In the Beginning

I've had a long standing facination with old homes, renovation and vintage design. I suppose it can be traced back to my childhood, when we lived in a small Samuel McClure-designed house in Victoria, BC. That house contained many of the features that fueled a romantic facination for old homes -- a fireplace in the dining room (as well as the living room), a claw foot tub, and a pull-down access hatch to the attic.

Growing-up, I watched This Old House with my parents and enjoyed re-arranging the furniture in my bedroom.

Later-on, my husband and I bought a early 1950s bungalow in Mississauga, Ontario. It didn't quite have the charm of the turn-of-the-century homes I loved, but the hardwood floors, crown mouldings and large windows were strong selling features. Then there was the yard which I slowly transformed over the years. First came the planting of rose bushes and clematis (in the new planter boxes my hubbie constructed), followed quickly by the installation of a fish pond. Later hubbie constructed a large concrete patio (which we colourized) and along with my brother-in-law, constructed a cedar walk-out deck. We lived in that home for 15 years and truly made it our own (renovating the kitchen, refinishing the floors, adding a walk-out to the backyard, and several landscaping projects.

Then, in 2008, the opportunity came to move to Calgary for my job. We were up for a change, and so began a new adventure...