AN OFFICE BY THE SEA

As a number of you have heard, we completed a very special project this past year near Peggy's Cove. After finishing this summer home's kitchen, four bathrooms, main floor built-ins, and stairwell we tackled the clients "Man Cave". In an outbuilding just steps away from the main house sits this charming dwelling nestled into the granite rocks. Our job was to design and build an office concealing technology as much as possible yet have it fully accessible. Once in place we were to give it the full Henhouse treatment - nothing was to look too new or too polished. No problem we said! Using the blues of the ocean as our inspiration and drawing from the gorgeous stone floors on the main level, we painted and antiqued and distressed for weeks. With us gone now the room will be filled up with comfortable chairs, folk art, gorgeous hooked mats made by our client and all the latest technology all tucked away so they can fully appreciate the bold ocean views out their windows.

THE SOUTH SHORE SERIES (part 6)

Seaside bathroom bliss! Beautiful custom finish on a claw foot tub and antique bureau, converted into a bathroom vanity.

SOUTH SHORE SERIES (part 5)

Another exciting and dreamy project from the South Shore series! After being asked to create a custom floor in one of the bedrooms, once again we looked to the sea for inspiration. Drawing from previously used paint colours in the home, we designed a pattern based loosely around a compass rose and then went to town on the floor! Layer after layer of distressing, paint and glaze resulted in this breathtaking and unique floor feature, yet another stunning component to this elegant seaside home.

THE SOUTH SHORE SERIES (part 4)

After designing, building and finishing the spectacular South Shore kitchen, we were eager to get to work on more exciting and creative projects in this dazzling home. Besides creating brand new pieces of furniture from scratch we also specialize in finding and refinishing antique pieces. We were more than pleased to share with the home owners our zeal for previously used furniture. This antique baking table from Eastern Europe is one of our favorite finds and ended up being the perfect height for a sofa table! The vanity is also a great example of furniture re-conceptualized for new use. Originally the homeowner's antique bureau, we breathed new life into the piece by finishing it in our signature 'henhouse' red and outfitting it with clean white porcelain features, transforming it into a truly unique and functional bathroom vanity.

THE SOUTH SHORE SERIES (part 3)

After quite a few weeks and and a lot of attention to detail, the kitchen is complete! Now all of the little design features which were planned out months ago,have finally come together to form a complete picture - the colours in the stone floor which were carefully chosen and laid out by hand, the tile scene centered amongst the back splash behind the stove, the custom blended antique finish, the design featured on th front of the island...all of it pulls together to reveal a true henhouse kitchen. Visit our website to get inspired by our other great kitchen galleries!

THE SHOUTH SHORE SERIES (part 2)

To build a brand spanking new kitchen (one that has been custom designed no less) is no small task and requires a lot of imagination, detailed thought and mind over matter in order to interpret how everything will come together once it is all finished. Besides creating a functional and savvy space, henhouse kitchens are also unique in their custom hand finishes. This particular kitchen was destined to receive the henhouse specialty, including a fully distressed treatment after which we meticulously applied by hand layers of paint and glaze in order to achieve a truly unique and aged look.

Once our builder installs the kitchen cabinetry the rest of the team is let loose in the space and then the fun really begins! The tools come out, the sanders are in full swing and after a couple of days and some serious elbow grease, the kitchen is prepped and ready to be painted. We chose two tones of grey for this particular space to complement the colours existing right outside the kitchen windows. The romantic landscape of the Atlantic ocean, where the rough waves crash upon staggering rocks and boulders is truly an inspiring sight.

Next step: some painting, sanding and a little more painting. TADA! The kitchen is now ready to undergo the REAL transformation...

THE SOUTH SHORE SERIES (part 1)

Welcome to the first part of our South Shore Series, a collection of posts dedicated to our latest kitchen and home project. This project was no small undertaking; a brand new kitchen outfitted with 'the henhouse treatment' (our signature antique finish), four bathroom vanities, built in bar, window seats, desk,, custom hand finished floor and loads of beautiful antiques which needed some good old fashioned elbow grease and refreshing...needless to say it has been a busy few months for us!

We have been beyond lucky to work on a project such as this...how could you not be inspired by all of the colours and textures along Nova Scotias breathtaking South Shore?! It has been almost a year since we began working on this home and we are ever so excited to share with your our process, from the installation to the transformation and everything in between. Enjoy!