Dawn McConnell Inspired Living

04/29/2026

I call her “Mother Nature”, I I created her for my grandsons baby shower. The theme was The Woodlands

04/13/2026

The past 6 months have been beyond magical for me! I have spent countless hours creating Alpenglow, our first short term rental unit in the beautiful Solara Resort in Canmore, Alberta. This 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit has been fully remodelled and designed to create a luxurious and elevated retreat for our guests. This unit is inspired by the softer beauty that surrounds Canmore. During my six months here, driving by the many meadows and valleys where the deer, elk, and sheep graze, I fell in love with the softer side of the Rocky Mountains. This suite’s soft natural tones echo the meadows and valleys that rest gently at the feet of the majestic Three Sisters. I designed this space as a sanctuary for our guests, a space they can relax and unwind during their stay in the majestic mountains.

We have partnered with .stay for all our units, their desires to produce an elevated and luxurious stay for our guests was perfectly in line with my vision. Top quality linens, bedding, mattresses that are so good I’m buying one for my own bed at home, kitchens equipped with high quality equipment so cooking a meal is simple and enjoyable. A dining table that seats 6 for lovely meals and fun activities with family and friends afterwards. We have also outfitted the unit with modern streaming televisions in the living room and both bedrooms, blue tooth speakers in the bedrooms and living room, and a bar cabinet that is ready to make any cocktail you would like but, also closes so little ones are safe. There is a sofa bed for our guests who need additional sleeping capacity as well. Hydeaway Stays excels at customer service, I believe as a team we have created a suite everyone can relax and enjoy their vacation in.

I am so very excited to welcome you all to Alpenglow and stay tuned….we have a couple more suites to share with you soon!

For enquires on booking your stay at Alpenglow, you’re welcome to message me and I can direct you or go directly to Hydeaway Stays website to receive the best rate possible, I will post their website on my profile.

03/20/2026

My friends, I am so proud to share that our first short term rental unit in Canmore Alberta is up on Airbnb! We fully renovated this Solara unit, it’s now a bright and modern 2 bedroom, 2 bath suite that is waiting for guests! We have named this unit Alpenglow and it the perfect name. I have been staying in this unit while we renovate two more units that we will be revealing shortly and this unit is the epitome of serenity, luxury, and style.

We have partnered with Hydeaway Stays, who will manage the unit for us, their focus on elevated stays with luxury items paired perfectly with my vision.

Together we have created an elevated and luxurious suite complete with fine luxury bed linens, towels, soaps and modern features and amenities like a well stocked kitchen with quality kitchen tools, modern streaming TVs, comfortable furniture, and all the little touches that make a vacation perfect. I highly recommend the beds as well, the mattresses are some of the best I have ever slept on! I hope you will take a look and see what we have created. ❤️

The link to the listing is in my profile! Please save this unit in your Airbnb by hitting the little red heart in the top right hand corner, that really helps us gab traction on their site!

03/01/2026

I know I have been very quiet lately, but I’m happy to say I’m having the time of my life here in beautiful Canmore, Alberta. I have been busy doing the design and renovation on three units in Canmore. It has been hours of planning, hard work, wallpapering, painting, doing applied moulding, and of course hunting for the perfect pieces to complete these units. I’m proud to say, our fist unit is complete and will be up and ready to rent soon. Our brilliant partners at .stay who manage our units, posted this little sneak peek. The full reveal will be launched soon! So exciting!

03/01/2026

I cannot wait to show you all what I’ve been up to in Canmore!

New Hydeaway Alert!! 👀 ⛰️
Alpenglow Hydeaway is coming soon… and it is about to change the game in Canmore.
Think next level design, unbelievable finishings, and that golden hour glow that stops you in your tracks. This ones going to hit different.

Hydeaway Stay
Life is better in the mountains.

12/08/2025

My friends, I have posted a lot pictures of my house decor recently and I have so many comments and likes, thank you! Three things that have been really popular with my online community are the mannequin tree, the gold deer on the counter and, and my sleeping dog. However, the dog you all are loving so much is actually a sculpture of a dog that we call Bartholomew. He is pictured in the navy accent chair in the dining room and he is by far the best behaved pup in our house! He never makes a mess and his food costs are very low! 😂😜

In all seriousness, lots of people have messaged asking if we got a new pup and no, we haven’t. We still have our two older pups, Rufus the big black golden doodle and George our 13 year old English bulldog. They are both a very important part of our lives, my best friends and always my design helpers. They monitor my work from their sleeping positions.

