House Tours
This Bland & Beige Home Gets A Vibrant Makeover
Photography, Stacey Brandford | Design, Arren Williams | Styling, Mo & Creative
House Tours
This Bland & Beige Home Gets A Vibrant Makeover
A once-bland suburban home gets a royal reno, with pattern, colour and personality from across the pond.
Pam and Steve Wallace’s home in Brampton, Ont., was bland and beige, right down to the conventional maple kitchen. Angling for a perky upgrade, the couple, who work in the furniture industry, enlisted designer and Style at Home columnist Arren Williams to revamp the main floor.
“They wanted an eclectic, British sensibility,” says Arren. “Think lots of colour, pattern, texture and wit. They wanted that loose mixture of old and new.” As a Brit, Arren was the perfect hire to fulfill their wish list. Topping it? An exciting kitchen. “Pam did not want it to be white,” says Arren. Here’s how the designer brought vibrancy and personality to the hub of the home, and beyond!
Plucky Pattern
Before
“There wasn’t a sense of story in the living room,” says designer Arren Williams. For architectural heft, he added wainscotting that matches the existing moulding in the dining room and entryway. But this room’s decorative punch starts with the rug. Its coquettish tones of terracotta, blue and pink inspired the room’s dynamic design and palette. Leggy contemporary tables, splashy throw pillows and dishy tabletop accessories make for a lively and inviting ambience.
After
DESIGN, Arren Williams. SOFA, Maison Corbeil. CUSHIONS, West Elm. RUG, ARTWORK, Etsy. COFFEE TABLES, Blu Dot. OTTOMAN, Statum Designs Inc. SIDE TABLE, MIRROR, Wayfair. FLOOR LAMP, Renwil.
Miles of tiles
Before
A spectacular feast of Italian tile in tones of caffe latte and cornflower blue cascades through the renovated kitchen. For uninterrupted flow, the tiles travel right over the hood vent. “They appear to be handmade but they’re not,” says Arren. “Texture and shading and the painted flower gives them an antique feel.” The tiles and the innovative blue-and-beige-veined porcelain countertop launched the kitchen redesign. Cute, pleated ceramic pendants underscore “the sense of craft in the space,” says Arren, while objects like the painting and plate bring history and character.
After
“People think, ‘No uppers? Where is my storage?’” says Arren. “Storage is not an issue if a space is planned properly. We built a bank of pantry units, which holds so much.” The millwork, maximized because it meets the ceiling, is painted a soft muddy taupe – a warm counterpoint to the bright blue island (which is equipped with a wine fridge on the flip side). Arren also expanded the island, since Pam wanted guests to sit at the fantastic eat-in table.
After
CABINETRY PAINT, Van Deusen Blue HC-156, Thunder AF-685, Benjamin Moore. Sapienstone 4D Arabescato COUNTERTOP, Rice and Rice Deco Blossom BACK- SPLASH TILES; Eureka Grigio Natural FLOORING; Ciot. APPLIANCES, Thermador. FAUCET, Kohler. CABINETRY HARDWARE, Richelieu Hardware. PENDANTS, Regina Andrew. TOASTER, ESPRESSO MAKER, Breville. ROMAN BLIND FABRIC, Primavera. McMillan Contemporary ARTWORK, Etsy. SCONCE, vintage PLATE, The Door Store. Blue and white ACCESSORIES, Saudade. DINING TABLE, Article. CHAIRS, Classic Home. PENDANT (over table), Visual Comfort. RUNNER, Ruggable.
Ground Control
Before
Elegant yet approachable, the dining room and foyer are grounded in black. “Black is a through line in the interior. It helps calm it and brings it together,” says Arren. The black bookcase, originally in the kitchen, found a new home here and holds dishware. “The rug brings a playful intensity of pattern and colour and has a traditional pattern to help tell the story of the British background in the space,” says Arren. Its William Morris pattern of whimsical blooms and vines adds a touch of Brit design history. The desk by the window is a flex area that doubles as a spot to do work or mix a drink.
After
TABLE, Must. CHAIRS, Rove Concepts. CARPET, Ruggable. PENDANT, Wayfair. ARTWORK, Juniper. DESK, CB2. MIRROR, Wayfair.
Tropical Thrill
Before
From zzzz-inducing to zesty, the renovated powder room sings! “I wanted to take what we had done in the rest of the house and amp it up,” says Arren. He layered the room in pattern, from the colourful wallpaper studded in Amazonian water lilies and birds to the graphic marble floor. New dramatic black wainscotting relates to the mould- ing elsewhere on the first level. Says Arren, “We painted the interior of the door black, too, so when you go in, it’s this perfect little world.”
After
WALLPAPER, Kravet. SINK, SCONCE, Wayfair. FAUCET, Kohler. FLOOR TILE, Ciot. MIRROR, Renwil.
The pedestal sink evokes a Victorian-era London townhome, but the green sconce brings in a subtle industrial vibe; add in a contemporary mirror and of-the-moment wallpaper and the result is a mix of design eras that’s timelessly chic.
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