Jade

I couldn’t help myself from calling this one our little gem. Not very big square footage wise but it had great “bones” and we jam packed it with a lot of comforting style. The outside got a lot of attention. We brought in an arborist to assess the trees and it was decided that the large diseased tree in the front had to go. That was sad but we substituted a lilac in its place that will look amazing in time. The house needed a LOT of cleaning. We designed and built the new iron and wood railing, stained it to match the existing trim then stained the deck and stairs and painted the front door black. I love the black handset against it that gave it a more contemporary look. We chose some tall grasses and flowers in the front bed in yellow, orange and pink colourations that will give it a lively fun personality. The back yard just needed a lot more cleaning and reworking of the pavers and then we added the great lounge spot under the covered gazebo. This was a large expense but knew it would go a long way to enhance the property. We completed the space with string lights and a cozy fire pit that made it the perfect hang out.

Stepping inside, you first noticed the brightness of the room and the large wall going down the stairs that begged for a grand painting. This room along with most of the upstairs is painted a very light grey that ties in well with the grey floors that were already there. We stained the railing black which actually deemphasized it by making it cohesive with the existing spindles. The kitchen was already laid out well and had solid wood cupboards. They needed a ton of work that just about killed us but I knew it would be worth the effort in the end. We had a lot of discussion over wether or not to change the counter tops but they were a great colour and in perfect condition so all we did was use a grey stain on the dated wood edge to update them. We put new clear glass in the cabinet doors, a new sink, faucet, cabinet pulls and curtains. The light in the kitchen was existing but it got a little makeover. I love doing that to save money when I can.

The primary bedroom needed some personality so we added the shiplap feature wall. The ensuite was poorly designed so we reworked the plumping in there to make it way more functional. We were able to keep the shower unit but replaced the flooring and all the fixtures. I decided that because we couldn’t make it bigger, it was going to have to be dang pretty to make up for that! The gold framed mirror adds a bit of elegance and the light fixture combines the mat black with a touch of gold there too. On the windows, I used an inexpensive tension rod, bought two floral terry hand towels and attached them with simple clips. I love this look! 

The basement was a blank canvas. A dirty, odd canvas mind you but we knew it had great potential. The vision was just to clean it up and give it a little personality so that potential buyers could see it being used in various ways. We also wanted to make it more functional by adding the half bath. The vanity is reclaimed from the original ensuite. We painted out the brick and reinstalled the wood stove. We finished the ceiling out with the whitewashed beams and added some great wall sconces. The flooring was a great find as it is vinyl plank and almost a perfect match to was was already down the stairs. The wall coming down the stairs is a custom shiplap that Rick built. It is whitewashed to match the beams and just added a nice textural warmth to the room. Did you notice the hidden door? Sometimes you just have to embrace the quirky hand you are dealt. The office downstairs had a secret bookcase door. We painted it out, styled it and it actually became a huge feature to the home!