As many of you Haligonians know, henhouse closed the doors to its retail shop just over a year ago. Wow, time flies! And just like we said back then, it wasn’t the end of henhouse, and our “doors” were not closing forever. Henhouse continued, and over the past year we have taken on many new kitchen projects and furniture orders. Most recently, I have been branching out into interior consultation and implementation – just another fancy word for decorating!
So, despite the retail shop closure, henhouse is very much alive and well, and has been evolving and changing in ways big and small (just as it always has!).
Let me catch you up a bit…
After our shop closed, Denise and I decided to part ways as business partners. She was ready to move on and re-discover some of her passions that she had put on hold while we ran the shop together for 11 years. I took some time to be with my family and my new baby, Arlo. During this time I also contemplated what my next chapter would be with henhouse. I knew I wanted to keep it alive, but with all these big changes, I had to figure out how.
After lots of scratching of my head, and running around in circles, and really just sitting and thinking about it, I finally got it! I thought very carefully about who I am, what type of lifestyle I wanted, what my unique skills and passions are and I realized that what I have been doing all along with henhouse is who I am, and those skills are unique to me. Most importantly, I recognized that my passion for what I do is still alight!
All was not resting and contemplating though, we were busy during this year creating three personalized and unique kitchens. One of them on the Aspotogan Peninsula for Tara and Justin (seen in this month’s Halifax Homes issue, photo above) in their amazingly re-loved Lunenburg bump home. The second kitchen we completed is right here in Bedford, in an old 1800’s home (see photo below).
The third one, still to be photographed, is our henhouse showroom kitchen from our old storefront! Stay tuned for photos; see for yourself the interesting changes we made to re-fit the kitchen into its new home.
You can see more photos of this kitchen here!
Henhouse furniture will be featured at Bellissimo!
I’m so excited to announce that this May, Bellissimo will showcase henhouse’s furniture in their beautiful Agricola St. shop! Bellissimo stocks a wonderful selection of fabric, home furnishing and decor, and will be a great fit for henhouse. Orders for henhouse furniture will be welcomed there and also through me via this website. You are welcome to shop in Bellissimo and view my in store catalogue, furniture and samples or if you prefer, I can come to you!
A re-energized furniture collection and new online catalog!
I have always wanted to make our catalog more accessible to our customers, and now it finally is! You can now see all of the newly re-designed furniture collection, colour samples, and prices from the comfort of your own home!
Click here and follow the links to take a look.
The new collection contains everything from beds to dressers, to tables and chairs and everything in between! This line is built from solid birch, and it has a relaxed, yet elegant vibe. The quality and craftsmanship is still of the same high standards as it has always been, and is all built and finished by hand here in Nova Scotia.
A New website!
I hope you enjoy the new look and easier navigation of this new site. A big thanks to Michael Egan for all of his guidance and patience in building the website and catalog. And thanks to Michael’s lovely wife Alyssa Chapeskie, who has been with henhouse for a number of years. She helped out with this new look, and continues to be sounding board on the writing side of things for the henhouse blog and newsletter.
And I couldn’t do any of this without my skilled team!
Joe Gallant and I have been working together for over 9 years and he is responsible for the craftsmanship of the kitchens you see on this website and on my Houzz profile. Together we are a strong team and can take a project through from design, to construction or renovation, right to a fully decorated space! We are not limited to kitchens either, so if you have a space that doesn’t work for you and you need help figuring out how to make it right, we are here to help! Just get in touch!
Stephen Mosher is the man who has been putting up with me (and I with him!) for the past 12 years building all the furniture creations that I imagine. He has always been somewhat amused that I take his carefully completed wood pieces and beat them up and paint them. But, through the years he has realized that this is just value added and that the more hands that touch a piece of furniture, the better it can be. We are both looking forward to continuing building both custom and standard furniture for Halifax and beyond.
All in all, it takes a great team to build a business and to offer you our quality products and services. We are looking forward to this new chapter with henhouse and connecting with our customers both past, present and future.
Warmly,
Sappho