. The sky outside our window puts on the most amazing shows of oranges and pinks I've ever seen in Vancouver.
First thing I changed:
My wife, Michele, loves to garden. I love to drink wine and admire the garden. It works out pretty well. She gets all the credit for turning the front yard into a garden oasis including vegetables, fruit trees and flowers. I contribute my love of vintage gnomes who watch over our garden bounty and delight me to no end. They also delight passersby who often stop to take selfies or photographs of each other in front of our house, which is kind of creepy but also kind of fun. We never knew the man who grew up here and owned the house until he passed away at almost 90 years old, but we love when long-time neighbours stop by and admire our garden, telling us what a great gardener he was, that he too grew dahlias, and that he would have approved. By all accounts he was a real character and, well, so are we. I love that we get to be the ones to live in this magical house and carry on a bit of his eccentricity.
Feature I brag about:
Our house is, hands down, the best house in the neighbourhood on Halloween. We start decorating on Oct. 1 and, by the time Halloween rolls around, the yard is filled with custom gravestones, there are glowing skulls glaring down at you from the upper floor windows, a couple of skeletons in fancy (yet rotted) clothes are having a tea party with some rats at our bistro table, the fog machine is pumping out the main floor window, and there looks like a bad bit of business occurred on the front porch and we haven't got around to cleaning up the blood yet. There is no greater joy than terrifying children and adults alike – although we try to take it easy on the very wee ones.
The décor:
Our décor can best be described as family antiques meets thrift store vintage meets stuff we got on sale at Ikea. It's cozy and kitschy and there is something to smile at (or have serious questions about) everywhere you look.
The story behind the art/antiques/collectibles:
Many of our collectibles came to me after my mother passed away and that woman held on to everything! The wooden bench that sat in my family's foyer when I was growing up now sits in ours. The Vogue cover prints were my mom's. A wash basin my great grandfather made serves as a liquor cabinet and the Smith Corona typewriter on top of it was...oh, wait. No, my wife found that in an alley in the West End.
Downsides:
Michele would say the lack of white space. I like busy and patterns and tchotchkes. She could do with a few more surfaces and clean lines.
Neighbourhood haunts:
You can get your eyebrows threaded around the corner for just $5! Sunset Community Centre has everything from a fitness centre to cooking lessons and line dancing classes. (I'd just like you to know that my line dancing skills are off the charts.) Michele rides her bike to work in Yaletown every day via the Ontario bike path and loves her commute. We're a bike ride away from Meet on Main for delicious and indulgent vegan dining. A little farther down is Smoking Lily where I buy pretty things to wear. Welk's has everything we need and a lot of things we don't need but buy anyhow. Trafiq for sweet things, Hawker's Delight for spicy things, and the Chevron on the corner for slushies.
Compared to your last place:
We don't have to sleep with toques on because it's so cold which is a real plus.
Favourite apartment/house/condo activity:
Last summer, we planted a lawn in the long-neglected backyard, my dad came over and helped us build a fence, and I built a thing that's a lounging bench by day and a stage by night. Some of our best times have since been in our backyard, usually barbecuing pizza. We organize shows called Laughs on the Lawn and invite our friends and neighbours and their kids to come enjoy some comedy and community. We bought a propane firebowl this year, which is about the best thing ever. We love sitting by the fire, wrapped up in Snuggies, while our dog Bunbury snarffles around in the dark and we enjoy a glass of wine. Or two...
