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House tour: Colourful contemporary home

Charcoal grey exterior

The home's exterior features vertically positioned barnboard painted charcoal grey.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Colourful contemporary home

Entryway flowerbeds

Homeowner Marina Farrow came up with this pretty solution to stop her dogs from digging up the flowerbeds: an aluminum tub filled with a variety of perennials.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Colourful contemporary home

Comfortable living room

Proponents of fuss-free comfort, the couple designed the living room with real life in mind. The fireplace, a hotly in-demand spot for lounging in front of during the cold months, is fitted with a simple yet dramatic rusted-metal facade.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Colourful contemporary home

Firewood storage

The living room's firewood storage opens to an exterior shed so it can be loaded from the outside.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Colourful contemporary home

Kitchen design

Marina designed the kitchen's 18-foot-long Caesarstone-topped island with two levels and different seating options at each.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Colourful contemporary home

Extra seating

The slipcovered bench is on wheels and can easily slide into place at the dining table to accomodate extra guests.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Colourful contemporary home

Canary yellow appliances

The pizzazz of a canary yellow gas range energizes the kitchen with a jolt of colour against the warm tones of the grainy oak cabinetry.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Colourful contemporary home

A simple lifestyle

Before the home was finished, the couple was already envisioning a space that would reflect their lifestyle. "We like things simple, not over the top," says Marina. "We wouldn't be comfortable in a home where things have to be kept perfect."

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Colourful contemporary home

Dining area

The 10-foot-long dining table is on wheels, "so we can move it outside [through the glass bifold doors] for a dinner party or push it aside for one of our huge get-togethers," says Marina.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Colourful contemporary home

Bedroom decor

"I love to create new looks for our bed with colour and texture," says Marina. Her affinity for both is reinforced by the bench covered with an antique Turkish rug.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Colourful contemporary home

A vintage touch

"When Blake saw this vintage French poster at a store in New York City, he fell in love with 'the girl' and asked to bring her home wtih us," says Marina with a laugh. "In fact, the front entrance was designed to accomodate her." The rattan loveseat, a piece the couple's had for years, was painted cobalt blue to match the artwork.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Colourful contemporary home

Salt-water pool

The heated fibreglass salt-water pool is framed on one side by a row of apple Muskoka chairs. The vintage sign, an antiques market find, is a favourite item. "It makes the house feel relaxed and lived in, and I love decorating outside walls," says Marina.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Colourful contemporary home

Connecting old to new

A stone-clad hall links the new barn (in the foreground) to the renovated original building. Blake's ingenius plan was to gut and rebuild the original 1,300-square-foot structure as a modern barn with three bedrooms, a bathroom and a large living area for their sons an dlink it with a hallway to a new house for themselves and Olivia. "This set-up is perfect for the guys," says BLake. "They have their own space where they can hang with their buddies. When they're back at school, we close it off to save energy."

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

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House tour: Seaside chic style

Eccentric front hallway

A show-stopping antique bench brings an air of eccentricity to the front hallway. "This is one of the first pieces my husband and I bought after we were married," says Michele. "It's made of wood salvaged from a church organ and pew. Twenty-two years later, we still love it! Our dog, Oliver, often sleeps here during the day while waiting for us to come home."

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

Michele's favourite room

Michele's favourite place in the house, the living room, features a wood-burning fireplace flanked by custom built-in shelving. "This is a room for sitting, relaxing and reading, and there's usually one teenager and/or the dog sprawled on the sofa," she says. The sofa is fitted with a striped linen slipcover for easy cleaning. Drapes and accessories in subtle shades of blue feel like a fresh seaside breeze in the otherwise neutral space.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

Organic decor

A smooth organic pedestal bowl filled with pebbels subtly and elegant reference the outdoors.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

Rustic details

Rustic details can be found throughout the decor, such as a patinated gold initial, smoky glass vase, and pinecone sculpture.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

Fresh florals

Small bouquets of flowers are found in nearly every room, keeping each space looking fresh and light.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

Kitchen design

"The overall look of our kitchen is traditional Shaker style with an organic twist," says Michele. Brass hardware and walnut stools introduce warmth to offset the crisp white cabinetry and Carrara marble countertops.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

Coffee nook

Fitted with open shelves, the kitchen's coffee nook also acts as a sweet display area for everyday dishes and pretty sculptural pitchers. Its beadboard backing adds seaside-chic texture to the almost all-white vignette.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

Kitchen's eat-in area

Homeowners Michele and Leon Hatziioannou had the wooden table made for the kitchen's eat-in area about 20 years ago. "It's part of the family," says Michele. "It's the table at which our children have eaten since the day they were born."

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

Formal dining room

The dining room takes on a more formal air than the rest of the house with Michele's fearless mix of chrome and gold accents against bold geometric patterns on the wallpaper and drapery. Michele's favourite element here is the standout pendant light. "It's a gold-finished metal cage filled with hand-blown glass balls," she says." It's ridiculously heavy - we actually had to reinforce the ceiling to hang it."

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

Front porch

"We sit on the front porch as often as possible," says Michele. "It's the best spot to catch the late-afternoon sun." The black slate flooring strikes an elegant note when contrasted with the white Muskoka chairs that Michele loves for their flat, straight arms - "a perfect place to set your coffee or wine," she adds.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

Luxurious poolside lounging

The pool area features a custom pergola with deep bench seating for luxurious lounging. "It's basically the length of two twin mattresses, so it's a great place to read or take a nap," says Michele. A small white-painted wood patio set is a quaint spot for a quick poolside snack.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

Backyard seating area

The natural palette of the backyard's seating area was a necessity. "I would do white everything if I didn't have kids or a dog!" says Michele. Graphic toss cushions lift the nuetral tones, punching up the look.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

White palette

The crisp white colour palette throughout the house is carried right out the door onto the front porch, as well.

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

Top 5 secrets for bringing the indoors out

1 Go green: "Palms and ferns are great go-to pot fillers; they're inexpensive and make a seating area feel lush." 2 Open up: "We have a lot of doors leading out to the backyard. When we open them all, it feels like one large outdoor space." 3 Help yourself: "We built an indoor bar just inside the French doors that lead to the pool, so everyone can help themselves without venturing far indoors. The beer taps my husband installed there are a favourite among our friends." 4 Set the table: "I don't like using plastic glasses and dishes, so for outside I have a great set of white enamelled-tin dishes and Duralex glasses. They're real glass but won't break." 5 Get messy: "My husband has become an expert oyster shucker. But oyster shucking is kind of messy and definitely something you should do outside, so it has become one of our favourite backyard entertaining activities. It's easy and doesn't involve much prep work!"

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

House tour: Seaside chic style

Pet style

Oliver the Maltese dog poses for his close-up. Even he matches the white decor!

Image by: Style at Home By: Christy Wright Source: Robin Stubbert

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