This handsome home sits in an historical neighbourhood. The grade- two semi-detached home was in some disrepair when architect Bruce Guthrie walked in. He was hired to design the interior space around the new open living and dining area.
“I was really inspired by the vintage nature of the house. The cedar shake roof was a major inspiration,” he says. “It would have been an early 40s dark colour.”
Inside the home. Photograph: Julia Haines
The industrial-chic design leads directly into the refurbished kitchen. “It’s a very traditional kitchen with an open floor plan. I love it, but I had heard so many horror stories,” Guthrie says. “It was in a really bad state and deteriorated. It was originally damaged by gun smoke in the middle of the night.”
The dining area. Photograph: Julia Haines
He sourced high-end art to further blend the new with the old. “It was really fun. I came up with many new ideas and then passed them on to [owner] Allison.” In the outdoor dining area in the back, he also composed custom pieces. “It’s a small house, so it’s super fun to design this.”
Some light filters into the kitchen through the stained-glass French doors, giving the room warmth and character. A section of the glass panel was left over from the owners’ original windows. They covered it with an antique metal table, donated by an architecture firm, to co-ordinate with the timber cedar blinds.
The family room. Photograph: Julia Haines
Guthrie planned some creative indoor space, too. “It had been poured concrete and straightened it with a computer. That’s what defined the kitchen area.” He added some huge slabs of slate, glazed with eco-friendly glass. “It’s the thickness of glass and there’s so much texture and character.”
The kitchen. Photograph: Julia Haines
In the family room, he did the same. “I still use a lot of old dark wood for the doors and the fireplace. The whole room has a very elegant, custom feel,” he says.
The living room. Photograph: Julia Haines