My heart beat faster as I squeezed my way along the narrow drive, catching my first glimpse of Colleen and Jeff’s 1970s shed-style home through the trees. Perched along the edge of rugged Williams Lake in Halifax, this home promised to be simultaneously rustic and sophisticated.
As I was warmly greeted in the step-down entryway, the interior lived up to the promise made from the driveway—with high cathedral tongue-and-groove ceilings, a soaring rustic stone fireplace, and full-height windows framing the lake views. 1970s nature-connected design in its glory!
Then we wandered into the kitchen, and the reason I was called in was sadly evident. The kitchen failed this beauty of a home in so many ways—finishes, colours, cabinet style, hardware—all spoke of some lesser home someplace else.
Collaborating with Colleen on the aesthetics and Jeff on the functional aspects, we crafted a bespoke kitchen full of 1970s optimism and 21st-century storage and work efficiency. We carved out much-needed floor space from an awkward pantry and, with the help of cabinet maker extra-ordinaire, Martin Dueck of Eagle Cliff Kitchens, packed ultra-efficiency into every inch of cabinet space.
We teased out the perfect cabinet stain colour from a particular thread of grain running through the new oak flooring. The cabinet profile and hardware are sleek, while the grainy oak lends an earthy mood—perfect for a house that’s all about a modern connectivity to nature.
The home now embodies everything static and fluid happening outside on the lake and its rugged, tree-lined shore. The perfect island countertop looks like we sliced it off the rock outcrops of the far shore and pulled it across the sparkling waves.
Oak, stone, browns and greys, hand-formed tiles, and watery glass conspire to create a colour and texture palette strung together through serendipity and a collective participation. Nothing competes; instead, it creates a story of a really lovely language and energy in the home.
Now that the kitchen feels like it should have always been like this, this 1970s shed-style home lives up to its promise.