Thanks for loving Bartholomew and my crew so much. I know I will be asked by someone so I will share a little on the sculpture, we purchased Bartholomew 8 years ago from Urban Barn and he has been a fixture in my design work ever since. I love to add the dramatic or the unexpected to my home, it’s what differentiates a home from a show piece. I want to remind you to not be afraid to add a little fun, a conversation piece, into you home designs. My guests love him, he is an instant laugh and conversation starter, especially when a guest goes to pet him! Have a wonderful day my friends!

12/07/2025

We are so blessed to have a formal library in our home, when I first saw the real estate listing for this house it’s the room that took my breath away! I still love this space however I have learned that these darker, formal spaces can be somewhat challenging to decorate. We have a large window in this space yet the dark wood panelling and wood coffered ceiling suck a lot of light out of this space. Both my husband and I didn’t want the room to feel like a “men’s only club”, we want it to be a space everyone feels welcome to come curl up with a warm cup of tea or a glass of wine, and simply visit. There is no TV, only books and the people you are blessed to be with.

For the holidays, in years past, I went all out in this room. Heavily adorned mantle, large Christmas tree, golds, blush and pinks to lighten the space and bring some female energy into a somewhat masculine space by nature. However, this year I did the exact opposite and I’m not sure I’ll be going back to a big grand statement piece anytime soon.

The more restrained tones of the traditional look I’ve used this year are, in my opinion, in perfect balance with the room. I admit, I miss a larger tree in here and next year will be adding that into the space but I do love the table tree, dried hydrangeas and chocolate brown deer I have used in it’s place this year.

This room took no new decor aside from the little houses adorning the table tree. I have owned tartan cushions for many years, they are simply a look I have long loved. In fact, the cushions with the tartan ribbon bows I remember purchasing them when I didn’t really have the money for fancy cushions but I did it anyway, I had to have them. They have survived my girls being little and 6 dogs, they were a solid purchase. ❤️

Much of this rooms decor holds memories for me, the blue and white china on the coffee table my mom bought me many years ago as a Christmas present. I love how this room has been curated with moments that bring back memories because that is what Christmas is to me. Being with the people I love and making new memories.

12/07/2025

Hi everyone!!! Well, my husband called it. He knew I would add something to the dining room!! I just had to add a little table tree in the dining room, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

Every year I try to rethink how I can use the Christmas decor I own. This year I’m loving adding not only “coloured decor” to the tree but I am also adding a variety of different greens through picks and sprays placed dramatically throughout the tree. The effect is simply beautiful! It creates so much texture and interest to the tree. It’s really a game changer!!! As well, this tree is 90% RED, a little green and a little gold momemts but the overall look is very tonal, slightly dark and really is stunning, especially in person.

What new looks are you trying in your Christmas decor? I challenge myself every year to reinvent what I already have. 100% of this tree was pulled from my decor from past years. How do you rethink what you own? I would love to be inspired!

12/06/2025

Loving the elegance of this years holiday table but missing a tree in the dining room….it’s just not the same….

12/04/2025

This year has been somewhat unusual for me, I have been away for work an awful lot and I’ve had to put my Christmas decor up in smaller batches this year. You may notice, I only have 6 trees up this year, and my mantles are somewhat understated compared to the last few years. This was all very intentional and deliberate on my part. Even without all the travel for work, I had decided long ago to do a more intentional Christmas decor this year. Rather than every tree having a story, or theme, I chose to do a house wide decor theme. I wanted an understated elegance that had deep traditional Christmas roots.

If you are into design, you would know of the massive Ralph Lauren Christmas trend, and one could certainly say this decor fits right into it however, I have loved tartans and plaids my whole life. The reds, greens and blues you see here have been a part of my Christmas collection for years, so for me I was trendy before the trend hit I guess!

My goal this year was to create flow from one room to the other, showcase a cohesive design that really pulled all the things I love into it. I created a new blue, white and red chinoiserie tree, I focused on large scale decor pieces like the deers, and I repeated colours, textures and greenery throughout. I have never loved my home more at Christmas. It feels like my decor has space to breathe.

I have loved creating some of the fun moments like the mannequin in my front hall and the deer on my kitchen island. They are unexpected but stunning, at least I think so. LOL. I hope you enjoy looking at it and I wish you all a very happy holiday season. ❤️

11/25/2025

Happy Tuesday!

I have been very busy decorating*my home for Christmas between a very busy work schedule. This year I am really changing how I approach Christmas decorating. Rather than each tree having its own theme I have created a theme throughout the house. Every room and every tree carries that colour theme throughout it.

The Ralph Lauren Christmas Decor obsession is not new to me, in fact, I was only about 35 years ahead of this decoration trend. I love tartans and plaid, rich reds for Christmas have often played a integral part in my holiday decorations. This year, I leaned into it heavily, and I must share I am loving how it’s turning out.

I am not quite done yet, it here is a sneak peek of my foyer tree and my mannequin tree.