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Over the past couple of years the lovely and talented photographer Marcia Prentice has been traveling the globe and ended up visiting 24 countries! I’m so jealous. But it wasn’t all for fun – she photographed the homes of designers and artists and has put together a compilation in a book titled How We Live, published by teNeues and will be available next month. The book is really unique and much more than a home book. There are 16 different countries and 18 homes represented in the book. The designers (their homes) in the book are a mix of interior, furniture, fashion designers + architects + artists. Each “chapter” shows photos of the city and the home so readers can see how the city affects the interior of the home and how they live. There is a relationship between the environment and the interior. The homes I feature are not just the usual design cities like London or Milan, but also less expected cities such as Mumbai, Beirut and Guadalajara. I love the juxtaposition between design found in Copenhagen and Mexico City, for example. Judging by these photos, this book is going to be a must-have and I am so excited for Marcia. This was a long journey and it is amazing to see the final product come to life. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy!

This little office is at the top of the landing is above the mudroom in the rebuilt addition. 

I saw a before photo of the bathroom. I recall a very narrow yellow tub and really awful tile on the wall. This bathroom is a dream come true in comparison. 

I LOVE this photograph by Maureen O’Connor from the H.H Richardson Complex Asylum for the Insane in Buffalo NY

This painting is ‘Taking the Call’ by Ottawan Andrew King 

The daughter painted this $5 vintage wooden chair in Annie Sloan chalk paint. I have been meaning to get some of this paint in black – now I HAVE TO. 

Their son is a lego GENIUS and his room proves it. 

And now for the backyard tour!

I stepped out and exclaimed ‘You even have a cool door mat!” 

The deck was just completed. What a great little oasis to enjoy dinner and hang out in the evenings. The owners spend all of their time out here now (as opposed to hanging out on the front porch). I can see why. 

You’ll spot a few of these succulent wall planters along the fence. SWEET!

Their grass looked like a carpet.

Serious attention to detail out here. 

All of the lighting around the house (I think) including these little gems outside are from Hubbardton Forge. 

It is that time of year again….the Glebe House Tour is coming up September 20th. Get your tickets HERE! This is one of my favourite local events – when a select group of people in one of the coolest neighbourhoods in Ottawa open up their homes for us nosy folk. 🙂 There’s nothing like snooping through a stranger’s home (it is a well guarded tour I might add) without them present so you can OH! and AH! and HUH? to your heart’s content. I was given a personal tour by the owners of one of the homes on the tour (thank you Michel and Lara!, and the kids who I did not get to meet but who cleaned their rooms for me!), and I really lucked out because this house is almost identical to mine so it was really interesting to see how someone else made over the same spaces. In this case the owners have gone to town renovating what was once a very neglected home. Over the past 6 years they have worked on every single nook and cranny to restore and update to their liking. And boy do I like! I always have a hard time narrowing down the photos of these house tours so this post will be the exterior front and main level and the next post will be the second floor and backyard. (Posts from last year’s tour here and here) 

There’s a surprise behind that door 🙂

All of the original oak doors/trim/window frames/beams are so beautiful and OMG the time it must have taken to restore it all… That’s the vestibule door in the middle, with the living room on the left and the dining room to the right.

When the homeowners first moved in things were in such rough shape the family of four all lived in one room for a while. I may not get these numbers quite right but they lived without a kitchen for 6 months and without a bathroom for 1 month. 

Two remarkable things to note about this house tour are the amazing little potted plants everywhere that are like sculptures, and their fantastic art collection. This piece above is by Stephen Hayes of Toronto. 

The homeowner built most of the small tables around the house, including the one above. His father is a metal worker who taught and helped him build the bases. I looove this coffee table.  

The art above the fireplace is ‘From the Depths’ by C. Jere purchased at Suede Interiors

The art above is from Koyman Gallery (artist unknown).

An example of the little potted plant arrangements thoughout the home. I wanted to scoop them all up and take them home with me. 

The legs on this dining table made me swoon. It seems I love fat legs. All of the furniture above was refinished by the owners. 

GORG hutch!

The secret gem behind the door at the end of the foyer. Formerly a closet, there was a pantry in behind so both were transformed into the tiniest of bathrooms, with the smallest sink and toilet Preston Hardware had in stock. I am totally jealous of this because I don’t have the space they do behind the closet to fit a bathroom. 🙁

I saw a photo of the kitchen cabinetry before the renovation – horrifying is an accurate adjective. The new custom cabinetry fits the small space perfectly. The sink section of cabinetry and its countertop are recessed a few inches to allow more room to move around. The kitchen even allowed for a Wolf range (YESSS!) and a large refrigerator. 

This mudroom is the lower level of the small addition at the back of the house. I saw a before photo of this from the outside and EEEKKK! A couple of contractors told the owners that it could be salvaged but once it was opened up it was deemed too much of a disaster and had to be torn down and rebuilt. Again, I am jealous as a mudroom is something my house is desperately lacking. The walnut slatted bench was built by the homeowner, and the cabinetry on either side are Home Depot sink cabinets that were on sale because the sinks were broken. They added countertops and the homeowners’ father build metal inserts to hold plants. Cute!!

Part 2 coming up later!

I really think that the national pastime of Australians is renovating and the the holy grail is the house extension. We all have dreams of taking a small, pokey period property and blowing out the back to create an open plan inside/outside family relaxation and entertaining space that doubles our floor space and exponentially explodes our enjoyment of home life. Like this fab reno and extension of a Kensington, Sydney house by Angus Mackenzie Architect.

I had to revisit the home of interior designer Caecilia Potter as it is one of my all-time favourite homes we have featured on the blog. A Victorian mansion in Melbourne, Australia, this home is spectacular in its stateliness, architecture, furnishings….everything. It is EVERYTHING. (Photos: Atticus & Milo and The Design Files)