This project was primarily about negotiating. We rebuilt a key piece in a neighbourhood that had sadly fallen into serious disrepair. A corner house that had been lovingly, although misguidedly, renovated by the previous owner, for what appeared to be many decades and many times over. It was about negotiating a farmhouse upbringing and an appreciation of Victorian architecture mixed with a sophisticated sense of the modern.

    The house once served as the general store for the neighbourhood and stands opposite a 150 year old church. In this context the modern addition and renovation needed to be cohesive in nature rather than a more common juxtaposition.

    Key to the process was the owner's ability to think beyond the conventional and envision a mixture of styles. A wide porch in front of a modern kitchen leads to a modern wall/canvas which frames the fireplace hearth and heart of the home. This canvas also separates the public from the private and with the stairs behind leading up to a generous opening which terminates in the attic. Most would consider this to be lost real estate, but these owners came to realize that this gesture would make their house more cohesive by allowing the fireplace chimney to travel unhindered through the house and out the roof which binds the house together.

BEFORE:

AFTER: