I’ve been working on a big project that I’m excited to finally share with you! It’s a work in progress that began back in November.

This is the exterior of the home I’ve been working on in West LaHave, Nova Scotia. I took this photo early this year, thank goodness that snow is all gone now!

Over the past few months, I’ve been working away at designing a custom kitchen, and three custom bathrooms for this newly built home. I’ve also done some interior design work, including colour design and a furniture layout design. Like I said, a big, big project- and of course, I’m loving every minute!

For now, I’ll going to focus on the kitchen, and I’ll share more about the bathrooms and interior design in upcoming blog posts.

The homeowners are a wonderful couple from Ontario. They fell in love with the area while visiting friends who live in the beautiful coastal village of Lahave, Nova Scotia.

They decided to build their dream home on a scenic piece of waterfront land and chose Gillis & Company Timber Framing to design it, and create the stunning wood framing that you see in the photo above. The house was constructed by the skilled people of StoneHaven Builders.
After seeing the home in person, I knew I had to design a kitchen that really accented the beauty of the natural timber framing, and also incorporate elements that reflect the coastal landscape.

I chose a soft and natural colour palette of watery greys and blues. Penny round marble mosaic tile will create a feature wall behind the stove, and white subway tile will be used for the backsplash.

Here is a little before and after of one corner of the kitchen. More photos to come once the kitchen is complete!

The henhouse team hand built and finished the custom cabinetry. The lines are clean and simple, I really wanted to accentuate the strong architectural features of the space, and not compete with them.

The island is a really special piece. It’s a focal point, and I chose finishes that would make it stand out. The quartzite top is gorgeous, and was a last minute find that I fell in love with (more on that story later!).

 The peninsula was designed to look like a sideboard, and can be used for storage and display. It also helps to define the kitchen from the living area in this open concept space. The top is cherry, and we went with a slate paint colour to tie into the stone flooring the runs through parts of the main floor.

Things are still progressing with this project and I can’t wait to see it all come together. More posts about this dream home to come soon!

Happy Sunday! And extra happy because it’s also father’s day!

We have something special to share with you today…

Recently, we had the pleasure of revisiting a kitchen we created a couple of years ago in Amherst. It’s always such a treat for us to return and take a look at how the homeowners have settled into their new kitchen and made it their own. We love to see the personal touches they add after we have finished our work!

The homeowners have such a great style and they did an amazing job making their kitchen feel like home. One unique feature is their beautiful collection of coloured vintage glass. During the design phase, the couple told us they had been collecting these pieces, and wanted to work them into their new kitchen. We think the lit upper cabinets are a perfect way to show off  their collection.

The kitchen is fully equipped with spectacular luxury details, some of which include the spice drawer insert, a pop up Kitchenaid mixer, towel bars by the sink, and special storage for heavy pots under the stovetop.

Here are some more detail shots. Look at that stove and pot filler! Stunning! The island is a great spot to prepare food, and the bar seating on the other side allows for guests and family to gather and chat. A telephone desk outfitted with a chalkboard keeps this kitchen fun and organized!

The full henhouse treatment! These furnishings (including the chairs) are built by henhouse. The pine buffet and hutch looks great filled with the family’s service wares. We love the rustic painted legs on this harvest table; it fits right in.

An extra storage space lies beyond the unique door seen in the bottom right photo. Made from a re-finished vintage door, we painted and antiqued it, then had new caramel coloured glass installed.

Thanks so much to these customers for inviting us back. The kitchen is looking wonderful!