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This Halifax Home Blends One Couple's Different Design Styles
Photography by Carolina Andrade
House Tours
This Halifax Home Blends One Couple's Different Design Styles
Designer Natalie Owens brings a couple’s different aesthetic ideals into harmony in a design revamp of their family’s Halifax home.
When designer Natalie Owens first met with the owners of this West Halifax home, they’d been living in a construction zone for a year. The couple, busy professionals with two children, had embarked on an ambitious addition to the house they’d lived in for six years and they were eager to reach the finish line. “Interestingly, a deep dive uncovering how they live, as well as their aesthetic preferences, hadn’t been broached yet,” says Natalie. She soon realized that he leaned toward traditional while she was more partial to transitional contemporary style.
Undaunted, Natalie was inspired by the push and pull between their aesthetics and set out to ensure the home – with its good bones, flow and impressive modern architecture – reflected the young, fun, colourful personalities of the family. Says Natalie, “Gone are the days where the home has to feel like it’s designed from one defined aesthetic as you move from room to room.”
DESIGN, Natalie Owens (principal designer), Erin McKinnon (junior designer), Stil James. MILLWORK, Beaumont Bespoke Kitchens & Cabinetry. WALL PAINT, Sea Pearl OC-19, Benjamin Moore. Zellige BACKSPLASH TILES, Geon Tile. PENDANTS, Hudson Valley Lighting Group. BARSTOOLS, Attica Furnish- ings. Eileen Murray ART, The Prow Gallery. COUNTERTOPS, Living Stone.
White oak panels add architectural interest to the 12-foot ceiling in the kitchen, while leathered quartzite countertops provide contrast, creating a sleek yet earthy feel. “The kitchen island was stained warm black to bring further contrast to all of the natural woods and creamy tile,” says designer Natalie Owens, who adds that lighting was also key to achieving the relaxed aesthetic. “We worked hard to combat using pot lights, to make way for interesting fixtures like these two brass butterfly lights.”
PAINT, Sea Pearl 961 (kitchen cabinetry), Narragansett Green HC-157 (pantry cabinetry), Benjamin Moore. HARDWARE, Emtek.
Design features like the zellige tiles add a tactile quality and warmth within the minimalist modern frame of the kitchen and adjoining pantry. Balancing light with dark and traditional with contemporary achieves a compelling contrast.
DRAPES, McEvoy Custom Blinds. Four Seasons SWIVEL CHAIRS, Dockyard by Thornbloom.
Comfortable, durable furniture like slipcovered swivel chairs cater to adult get-togethers and everyday use by two young children. The Sunbrella fabric slipcovers are stain resistant and won’t fade from all the sunlight that pours in through the patio doors and windows. Says Natalie, “You can pull them off, toss them in the wash and they’re as good as new.”
“It’s important to ensure the final outcome of an addition doesn’t feel like a new-build. Layers are so important. We brought back that coziness and personalization.”
TABLE, Red Beard Rustics. BANQUETTE FABRIC, Kravet.
Colourful artwork by local artist Eileen Murray and a rich rust-coloured banquette enliven the breakfast nook. The back fabric is velvet and the seat is a durable tweed-like material. “It’s a really rich rust orange with neon pink running through the threads,” says Natalie. “It’s such a fun space that feels so luxe and tailored to the kitchen; without the colour, the space would feel too neutral and void of what we call a great kick to the pants!”
Four Seasons SECTIONAL, ACCESSORIES, Dockyard by Thornbloom. RUG, Surya. COFFEE TABLE, SIDE TABLE, Four Hands. LIGHTING, Hudson Valley Lighting Group. WINDOW TREAT- MENTS, McEvoy Custom Blinds. STONE FIREPLACE, Living Stone.
The great room is designed for everyone, whether it’s playtime
for the kids or lounge time for friends and family over to watch the game – there’s a Frame TV over the fireplace. Comfort and function are foremost in this go-to fun and entertainment area. The light-coloured wool rug anchors the space and adds texture and warmth, while a curvaceous organic coffee table contrasts the strong angles of the stone fireplace.
“To offset the monochromatic look typically found in modern minimalist interiors, we used a different wood tone on the bookshelves to add warmth and create visual interest.”
BED, Crate and Barrel. RUG, Loloi Rugs. SOFA, Four Hands. FLUTED TILE (fireplace), Dominion Tile. Sobo Artz ART, The Prow Gallery.
In the primary bedroom, calm, contemporary design presides. A double-sided fireplace separates the sleep zone from a cozy seating area that’s ideal for taking work calls in privacy or indulging in a quiet time away from the common areas in the home.
BED, Crate and Barrel. RUG, Loloi Rugs. SOFA, Four Hands. FLUTED TILE (fireplace), Dominion Tile. Sobo Artz ART, The Prow Gallery.
Originally designed as a floating fireplace, the entire structure now extends upward to the vaulted 14-foot ceiling. As a focal point, it was important the fireplace didn’t overwhelm the room. To that end, large-format fluted tiles were installed only part of the way up; the rest was clad in drywall. The tile choice also nods to the downstairs fluted fireplace millwork.
SHOWER TILE, Centura. Fornasetti’s Bastoni WALLPAPER (water closet), Kravet.
A mix of creams and natural wood tones keeps the look bright and soothing in the ensuite, but Natalie added a fun wallcovering in the water closet for a polished designer finish. The long horizontal niche in the shower is convenient and contrasts the verticality of the stacked subway tile; penny tile on the shower floor is a classic touch.
CABINETRY, Beaumont Bespoke Kitchens & Cabinetry. FLOOR TILES, Centura.
The mudroom, with its traditional black-and-white checkered floor, felt like the right space to lean more traditional,” says Natalie. The classic pattern graces the powder room and laundry room, too, unifying the three separate spaces. Closed cabinetry is a boon for storage. Says Natalie, “It’s our favourite hiding space for all the usual family coat clutter.”
CABINETRY, Beaumont Bespoke Kitchens & Cabinetry. FLOOR TILES, Centura.
The powder room, off the mudroom, has an initial cool, modern feeling with the textured matte black tile,” says Natalie. “It’s balanced with this fun wallpaper with sea animals riding waves, giving it an ethereal moment.” With the ocean only a 20-minute drive away, the nautical theme is apropos.
WALL TILE, Céragrès. Cole & Son’s Melville WALLPAPER, Kravet.
“The powder room was a space that needed to feel like a young family lived there.”
PAINT, Knoxville Gray HC-160 (walls), Templeton Gray HC-161 (ceiling, trim), Benjamin Moore. ANTIQUE TABLE AND CHAIR, Four Hands. LAMP, Mitzi.
The office is the most masculine, classic space in the home, appealing to his taste for traditional. It’s right near the front entry, but the owners wanted to tuck it out of view, so the architect, David Bourque, suggested doors that, when closed, mimic the hallway’s closet doors and make the entry to the office seem to disappear.
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