When Andrew and Kathy Watts decided to update their house, a four-level, side-split style home in the Fleming Heights area of Halifax, they weren’t sure where to begin.

Revamping homes is a regular part of life for this couple. They own Black Diamond Builders, a Halifax-based contracting company specializing in new builds and contemporary-style renovations. Hoping to avoid drastic changes but wanting to refresh the overall look of their house, they made a modest list of upgrades that included replacing the roof and windows, installing new insulation and re-cladding the home.

Built in the mid 1950s, the house was struct­urally sound but it was starting to show its age and was becoming difficult to heat. “There was seaweed in the walls, which is typical of houses around here, and it had gotten wet over the years,” Andrew recalls. “The roof was also starting to leak.”

The house seemed destined for a dramatic makeover that would fix some flaws of its original design, while staying true to the casual look and feel of the house. It had an awkward front entrance and a series of cramped, poorly lit rooms on the main floor.

From her perch on the stairs overlooking the family room in the basement, daughter Miriam keeps an eye on Dutch, the family dog. The casual space boasts cork flooring and a floor-to-ceiling shelving unit. (Photo by: James Ingram, Jive Photographic)

Chatting with architect Rayleen Hill about their dilemma gave the Watts the fresh perspective they needed to get the ball rolling. An instructor at the Dalhousie University School of Architecture in Halifax, Hill runs her own architecture firm in Dartmouth. She had worked with the Watts before on a number of building projects. “The façade was pretty bad and Andrew was wondering if I could design the windows,” Hill recalls. “That’s where the project initiated from.”

She suggested designing a large entryway, opening up the rooms on the main floor, and adding in corner windows in all the front-facing rooms to boost the natural light. “It was about trying to find the right way of renovating the house that would be true to the style of the house,” she says. “There are so many houses around Halifax that have a similar style. This shows how you can bring it up to date without really doing a major overhaul.”

The Watts liked her vision for their home. “When we saw her drawings, we fell in love with it right away and decided to go for it,” Andrew says. “I liked how simplistic her design was for the entryway and the main living space. It opened up all these spaces.”

The change was overdue. Before buying the house in 2007, the Watts and their three kids— 12-year-old twin daughters, Miriam and Grace, and 15-year-old son Justin—had been living in a semi-detached home a 10-minute walk away on Williams Lake Road. “We love the neighbourhood and we were so happy to come across a single family dwelling we could afford,” Kathy recalls.

Andrew’s brother and his family had lived in the unit next door, so the Watts wanted a house that would be open and spacious for the kids. “Our kids were so used to feeling like they owned the whole property,” Kathy says. “We really liked that our new house was almost a double size lot. It was an easy transition for the kids.”

The large landscaped yard, with shrubs and greenery aplenty, appealed to the family. “It was perfect for us,” Kathy says. “We knew the house was a fixer-upper but we thought it had lots of potential, though we didn’t know when or what we’d do.”

His background in building shining through, Andrew says he liked that the house hadn’t been renovated before. “The structure of the house was in very good condition,” he says. “The bones of the house were very sound.”

They started the work in the fall of 2009. The family lived with Kathy’s parents from Halloween until February 2010. “We told them we’d moved in for three weeks and then we stayed for three months,” Kathy laughs. “But they loved having us there.”

The entryway became the jumping off point for Hill’s entire design. “It was very tiny before, just slightly larger than the door swing,” she says. “You had to walk to the end of a long hall to get to the closet. The idea was to make a really good entryway that would fit in with the exterior façade and help with lighting the family room downstairs.”

Hill referenced the entryway of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Muirhead House for her design. “The door doesn’t face the street, so you have to access it from the side of the glass box,” she says. Incredibly, the modest three-by-two-metre (10-by-six-foot) entryway was the only addition to the house. “This one move did all kinds of things,” explains Hill. “It’s about being efficient and coming up with one design element that makes a big impact.”

The entryway boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, making it a bright and airy spot. “We thought we’d put blinds up but it’s such an open space, we didn’t want to cover it up,” Kathy says. It’s become a favourite hangout for Dutch, the family’s nine-year-old chocolate lab. “It’s warm in here all year, so he likes to lay in here.”

Andrew marvels at the simplicity of Hill’s design. “It didn’t require much structural change,” he says. “By just extending the roofline a little bit, it completely changed the look of the house.” Hill set the entryway one step lower, at 58 centimetres (23 inches) from grade, so the attached deck that wraps around the house doesn’t need a railing.

All together now. The Watts relax on the cream sectional in their living room (from left: Miriam, Andrew, Grace, Justin and Kathy). Even with its new modern look, their house still has a laid-back, casual charm. Artwork by Halifax artist Dan Peck. (Photo by: James Ingram, Jive Photographic)

The home boasts about 2,000 square feet of living space. In the main area, they knocked out the walls of the old hallway, creating an open- concept living, dining and kitchen area that’s light filled and roomy. They kept much of the original hardwood floors, plaster walls and mouldings in the home. “When you start something like this, it leads to all kinds of upgrades,” Andrew says.

The focal point of the living room is the Stuv 21 fireplace from Ultimate Home Comfort in Halifax. It has a Baltic birch mantle with shelving on both sides. The Watts enjoy watching the flames from the large cream sectional they found at Statement, a boutique furniture store in Halifax. Ray Frizzell, Statement’s design consultant, helped the Watts pick out much of the furniture in their revamped space. “You can really make the best of a space by choosing the right furniture,” he says. A chic walnut coffee table, a set of round nesting tables and a cream shag rug lend texture and interest. “The shag nature of the rug speaks to the era of the house—it’s really fun,” Frizzell says.

The original kitchen in the home was narrow and outdated. “It was the original 1950s kitchen with Mactac [vinyl flooring] and crazy wallpaper,” Andrew says. They removed the old door to the backyard, making it into an office area where the kids can play on the computer. On the north side of the house, they tore out an old chimney and fireplace, adding in a new floor-to-ceiling patio door. “There used to be no windows or doors to the north side,” says Andrew. “I love all the windows—we get in a tonne of light now.”

They ripped out the old partition wall in the kitchen, adding in a wide island unit with a concrete countertop and drop lighting. On the far end is a space for the fridge, with a built-in china cabinet on the other side facing the living room. “The fridge is somewhat concealed, so you’re not staring at it when you’re in the living room,” Hill says.

Sets of stairs from both the kitchen and the front entryway lead down to the family room on the lower level. “Some people might find it too open but we really like it,” Kathy says. Click cork flooring—the home has in-floor heating—is cushy underfoot, making the space seem worlds apart from an ordinary basement floor. A floor-to-ceiling shelving unit holds the TV and has extra storage for games and books.

A key aspect of the renovation was creating a bedroom for Justin on this level, as well as a second bathroom and a back entryway where the kids can drop off their coats and book bags. They left the bottom level as unfinished basement—for now extra storage space but perhaps the future site of a home office.

The Watts love hanging out on their wraparound deck. The large landscaped yard was one of the first things that drew them to the house. (Photo by: James Ingram, Jive Photographic)

The corner windows in Justin’s bedroom, like all the front-facing windows in the house, bring in east and south light. “Before, the bedroom window was facing east,” Hill says. “In Justin’s bedroom, it doesn’t feel like it’s a basement bedroom.” The Watts went with custom Martin windows from ProVision Windows and Doors in Dartmouth.

The downstairs bathroom has a concrete vanity top with a drop sink and the same black porcelain tile found in the front entryway. “It’s a relatively inexpensive tile with a modern 12-by-24-inch [30-by-60-cm] format that we use a lot,” Hill says.

Upstairs, they combined two bedrooms to make a spacious master bedroom, which also features a large walk-in closet. “It has sliding French doors, like a dressing room,” Kathy says. The twins share the other bedroom on this floor. Their bunk beds maximize space in the room, which has matching built-in dressers and closets.

Aiming to improve the warmth of the house, the Watts swapped the oil-fired forced hot air system for an electric hot water boiler that’s ­­supplemented by the wood-burning fireplace. “We also reinsulated the whole house with two-pound spray foam, which qualified us for the Retrofit rebate program,” Andrew says. “We wanted to just stop the leaks and make it more energy efficient.”

The house went from having a low energy- efficiency score to a high one. “We’re close to an R-2,000 home, which is quite something for a house of this age,” says Kathy. “It’s no longer a leaky house.”

Ultimately, its reconfigured layout and improved design works for this busy family, without sacrificing the relaxed vibe of the original house. “It’s hard to see the old house in the new— I sometimes forget what it was like,” Kathy laughs. “The kids feel really comfortable here. To me, it’s still a very casual space, which I love.”

I decided to throw together a few fun Valentine’s Day inspired items for the home. I’ve been coveting the Vinello wine rack from Umbra for quite some time. It’s also available in black but I prefer the red.

I am drooling over this chic multipurpose sofa bed—the Janus sofa bed from Ligne Roset. I’d love to have this in my tiny spare bedroom—it’s much more stylish than the ugly futon I’ve got in there now.

The classic Stool 60 from Artek gets a bright update in a punchy red hue.

