The Healing Haven: A Special Feature at the 2026 Calgary Fall Home Show in Collaboration with Sarah Baeumler
The Healing Haven: Where Design Meets Purpose
As an interior decorator, I spend much of my time thinking about what makes a house feel like a home. The colours, the textures, the furniture, the little details that make a space feel warm, familiar and lived in. But every so often, a project comes along that reminds you of something much more fundamental: before a home can be beautiful, it needs to feel safe.
This September, I had the incredible honour of collaborating with HGTV legend Sarah Baeumler to bring The Healing Haven to life at the 2026 Calgary Fall Home Show, in support of the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS).
The concept was simple, but its purpose was incredibly meaningful. We wanted to create an immersive space that offered visitors a small glimpse into the environments that can support women and children as they leave violence and begin rebuilding their lives.
More than anything, we wanted to start a conversation about what home really means.
When we began developing The Healing Haven, we approached the design with a different set of priorities than we might for a typical residential project.
Of course, we wanted the space to be beautiful. But beauty alone wasn't the goal. We wanted it to feel welcoming rather than institutional. Peaceful without feeling impersonal. Thoughtfully considered, but still familiar and approachable. Every space was designed around the idea that our surroundings can influence how we feel, particularly during moments of uncertainty and transition.
The Healing Haven brought together several distinct areas, each representing an important part of the experience of finding safety and beginning again.
A welcoming gathering space encouraged connection and conversation. A resource and intake area acknowledged the importance of support and guidance. A children's playroom offered a reminder that even during life's most difficult transitions, children deserve opportunities to simply be children. And a bedroom provided a quiet, comforting place to rest.
Each space had its own purpose, but together they told a much larger story about the importance of creating environments where people feel respected, supported and cared for.
A Collaboration with Purpose
Having the opportunity to work alongside Sarah Baeumler on this project made the experience all the more special.
Together, we shared a vision for a space that could be both beautiful and meaningful, using design as a way to encourage empathy, understanding and conversation.
The Healing Haven was also made possible through the generosity of our incredible partners, including Sofa Land and Silk & Snow, whose contributions helped us bring warmth, comfort and functionality into the space.
And, of course, at the heart of this entire initiative was the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters.
ACWS supports a network of shelters and organizations across Alberta doing vital work for individuals and families experiencing domestic violence. The Healing Haven was an opportunity to bring greater visibility to that work and remind visitors that the need for safe, supportive spaces exists in communities all around us.
