The three-level home has a very unique floor plan, with the living room on the main floor, the kitchen and guest bedroom on the second, and the master bedroom on the third. Even though all the spaces are set on different levels, the open format of the home gives it an incredible sense of flow, presenting an airy ‘loft’ sort of feel. “It’s kind of different, with the three levels, which we like,” says Terri.

Add to the uniqueness this married couple’s sense of chic, and what you end up with is one stylish home. Most recently, Terri set her sights and talents on the couple’s bedroom, which she completely redesigned with new paint colours, artwork, bedding, accessories and more. “I love it since we did a total redo of the bedroom,” she says. Joe even risked possible injury, stretching out above the stairwell to paint the walls.

All of this style doesn’t always come easy though. Terri admits that much of her decorating comes through trial and error. “It takes me forever because I buy things, then I have to bring them home and try them out,” she says. “Then I have to take them back if they don’t work and find something else. With the bedroom, at first, there were no red elements so it was just too boring. So I went out and bought a bunch of red accents – pillows, blankets, paintings.” The end result is well worth the effort. What they now enjoy is a cozy, inviting bedroom that also has its own unique layout. Since it has no doorway, the whole upper floor flows seamlessly from the stairway to the bed area to the ensuite to the closet, which is equipped with the washer and dryer as an added bonus.

And this sense of style and warmth emanates through the entire 1500 square foot home. “It feels really cozy to me,” affirms Terri. “I don’t like houses that are cold and don’t feel homey. I like to fill our home with pictures of our family, and have good things around me.” To this end, all of the furniture and décor are in warm earthy tones from floor to ceiling, giving the home a real feeling of welcome.

Aside from the bedroom, Terri also enjoys the kitchen. It holds some fantastic architectural features such as an island-type counter with a beautifully tiled partial wall behind it. The light hardwood floors also contrast nicely with the green-tinted wood cabinets, and a large bright dining space spills right off the kitchen.

The home is also outfitted with nine-foot knockdown ceilings, four balconies, a single attached garage and a faux fireplace among its many features. “I love some dumb things too like our washer and dryer being in our bedroom closet. Especially since we have so many flights, to have to keep running up and down would be a lot!” she laughs.

The couple bought the townhome, one of six units, brand new in 2002, though they didn’t choose the layout or finishings. Prior to that, they had owned an apartment condo in a high rise in the Eau Claire area. “We looked at about five or six places before deciding on this one,” recalls Terri. “We didn’t want to get into another high rise. I also wanted something new because I didn’t want to have to refinish and renovate things. There weren’t a lot of houses in the area that weren’t old and small. You’d basically have to kick it over and start over. So when we found this place, especially with its two bedrooms and bathrooms, we really liked it. I wanted two bedrooms, but really we just wanted to get out of the whole big building thing – having to go up an elevator to get home or lugging our groceries around – it was just getting to be a pain. Location was big for us too though; we wanted to stay close to downtown.” Their townhome fits the bill perfectly.

Staying close to downtown means easy access to work for Terri who works at a travel agency and Joe who is a general contractor, as well as proximity to all the services they need. “We really like the area; we were always coming over to get groceries and stuff when we lived in Eau Claire anyways,” she says.

Nowadays, they continue to enjoy the condo lifestyle in their townhome, though they now have more responsibilities than in their old home. “This is such a small building that we do still maintain things like our flowerbeds,” she explains. “In our old place, we didn’t do any of the landscaping. It is nice to just wake up and have your walk already shovelled, and the good thing is that you don’t have to worry about things like that. We have a small condo board and a property management company too. But this is more similar to a house than our condo.”

Eventually, Terri and Joe do plan to make the move to a house once they start having a family. “This place just isn’t big enough once we have kids,” Terri explains. “But it’ll be sad to move because we really do love it here.”

Until that time however, Terri and Joe plan to continue enjoying their home as they have for the past three years. And with Terri’s panache for decorating, you can bet there will be a few more redesigns along the way.