A Halifax home is treated to a playful, even joyful, mix of hues for a harmonious whole that makes everyone happy.
 

Her tastes tend toward the quirky. His are more traditional. But there’s one thing they both love – things that make them smile – so there are plenty of those moments in their four-bedroom, 1920s Halifax home that’s recently been reimagined by Henhouse Interiors. “Their folk-art collection was a real key that they weren’t afraid of fun and colour,” says lead designer Sappho Griffin, adding that the couple, who have two young children, were ready for a more grown-up home. Sappho and lead decorator Beth Hitchcock crafted rooms wrapped in colour and filled with cozy contemporary furniture and vintage treasures. It’s a welcoming home base. “Our vision ties together their two personalities and really speaks to who they are,” Sappho says. The end result suits everyone’s tastes.

The redesigned rooms brim with a palette of off-primaries, “dirtied down” versions of the colour-wheel heavyweights. “They’re happy and daring but not too saturated, so they feel more livable,” says designer Sappho Griffin. In the living room, a bold wool rug by Silvana Azzi Heras (one of the designers behind Baz Luhrmann’s dazzling movie sets) pulls together the green and blue palette. Plush upholstery – emerald velvet and sapphire bouclé – is cozy and forgiving in a home with young kids. 

Sappho (shown right) worked on the home with decorator Beth Hitchcock, who paired handsome new keynote pieces, like the sofa and armchairs, with layers of charismatic paintings and playful accents, like the mod sconce beside the fireplace. Preloved treasures, from the big wood coffee table to the shapely midcentury pottery and old cloth-bound books, give the spaces pedigree.

The kitchen’s charm- ing walnut range hood, drawers and butcher block pop against the quiet white cabinets and quartz counters. “The tile behind the hood is the bold moment here,” Sappho says. Otherwise, she kept this central space relatively low-key. “It needed to be clean; they spend all their time here,” she says. “It’s a real work- horse of a space.” Running the tile inside the breakfast bar cabinetry feels both playful and polished. 

The jewel-box dining room, with its cobalt wainscot- ting and lush mix of patterns, is a captivating place to settle in with guests. The wall in the foreground was the only spot where Sappho tweaked the reno plans drawn up by architect Dalton Kaun, who worked with the owners to enhance the home’s layout and flow. Sappho suggested nudging out the wall to ensure enough space for the heirloom dining set, while also installing double-sided glass-door millwork to open up views and provide display space for their Nova Scotian crystal.

Bathed in natural light, the easygoing family room – formerly a granny suite – is defined by its rosy bookshelves, which feature large in the sightline from the adjoining kitchen. “We didn’t want to go too bright, so used a toned-down persimmon rather than orange,” says Sappho. “And we mixed in soft blues with the navies, to touch on his traditional side.” Throughout the house, original maple wood floors were refinished in a paler blond tone.

It took a long time to find, but the powder room’s moody flora-and-fauna wall- paper ticks a lot of boxes. The homeowners love the birds that perch among the vines and blooms, which have a naive folk-art feel. The red blooms riff on the persimmon vanity colour (inspired by the bookshelves in the adjoining family room), and the paper’s blue grey background picks up on the stair rail colour in the living room.

Deep teal walls infuse the primary bed- room with serenity, and an array of patterns in different scales adds sophistication. Unexpected accents like the angular sconce and dusky maritime painting make the rooms upstairs – like those on the main floor – feel homey and intriguing. “We layered in vintage items and a mix of contemporary and vintage art throughout to inject some patina and soul,” Sappho says. A tufted bench gives the footboard-less bed a polished look.

In the newly created ensuite, a big soaker tub and glass-and-marble shower with rain showerhead set a luxe tone. The reeded details on the vanity are fashion forward, and they also jibe with Sappho’s starting point of a vintage Floridian vibe for the home. “We kept the shapes in all the millwork classic to tie in with the home’s 1920s Shingle-style heritage,” she says.

Wrapped in sylvan pattern, the kids’ bathroom feels like being in a tree house. “We wanted it to be really fun,” Sappho says. Wood- toned vanities are the road less travelled these days, but Sappho swears by the warmth they bring to a room. “This honey brown colour works with both darker and lighter tones,” she says. “And it’s hard wearing – you don’t see marks on them like you do on white vanities.” The sweet paint-by- number boating scenes were found at a flea market. 

With its verdant hue, striking flooring and playful wicker accents, the new mudroom addition feels like a preppy throwback. “I’ve always loved Mirth Studio’s tile. This pattern has that Floridian granny-chic look, and a great lattice feel, with a little bit of mint green,” says Sappho. Outfitted with double hooks, each cubby can house multiple coats and bags. The galley-style space also doubles as the laundry room, with a washer and dryer installed opposite the cubbies.

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