Advanced Residential Project Inspiration: My Abandoned Dream House

This term our big studio project is advanced residential, a 4000 square foot house that we must design from scratch, including the exterior. It also must be barrier free as one occupant is in a wheelchair. Oh, and the plot of land we are designing on is a hill.
It's an intimidating challenge to say the least, but I'm ready and excited to face it head on.

As I started thinking about ideas, I knew I had to go visit my dream house for inspiration.
This house hasn't been lived in for years and is now owned by a large company whose warehouse is adjacent to the property in St. Jacob's, Ontario. It sits mostly abandoned. There is a haunting, historical, charming presence to the house that has always drawn me to it.  With halloween right around the corner, it was the perfect time to go snoop around this abandoned beauty.

I've always said if I ever have enough money to build my own house it will look exactly like this. The red brick, large porch and balcony, regal columns, ivy covered walls and tall windows are all speaking to me. I also love the formal courtyard that is enclosed by a low brick wall and shrubbery, although it's in a state of disrepair at the moment:

 If the house wasn't right next to a giant parking lot now (such a shame), well I think I'd move right in - ghosts and all! I swear I heard a door shut while I was peering into the windows at the empty rooms!

Hope you are all having a lovely week!

Dream House Alphabet: C

C is for Clawfoot Tub

Alright, so I know that clawfoot tubs aren't the most practical of all bathtubs. I mean, where do you put the shampoo?! But...come on, they are just too gorgeous to resist. My *dream* house  will definitely have a clawfoot tub. Not to wash the kiddies in, just for me to relax in after a long day.

Here are some beautiful inspirational images:

1/2/3/4/5

 Which is your fave? Mine is the last one. What would your 'C' be?

 xox Tiffany Leigh

Dream House Alphabet: B

B is for Basement

A beautiful finished basement is a must when I buy my dream home. For me, the basement has always been the entertainment space, and it’s all about casual fun. Here, you can load up the on games (think poker and pool tables), and kick back and relax. At my house growing up, the basement was the kid zone. The best part of the basement is that because it’s separated from the rest of the home, you can simply shut the door and entertain you guests on the main floor when the kids make a mess.

On an episode of “Sarah 101” designer Sarah Richardson does a particularly good job of creating a beautiful multifunctional basement.

Here you can be a bit more adventurous with colour, as long as you remember that natural light in the basement is often a minimum. Sarah uses a neutral pallet with pops of daring but tastefully chosen reds. The curtained off nook seen in the picture above separates the childrens’ play area from the adult entertainment space. Such a neat idea since the curtains can be pulled across to hide the mess or be used for putting on plays!

A close up on the kids area. Sarah uses kitchen cabinetry throughout the basement for storage, since it can be easily customized to accommodate low and awkward ceiling heights (caused by bulkheads). Ps. How cute is that turtle stool?!

 Perhaps my favourite idea is using full length drapes on those tiny little windows that are the trademark of any basement. It helps make the space seem more main floor, gives the illusion of larger windows, and is another opportunity to add texture, pattern, colour, and personality!

See more photos of the basement here!

What would your 'B' be?!
xox
Tiffany Leigh

Dream House Alphabet: A

A is for Archways

There is something about a house with unique architectural features that appeals to me immensely. Perhaps it’s the character that they add to a space; character that screams: “This house isn’t cookie cutter, IT’S ONE IN A MILLION !”. Perhaps it’s the fact that houses with these kinds of detail are often old…they have a history, they have been called home for many years, and both memories and love are embedded into their walls. Someday I’ll buy one of these old houses, complete with quirky archways, fix it up, and be lucky enough to call it home.

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^Love the large scale of this arch, as well as the leaded detail in the upper portion of the windows. Also, isn't the combination of white cabinetry with a dark wood island simply perfect?

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^So classic and elegant in it's repetition. The architecture speaks for itself in this space.

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^Dark meet light in this masculine, arched space

^ Paint the inside of an arch for an extra pop. 

Adore the use of Tangerine Tango here.

So what do you think? If you had a dream house alphabet, what would YOUR letter 'A' stand for?

xox Tiffany Leigh