And one for the foodies: this is the Piccantino chilli cruncher from Alessi. This kitchen gadget chops, spreads and stores chillis. I love its fun chilli pepper shape and ingenious function (it keeps you from getting chili seeds on your fingertips).

See more:

• Last year’s V-Day gift ideas
• An incredible Valentine’s Day recipe from Morris East in Halifax: Chocolate Torte
• Valentine’s Day tipple: Chocolate Seduction

I’m quite excited about this designer from Gander, Newfoundland. I learned about her work this week from art curator/freelance writer Gloria Hickey (thanks Gloria!).

A multi-faceted designer, Jessica Waterman works with both wood and textiles to create unique wall hangings, tapping into her skills as a professional carpenter and her training as an artist (she studied textiles at NSCAD and costume design at Dalhousie). She also uses recycled materials to create functional benches.

This photo by Steve Keats shows Jessica at work in her studio.

Here’s a sample of her work, The Wells Stage (silkscreen, fabric). Photo by Eric Walsh. I love the colour and texture in this piece.

She is currently holding an exhibition of her work at the Newfoundland and Labrador Craft Council’s Annex Gallery in St. John’s. Her show, Light & Shadow, Wood & Cloth, opened last weekend and runs until March 11. I plan on featuring Jessica’s work in our upcoming spring issue, which hits newsstands March 18–keep an eye out for it!

More Newfoundland designers/news:

• Melanie Hamilton’s incredible furniture
• Ned Pratt’s landscape photography

I thought it would be fun to share a few behind-the-scenes shots and details from our photo shoot at Ratinaud French Cuisine (on 2082 Gottingen St. in Halifax).

If you haven’t stopped by this delightful North End storefront, you really ought to. Chef Frederic Tandy has an amazing spot and lots of delightful gourmet charcuterie and cured meats on offer. If you can’t catch him there, he also sells his stuff at the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market on Saturdays.

Tandy is from Limosges, a city in the south-west of France renowned for artisanal pottery. Many of Tandy’s pates, terrines and sausages are inspired by old family recipes. “Ratinaud” is actually his grandmother’s last name. Here’s a shot of Tandy with our writer, Simon Thibault.

Tandy’s delectable “paté de campagne” (or country paté). Wouldn’t you just love to slather this over a fresh sour-dough baguette? I know I would.

Simon brought along his copy of Michael Ruhlman’s bestselling book about charcuterie, Charcuterie: The Craft Of Salting, Smoking, and Curing. Isn’t the cover shot great? We used it as inspiration for charcuterie grouping (below).

Photographer Dennis Evans brought along a gorgeous wood cutting board and took a number of great shots showing a mix of Tandy’s charcuterie. Here Dennis goes in for a close up shot of Tandy (love his cap–it was his granddad’s).

A shot of Tandy’s curing room. That’s a bunch of saucisson sec hanging in the background, along with other sausages.

Watch for Tandy’s great recipes (and of course, the finished shots by photographer Dennis Evans) in our upcoming spring issue on newsstands March 18.

Seem more recent East Coast Living photo shoots:

• Our knife skills photo shoot with chef Dennis Johnston
• Our table settings photo shoot from Winter 2011
• Our cover shoot for our Winter 2011 magazine

I just got back from a photo shoot in Halifax for an upcoming story we’re doing on perfecting knife skills. We held the shoot at Fid Resto in Halifax, with chef Dennis Johnston hosting us and photographer Andrew Chow taking the photos.

Dennis has an amazing collection of knives that he’s gathered over the years—many were handmade in Japan or elsewhere in Asia. Most are crafted for one particular use. Here Dennis shows of one off his favourite blades.

Dennis shows the proper way to julienne carrots. A lot of cookbooks ask you to do this but I’ve never learned the proper technique.

The story by Lezlie Lowe will explore how to master basic knife techniques—like how to julienne carrots, properly dice an onion, sharpen and care for knives. These are things most home chefs take for granted (well, I know I do). The story will also include a sidebar on the top five knives every home chef should have.  A shot of Dennis with photographer Andrew Chow.

Watch for Andrew’s finished shots in the upcoming spring issue of East Coast Living, which will be hitting newsstands on March 18.

See more East Coast Living photo shoots:

• Our table settings photo shoot from Winter 2011
• Our cover shoot for Winter 2011
• Our preserves photo shoot from Fall 2011

Pantone just appointed tangerine its colour of the year, building on the trend for energetic, vibrant colours (last year was honeysuckle pink). A company spokesperson says the orange-red hue “marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the warmth of yellow,” creating a colour that “emanates heat and energy” (hmm, we could all use a little of this in the dead of winter). Tangerine photo below courtesy James Ingram.

