Posts Tagged kitchen

We’re Nuts for Walnut!

Can you believe it’s October already?! We’ve been busy bees here at the shop; getting ready for Christmas, stocking up on antique treasures, and as always we’ve been working away on a variety of custom pieces.

Lately we’ve had a lot of requests for pieces built in walnut. Walnut is a great choice for furniture or cabinetry because it’s very durable and has an attractive grain. With proper care, walnut pieces can last many lifetimes.

This entertainment armoire is made of a birch surround with plywood walnut doors (we always always trim our plywood with real solid wood for longevity). The birch is painted a creamy white, the doors were left natural and have been treated with oil. This piece really showcases the beauty of walnut. The simple contemporary lines draw attention to the textures and colour of the natural wood doors and drawers. To keep with the linear and contemporary feel of the design, the vertical wood grain of the doors continues into the drawers.

Because of its durability, walnut is a great choice for any high-usage piece of furniture. We made this custom walnut island and gave it a dark walnut coloured stain. The perimeter of the surface has been embellished with a subtle hand-painted design.

Down below there is a slatted shelf for open storage and “hidden” drawers just underneath the top surface for place-mats and napkins. In collaboration with our customer, the legs were reproduced from an antique newel post, and were hand-turned on a lathe by our amazing woodworker. We feel this design and choice of rich wood perfectly suit the William Morris aesthetic of this Halifax kitchen. What do you think?

Kentville Kitchen

Recently, we had the pleasure of working with the young couple who own this beautiful home in Kentville N.S. The house is a charmer- built in the late 1800’s, it is filled with character! We love the look and feel of older homes, but often they need some updating. In this case it was the awkward and dark 70’s kitchen remodel that needed to be completely gutted. As always, henhouse was up to the challenge!

click on any of the images to see them in full-size

A challenge indeed! Before the reno the kitchen had very limited storage and work space, not a lot of natural light, and it had five doorways and two large windows to reckon with. Our designer Sappho worked with the family to come up with some great storage solutions, lighting and colour schemes and a flooring option that would blend in well with the history of this house.

To provide more light, flow and to modernize the space, the wall between the kitchen and dining room was removed. The custom henhouse peninsula helps to define the kitchen from the dining space and adds storage and seating. Having the microwave tucked into the lower cabinetry frees up counter space and looks clean and contemporary. The apron sink from Nova Tile and glass hutch from henhouse add touches of the past and speak to the character of the house.


To create more storage, Sappho created a tall pantry unit and placed it where the old stove once lived. A window and a doorway were closed up to accommodate the new placement of the fridge, stove, and surrounding cabinetry.

The door that you see in the before photo was covering up a cute little staircase that leads to the second floor. The doorway was opened up in order to showcase this unique historical feature. The desk space remained tucked away in this perfect little nook in front of the window.

The island was created from the family’s old dining table. The henhouse team added shelves and castors and re-finished it at the shop. It’s now a moveable work surface and storage area with loads of character and history.

This kitchen is a great success. It’s now a fresh, family space that is functional and fits in with the 19th century home. We wish this happy Kentville family many years of joy in their beautiful home!

Hi! It’s September already, can you believe it?! I sure can’t.


Today we’re sharing some photos sent in by one of our customers. We don’t always get to see things in situ, so it’s really exciting for us to receive photos! There’s a really big difference between seeing a piece in the store or in the workshop and seeing it in someone’s home.


This customer needed a dining table, chairs, and stools for her beautiful summer home on the Northumberland Strait.






Above is an 11ft (!) Harvest Table from our Oxford Collection. This piece was built with a cherry tabletop and a birch base that has been hand-painted and antiqued. The clean and simple lines make reference to Shaker style furniture. The ladder back chairs, from our supplier in Toronto, are a perfect match and are available through henhouse.








These stools were ordered though henhouse and work really well as seating at the island. They carry elements of Shaker style and help to tie the eating area to the kitchen workspace.








Here are some elegant swivel stools from the same supplier. They look great and they’re really comfy too!


Thank you S for sending in these photos 🙂


If you have furniture or decor items from henhouse take a photo and share it on our facebook page! We’d love to see how you made our products a part of your home!


Enjoy the rest of the week!





THE CUSTOM DETAILS….

Its all in the details isn’t it?! Above and below, custom inserts for cutlery and spices, garbage and recycling and a concealed dishwasher panel next to the sink.