Wait until you see this Brantford Overhaul

Today we head to Brantford, Canada (home of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky) to see a home transformation by Rolanda Simone of Urbanus Interiors whose task was a bit different. Her clients had just inherited a large amount of antique and vintage 50’s style furniture, including cherished family collectables and dishes, and were completely lost at how to integrate that with their style. “While they could have used a few hundred more square feet to properly display the china, editing books, china and family memorabilia editing was clearly going to be a big part of my future!”

Kitchen Before

Rhonda’s initial focus was on the bones. The neutral and modest decor made it easy to visually remove all decorative elements to find structural details that could be enhanced.

Kitchen Close Up Before

The space needed a dose of personality and once they were sorted on color, form and style, they really didn’t need to leave home to start sourcing pieces to compliment and unify the end goal of sophisticated style.

Kitchen Close Up After

By swapping the counter for a Formica 180fx Calacatta Marble with square edge effect, not to upgrading the backsplash, some of the appliances and fixtures a more contemporary look was easily achieved without digging deep in the budget.

Kitchen After

Making spaces feel open was high on the client wishlist and was ultimately achieved through the use of very deliberate selection and placement of colour and materials, starting with the flooring. Of course having a family with 3 young children in the house made phasing floor demo and installation a whole other story … creative might be an understatement!

Eat In Kitchen After

Intertwining old and new is a reality these days (we don’t know one person throwing everything they own!) but “blending” his and hers, let alone era’s and styles is no easy feat! Notice the collectibles starting to be added in, like the circa 1950’s red leather sofa which adds purpose but playfulness at the kitchen table flanked by modern white end chairs. The juxtaposition of contemporary and vintage creates a playful yet sophisticated space.

Kitchen/Family Room After

The overall colour palette needed to be neutral enough to enhance and marry the various eras and styles of design but also to be bold enough to create a personal statement unique to the personality of the client. A palette of Benjamin Moore greys was selected; each shade ranged in tone and saturation, from the extreme lightness of Ice Fog in the hallway leading to the centre of the house to the darkness of the bold Notre Dame accent wall, they all complimented the other.

Hallway After

Tucked around the corner on the right is a large format linear veined Campogalliano Versus floor and wall tile with shading, resembling the softness of bianco carrara marble that was used throughout the main floor hallway, powder room and main floor sunken laundry room. It’s presence created visual openness, continuity and connected all the common areas on the main floor. By installing it to the full height of the wall it became a major design feature, and it’s polished finish facilitated a reflection of light making the transition from hallway to living space open and luxurious.

Family Room Before

The clients wanted to keep/repurpose as much of their furniture as possible. In the family room a new entertainment unit that spans almost the entire width on the room was top of the list to help reduce the focus from just large TV screen. The door and drawer faces are finished in a contemporary black brown laminate with grey graining and high gloss finish and provide ample storage for games and electronic equipment and a LED lit display areas add extra lighting.

Family Room After

While it took several months to have the entire home completely renovated, every room in the house was redesigned, some receiving new or repurposed furniture, accessories and art, new flooring, lighting and of course freshly painted walls.