In Chester, N.S., a Georgian-style home celebrates the art of life lived beautifully.
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TEXT BETHANY LYTTLE | PHOTOGRAPHY JANET KIMBER
In Chester, N.S., a Georgian-style home celebrates the art of life lived beautifully.
Although it appears to have been here for centuries, this four-bedroom cedar shakeand-shingle home was built in 2016. “It’s on the harbour right in the village, so we designed it with sensitivity to the surrounding vernacular architecture,” says designer Philip Mitchell. “Then we really pushed the boundaries with the interiors.”
OPPOSITE Designer Philip Mitchell ensured the home blends into its setting in a historic Maritime village. Similarly, Mark Narsansky, Philip’s husband, designed the landscaping to give the impression of established gardens. Birch trees, and mounds of hydrangeas and native plants fill the sloping lot.
DESIGNER, Philip Mitchell Design. BUILDER, Luke Kaizer Construction and Renovation. LANDSCAPE DESIGN, Mark Narsansky.
THIS PAGE Flooded with natural light, the entry hall and stairway double as an art exhibit where three-dimensional objects, such as a trio of mid-century vases, mingle with flat canvases. The console table in blue-grey nods to the home’s harbour views. “In any new project, we take our cue from the geographical location,” says Philip. The antique alabaster pendant imparts a sense of history.
Nendo CONSOLE TABLE, Avenue Road. VASES, 1st Dibbs. CEILING PENDANT, 507 Antiques. ARTWORK Large blue abstract (halfway up stairs), by Brian Coleman, Anne Irwin Fine Art; large concentric circles in gold frame, by Heidi Leverty, Bau-Xi Gallery; blue photograph (above console), by Max Wright, Renann Isaacs Contemporary Art.
Among its features are a light fixture that suggests a lily pad, an Italian mid-century chair fashioned from wire and wood, and an oxidized metal coffee table that looks like it belongs in a sculpture garden. The home’s unifying element, however, is its art. “The homeowners are longtime collectors, so it was really important to me to curate and create a cohesive presentation for their pieces.” With this in mind, Philip reinterpreted conventional spaces, such as staircase landings and bedroom dressers, as gallery spaces. Corners of rooms became opportunities to display sculpture. And items, such as vases that one might typically set on a table, were elevated to shelves and presented as artifacts for viewing. The outcome is a showstopping dwelling that can truly be described as both a gallery and an escape.
“YOU MIGHT NOT EXPECT SUCH DISPARATE OBJECTS TO WORK TOGETHER, BUT THEY DO BECAUSE THEIR COLOURS AND SHAPES RELATE TO ONE ANOTHER.”
“HERE AND THROUGHOUT THE HOME, WINDOW COVERINGS ARE KEPT TO A MINIMUM IN ORDER TO PRIVILEGE THE HARBOUR VIEWS.”
Two guest suites (this page and opposite) offer plenty of accommodation for friends and family.
The off-white suite pairs a leather headboard with a leather bench. Texture is the focus in this room, but blown-glass lamps hint at colour. The charming chest of drawers with carved rosette detail is topped with a row of hair picks that doubles as sculpture. Stripes in the roman shades and patterns in the shams enliven the space.