Reno creates modern but warm home

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Homeowners wanted ‘cleaner, more contemporary feel’

For the owners of an Etobicoke home that was built in the 1940s and underwent a partial renovation 15 years ago, the time was right to refresh both the main and second floors.

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“The homeowners were looking for a cleaner and more contemporary feel, specifically by enlarging the kitchen for dining, as their children are now older and able to hang out with the adults,” says Jane Lockhart, principal designer at Jane Lockhart Design in Mississauga.

“The homeowners also wanted to unify the entire house with updated finishes and to create better overall storage. Before this renovation, the original den office space

was sunken off the side of the kitchen, creating a cramped space and dangerous series of steps. Levelling this area with the rest of the house through renovations greatly improved the flow.”

ODD LAYOUTS

Given that it’s an old house and had already been renovated once, the home had some odd layouts and totally nonfunctional flow, particularly in the principal bathroom, Lockhart notes. “Discovering some of these quirks made a difference to the details we chose to apply when renovating the home’s layout,” she says.

Lockhart is especially proud of several features, including the kitchen and larger island. “It’s functional and compact in terms of cooking and prep, with the huge, long island allowing for a large kitchen party or dining space,” she says.

“And I love the clients’ style. It’s modern but classic in its warmth and material choices. The clients had great vision in seeing warm textures combined with cleaner surfaces. The end result is so comfortable and relaxing, with a bit of energy provided through the mix of graphic art and accessories.”

The kitchen cabinetry, handmade and finished for a warm, sleek look, was completed using solid Canadian white oak wood milled in North Ontario by Brice’s Furniture. The painted cabinets are painted in Benjamin Moore Gray 2121-10. The hand-scraped floors are from Grandeur in Hickory Summit, 7.5 inches wide.

‘HUGE ISLAND’

The kitchen countertop is made from Silestone in the colour Ethereal Noctis. “The huge island countertop with an almost invisible seam makes for a great space to sit, dine, entertain or work. This material also wraps up to form the backsplash,” Lockhart says.

“The living room and dining room had the least amount of work done, as we preserved the woodburning fireplace, the mantle and the crown here. We levelled the floor and the door opening into the kitchen from the dining room, as this is where the original house connects to the addition from many years back.”

New cabinetry cladding was added on either side of the opening into the kitchen to make it look like a panelled doorway. The new flooring was added here, too, with hidden lighting into the cabinets.

The principal bathroom and bedroom were reconfigured to make both rooms function much better, allowing for a heated tub and double vanity with large shower. “A more cohesive bedroom layout allowed for a much nicer view of the beautiful backyard.”

The homeowners loved the reveal. “The homeowners were outstanding through the whole process and knew what they wanted from the beginning,” says Lockhart. “One of the clients works in creative marketing, so she could see the end vision and understood the direction she wanted to take. The homeowners were incredibly excited in the end to see their thoroughly modern but warm home come to life – perfect for entertaining and family!”

Designer advice

When starting a renovation, it’s important to decide what you want to keep and work with those items throughout your renovation, advises designer Jane Lockhart. In the home renovation featured here, for example, the homeowners knew they wanted to keep their piano, fireplace mantle and woodburning insert.

“It’s important to be open to new ideas, too. A designer’s role is to provide a vision and, in the end, incorporate your ideas and theirs together,” she says. “Finally, it’s sometimes better to do it all as one renovation, as this completes the whole vision at one time, saving future hassles, increased costs and inertia in the long run.”