After a great summer break we are back in full swing with a number of fall projects in the works! Since we have so much on the go right now, we thought it would be fun to give you a sneak peek at a few of our works in progress. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to!

Lindola Place

 

We have been having lots of fun with this beautiful Halifax town house. Our client described it to us as having the same feel of the famous New York Brownstones. The house is elegant and stately, with a full bricked exterior, high ceilings, gorgeous tall windows and high-end finishes.

Our clients are a busy family in need of storage, furnishings, and lighting solutions for the main floor of the house. Having just completed interior renovations four years ago, we had the perfect backdrop to create a family friendly space with lots of personality.

Our clients have sophisticated taste and are world travellers with an eclectic sensibility, so we knew we could have a bit of fun with bold fabrics, furnishings and accessories that were playful but with sophisticated bones.

We started out by designing storage solutions for the living and dining rooms. The built ins in the living area designate a space for the client’s piano, book collection and existing artwork. In the dining area, the built ins help to balance out the space, and add architectural interest and of course lots of storage!

In the images above, you can see the living area coming together, and our plans for the kitchen/ dining area.  We are waiting for a few more items to be delivered and are looking forward to showing you the completed project very soon!

Oakland Street Project

This is a custom kitchen renovation that will be underway this fall/ winter. We have just completed the design phase, and came up with a plan to refresh the space with new custom cabinetry, countertops, lighting and finishes.

The images below are digital renderings of our design.

The look is updated classic with soft grey and off-white painted cabinetry, and brass hardware and fixtures. The countertops will be dark grey quartz with black faucets to add weight and presence. We can’t wait to get started!

South End Refresh

We are just getting started on this small refresh in Halifax. The client wants to update her great room and add the the finishing touches to the dining area. We will be working with some of her existing furniture and lighting and brining in some new more modern fixtures. We are also working on a fabric scheme for curtains, toss cushions and upholstery.

We’ve come up with a fun concept for the kitchen area lighting. The nickel pendants and spherical fixture above are existing fixtures that we are keeping. The two new fixtures will go over the island and in the living area. We found these simple and casual bar stools for the kitchen, a new faucet and other accessories to freshen things up.

River John Project

This is a big, big project that we started early this summer. Our client has an incredible summer home in River John, Nova Scotia that needs furnishings throughout the interior and exterior spaces. With approximately 5000 square feet of space to cover, we decided it was best to get a second designer on board! We are so happy to team up with local designer Nancie Theakston Phipps who’s cottage style is truly impeccable.
To make things more manageable we broke this project down into two stages – the main floor / outdoor porch areas and the upstairs bedrooms. We started by creating furniture layout plans, then created a list of the items needed. We sourced the major pieces first, then checked the scale of the items by taping them out on-site. This gave us a good idea of the sizes and the flow of each space.
The images above are most of the pieces we have sourced for the great room which includes the living room, dining room, casual dining area and kitchen. We also created a plan for the front and side porch with outdoor seating and dining  areas. 

We are nearing the end of phase one, and just about everything is ready to be shipped to River John in one big load! Nancie and I will join in on the fun of putting everything into place. Stay tuned for the photos!

Bessie North Project

The last project we want to share is something a little different! This fall, we were contacted by local chef Dave Smart to create and execute a design concept for a twelve seat intimate dining experience in an old farmhouse just outside of Canning, Nova Scotia. The restaurant space is an extension off Dave’s home, with accommodations above for overnight airbnb guests.

Dave and his wife Susan want a cosy space that feels simple yet enveloping. We took our cues from the mountains and fields that surround the property. We will use deep rich colours for the walls and trim and furnish the space with vintage art, rich wood patina, kilim carpets and period lighting. 

One of the most charming and unique aspects of this dining experience is that the food is cooked by the homeowner, so it’s important for Dave and Susan to be able to interact with their guests. The kitchen is partially open to the dining rooms and we felt it made sense for it to feel like an extension of a home but also a professional space.

You can follow along with their already steady business on instagram @chefdavesmart and Facebook at Bessie North House

We will be wrapping up most of these projects this fall & winter and we will be sure to share the final results with you!

What a Summer it has been so far! The Henhouse team has taken on some incredible projects this season. We’re about to take our annual summer retreat to our family cottage in Ontario, but before we go we wanted to share some enticing photos of a few projects we have on the go!

We are thrilled to be working with local builders MRB Contracting on a few upcoming projects. We are big fans of their work, and it’s fun for us to have a chance to design for a more contemporary and clean aesthetic.

This is MRB’s Starboard project, a new residential build that’s currently in progress in Halifax. MRB contacted us to take on several aspects of the interior including flooring, finishes and wall treatments, as well as plumbing and millwork.

The design is simple, with a clean and minimal look that is softened by the white wood floors and natural wood accents. The main level has an open concept, multifunctional space that will serve as a cooking, dining, work and leisure area.

The images above are digital renderings, and we can’t wait to see the finished result this Fall!

The second home we have in the works is MRB’s Harvard Street build. This is another home in Halifax that will be nearing completion this Fall. If you know anything about MRB’s work, you know that they go the extra mile (and then another extra mile!) to create homes that are high quality, unique and beautiful. The front exterior of this home is covered in 1000 cedar boards, screwed in with over 7000 screws!