I admit that tangerine and other orange-inspired colours can seem a bit overpowering, but there is a range of tones to choose from in paint, fabrics and patterns. I’m partial to the bright, melon-citrus hues—they have a fun vintage 1950s and 60s flair to them.

If you’re thinking of using tangerine in your décor, you might bring in the colour with a few accessories. Pictured above is a Solair chair in orange from Attica Furnishings and the Daisy thorn pillow by Erin Flett.

Rather than painting an entire room tangerine, opt for one or two accent walls. This photo above shows various orange hues from Sico (left) and Laurentide Paint (right).

What do you think of tangerine? Will you be trying it in your home this year?

Read more:

• Check out last year’s colour, honeysuckle pink
• Ideas on using black in your decorating scheme

Antlers are a rustic winter décor option that can work in almost any space. There’s so many types of antler replicas, and best of all, you don’t need to source the real thing. Here’s a few of my faves:

Deer head in cast resin with handmade wood plaque from Restoration Hardware. Remarkably realistic, these antlers were cast in resin from antlers that were naturally shed.

This is a driftwood elk head from HomeSense. I think this would work in any space—whether modern or country/traditional.

On the playful side, equine lovers would enjoy this horse head from Oddjects in Halifax.

This is an assortment of animal heads—in white resin and silver finishes—from HomeSense. The antelope one is quite striking. What do you think? Would you try antlers in your décor?

My coworker Tara Joosse (project manager for Where Halifax) sent me some photos of her mom’s Christmas tree. It puts my half-hearted Christmas décor to shame (so far, I’ve only strung up some Ikea star lights on my picture window; I will get to the tree part sometime this weekend, *fingers crossed
*).

Isn’t it incredible? Tara’s mom, Debra Joosse, lives in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Debra chooses a different theme/colour for her tree each year. Standing at about 10 feet tall, the artificial tree is always a glamorous focal point of the living room.

For this year’s look, Debra sourced many of the gold and neutral ornaments and decorations from Micheal’s and HomeSense.

Here’s a close-up shot of some ornaments. My favourites are the birds, owls, feathers and bird cages.

Well, now I definitely have inspiration for my own Christmas tree décor. Kudos to Tara for these photos.

• Read more about bird-inspired decorating.
• Festive, unconventional wreaths.
• Our top picks for festive, fun place settings.

Capture classic

Simple shapes, layered textures and little colour variation give this setting by Attica Furnishings an elemental, modern look. The playful snow globe place card from Attica can also hold a photo. Dinnerware by Vera Wang, linen from Danica, cutlery from Alessi, glasses from Attica, placemats by Chilewich, photo balls from Umbra and gold ornament orb by Dwell Studio. Attica Furnishings www.attica.ca

Tip

Repeat the same basic shape throughout your table setting for continuity—oval place cards, circular dishware and round ornaments.

Retro night

Photo by Andrew Chow, Art Direction by Sarah Jones

Michele Muir, owner of Silk Purse Décor, turned to her own stash of vintage dishes and glassware, passed down from her grandmother, for this playful retro setting. She updates the usual green and red combo with pink and light-green shades. Votives from Party Lite, linens from Fabricville, green plate from Walmart, balls and bell decorations from Michael’s. All other items from Muir’s own collection. Silk Purse Décor www.silkpursedecor.com

Tip

Comb through your cupboards and cabinets, mixing and matching unique pieces that catch your eye with your current dishes.

Photo by Andrew Chow, Art Direction by Sarah Jones

Into the wild

A playful mix of textures and patterns brings charm to this nature-inspired setting by Eileen Crowley Couse, owner of Emerald Interiors. A squirrel ornament acts as a whimsical place holder. A standout marble tile from Cape Breton Marble serves as the placemat, lending a rich earthy texture. Squirrel ornament, napkins, napkin rings, faux pine cones, lace runner and dishware from Bowring. Stone candle from Bogside Gallery. Wine glass and silverware from Crowley Couse’s own collection. Emerald Interiors www.emeraldinteriordesigns.com

Tip

Create a natural centrepiece using holly, branches, acorns or moss. Don’t limit yourself to just neutral colours for your table linens. Subdued, warmer colours can add warmth without being boring.

Photo by Andrew Chow, Art Direction by Sarah Jones

Razzle dazzle

Elegant polished silver and sparkly accents punctuate this formal setting by Thornbloom. Colourful hand-blown ornaments and a cascading glittery sprig enliven the table with texture and dimension. Stemware by Eisch, flatware from WMF, Cashmere dinnerware by Maxwell & Williams; decorative sprig, ornaments, vase place card holder and linen runner all from Thornbloom. Thornbloom www.thornbloom.com

Tip

Share your style with a customized floral arrangement place card for each guest.