Three Unique & Outstanding Homes

One of the many benefits of my job is of course the opportunity to see so many interesting properties. Everyone has their own personal sense of style and panache, if you will, and it is exciting to see the abundant number of creative ideas that there are. With home styling magazines such as Canadian House and Home, Style, Architectural Digest, Traditional Home and Veranda, to name a few, as well as all the great shows on home decor available, it is no wonder the creative juices are working in so many homes and many without the use of professional designers. In some cases this is not usually a positive but in the three recent cases I have seen it is extraordinary!

I have had the fortune over the last several weeks to see the homes of three good friends. Two are newly built homes in established neighbouhoods and one was a major renovation and addition to an older home in a well established hood in Ottawa.

All three are nothing short of spectacular. They are filled with luxurious options throughout and all three are completely different. One house on the water is a decidedly
Hollywood Regency design. I tell everyone that I am waiting for Candy Spelling to appear from the boudoir at any given moment. It is from a period in time when luxury and exaggeration were hand in hand. In this design the exaggerated forms come in ceiling height (12 feet instead of the traditional 9 or 10 feet), deep cove mouldings and base boards each with a minimum of 12 inches and are an exciting and dramatic feature, especially the dark brown stain on the dental moulding featured in the sunken family room. It compliments beautifully the dark wood toned flooring and gorgeous rich fabric draperies that are chocolate brown with navy and they frame the windows that look onto the expansive river front view beyond. This home is truly a one of a kind and although it sounds over the top it is actually quite subtle. It is obvious that a great deal of thought went into the design and the home owners were greatly assisted by none other than Andre Godin in the design of the home. The owner has collaborated on several projects with Andre and each one seems to out do the next. This owner knows exactly what she wants and spends all her free time in research about period in architecture, furnishings, fabrics and art. So each home that she has done has a very strong feeling of authenticity about it and it is just another side of her very creative self.

My other friends are just in the throws of completing their newest build in town and it truly reminds me of that house in the movie with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton called Something’s Gotta Give. You may recall that Diane Keaton had a spectacular beach house in Montauk in this movie. Everything was white in it but it had such pizzazz. So does this home. Quiet and understated but the scale is actually very big for a so called “small house”. Big wide hickory floor boards, complimented with high ceilings and very wide hallways along with large entrance ways, all which help give a perspective that the house is much bigger than it actually is. The colour scheme is soft using grays and white in both the floor tiles as well as the counter surfaces.

The third home I saw is a home that boasts an addition as well as a renovation of the second floor. It is a home that has always had the appearance of being one of the great homes in the neighbourhood. The curb appeal has always been very strong on this home. Not only because of the outstanding landscaping plan that was designed by one of the owners, but also by the handsome appeal of the architecture. One knows from the outset that you will be taken into a world of beautiful things, lovely design both inside and out. The hallmark of this home is in the details. They are quiet yet expressive, in both the details in the millwork and trim as well as in the doors, hardware and light fixtures. The garden features its own maze or knot garden and has quiet spots in which to relax and meditate.

The recent renovation has created simply beautiful and relaxing boudoirs and baths with such calming effects that one feels like they are resting in one of the finest hotels available. The master suite is the absolute piece-de-resistance. It is very large, sunken and has a very grand and high cathedral ceiling. The room is surrounded by windows yet the light is soft and relaxing. There is such a sense of peace in the room that you want to leap into the bed and sleep!

The fact is that all three of these families have so much of their own influence on the outcome of their projects and that is why despite the scale these homes are all warm, relaxing and inviting. They all feature state of the art equipment in every way. Yet they are all family homes.

I am in awe of what all three families created with a huge portion of it coming from within themselves.

It left me with the thought that we all have a personal style and ways to create a nest for ourselves and our family and if we put our minds and our wallets to it, anything is possible. Right?

Now I will start pouring through my design magazines and continue to watch my HGTV shows and wait to be inspired again!