For this home, we have designed a cozy and modern kitchen space. It’s sleek and simple with walnut accents that add lots of warmth and texture. There have been a few tweaks to the design you see above, but overall these digital renderings give us an a great visual for what’s to come!

This project is farther afield in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. For these clients, Henhouse worked out the the complete kitchen and great room designs, and sourced finishes, lighting and hardware. Our clients chose to use local contractors and a cabinetmaker in their area. This is a great option for anyone who already has existing relationships with tradespeople nearby. Henhouse is always happy to bring our team on board, but if you have people that you know and trust to work with, we are more than happy to work with them too.

We are just wrapping up the design phase for this project. Above, you can see some of our preparatory work, and a digital rendering of the kitchen. The home is in a newer subdivision and our goal is to add more personality and architectural interest. The chevron backsplash and funky scones are details that will help inject character in the kitchen area, and we’ve worked out a feature wall for the great room that we can’t wait to show you!

And last but not least, we have a kitchen in Moncton, New Brunswick that is currently underway. Like the New Glasgow project, this is another case of personalizing a builder-basic space. Many newer builds lack character and the finishing details that make an interior feel special. The good news is that we get a blank canvas to work with and we can create a space that suits the homeowner’s needs and tastes.

For this kitchen we knocked down the walls to create a larger and more open family space. We went with a shaker style design for the cabinetry and chose earthy greens for the lowers and white for the uppers. It’s a fresh and family friendly design, with lots of workspace and storage. Above you can see some of the renderings, and below are a few photos of the kitchen in progress.

It has been a busy season for us here at Henhouse and we’re so grateful for all our our new clients and collaborators! We are taking a short break for the month of August and we’ll return in September refreshed and ready to dig back into to all of these exciting projects! Have a great summer!

We have exciting news! With the help of a very talented draftsperson, Henhouse now offers 3D rendered models for custom kitchens. With 3D rendering technology we can show our clients what the final result will look like right down to the last detail. Everything in the rendering is exact to what we source for the project.

We love being able to show our clients such a detailed and beautiful representation of what their new kitchen will look like! It’s exciting and a great way to work through the design process.

We are currently working on a custom kitchen and had the opportunity to use this new technique. Located in the beautiful South Shore of Nova Scotia, this charming home by the sea was ready for a kitchen update.

Here’s a look at a 3D rendering of our kitchen design.

Can you believe these are computer graphics?! We were blown away when we saw these, and our client was thrilled!

The gorgeous limestone floors are original to the home, and we are in the process of refinishing floors in other parts of the house to create a more unified look. We have some beautiful greys and walnut colours in the works for the other flooring that will offer an elegant but laid back feeling.

The look is a mix of high-end /polished and beachy casual. We went with quartzite countertops, and polished nickel hardware and fixtures, and paired that with cabinetry that offers a softer, beach house feel. We chose soft and airy colours that will keep this space feeling bright and fresh.

Here’s a few photos of the job site this week – things are coming along!

This project is well underway and we can’t wait to share final results with you! You can tell us what you think about our 3D renderings or ask us any questions over on our Facebook Page! We love to hear from our readers.

Stay tuned for updates on this project and on our other work by subscribing here!

It’s turning out to be a busy Spring and Summer at Henhouse! We are grateful to be working on many exciting projects right now and we will have lots to share with you in the coming months. If you’d like to follow along, you can find us on Instagram or Facebook, and subscribe to our monthly newsletter!

We’re currently starting work on a home that has traditional bones combined with more modern finishes. Our task is to honour the beautiful existing character, and inject some personality and modern flair. We love mixing old and new – not only is it practical, but by layering different styles, textures, colours and patterns we can create a rich and more personal look.

This approach to decorating is useful for all types of homes. Whether you live in an older build or a new build you can add character by using what you have and mixing in different elements and details to create a fresh look.

Mixing sleek and smooth with rustic and rough textures works beautifully in this contemporary space. The space itself has sleek lines, no frills, and modern finishes. A few of the furnishings and decor items tie right into the modern style of the home, like the sofa, the artwork and the beautiful stone and metal coffee table. In contrast, other pieces are more primitive and add texture and colour – the carved wood stools, and the killim rug. The hint of mid century mod, and geometric details that we see in the lighting, dining chairs, and the toss cushions tie it all together.

This living space has a great mix of texture, pattern, colour, and surface finishes. We are loving the funky gallery wall. Hanging artwork in this way is definitely a throwback, but the way it’s spaced out, the simple frames, and the mishmash of contemporary art offers a casual and playful feeling. This is a great way to bring a touch of tradition into a modern space, and add colour and interest to a focal area. The colourful and mixed pattern toss cushions tie in with the gallery wall and inject a pop of colour into an otherwise neutral backdrop.

Mixing a bright or unexpected colour in with traditional pieces is a great way update a space. This can be as simple as changing up the toss cushions, reupholstering an old armchair, or adding a new rug or ottoman. The key is to tie the colours in with other pieces, or use complimentary colours to what you already have.

In the photo on the left, splashes of pink breathe new life to the traditional style furnishings and create a sense of play. On the bottom right, contrasting orange and blue look cozy and fresh against a neutral backdrop. On the top right, a mix of modern, colourful fabrics tie in with the vintage artwork above.

The best part about mixing and matching is just playing around with what you have and rethinking the details of your decor! Don’t be afraid to bring in something different and consider starting small. A few new toss cushions, or a new artwork can become the springboard for a fresh new look!