Reno reveals a new sense of space
An Oakville couple set out to draw more light into their home and discovered vaulted ceilings
When Matthew and Melissa Kilkenny moved into their south Oakville bungalow in 2014, they figured it was only a matter of time before they demolished it.
“We bought it mainly for the property. With a 50-by-200-foot lot, there’s a lot of space and it doesn’t feel like you’re on the road,” said Matthew, 36, general manager of Pfaff Porsche in Vaughan.
As a “car guy,” Matthew found the stand-alone, heated garage a huge draw. But the traditional, cottage-style house — with outdated decor, low ceilings and tight rooms — didn’t excite him or his wife.
They figured they’d freshen up the place until they were ready for a complete gut job of the 1,900-sq.-ft., threebedroom, three-bath house. But a simple reno quickly turned into a jaw-dropping transformation.
After starting with a makeover of the second-floor master suite at the back of the house, they decided to call in a professional to help them open things up. Eva Healy, owner of avenue design, inc. brought a fresh perspective and some dramatic design ideas.
“The house was completely outdated and there was a lot of congestion. It was partially an open-concept, but there were a lot of jogs, nooks and random posts and walls that interrupted the flow and darkened the space,” Healy said.
The Kilkennys asked for a more functional kitchen and a solution to bring in the sunshine. “We wanted to be able to see the backyard from anywhere on the main floor,” Matthew said.
Creating an airy esthetic was a challenge with shorter, eightfoot ceilings and no side windows. Healy plotted a larger window at the front and replaced French doors at the back with a wall-to-wall, floor-toceiling door. A happy accident took care of the rest: during the renovation process, the contractor discovered vaulted ceilings in the kitchen and dining area at the front of the house.
“By peaking the ceiling in the kitchen, we were able to create the illusion of a bigger space, which always helps brighten things up,” Healy said.
This was important for Melissa, 42, who often works from home as a district manager for Bonnie & Don Flavours.
Healy added faux white oak beams that match the kitchen floors and some of the cabinetry to make the room feel more cosy than modern. Clear pendant lights were installed to highlight the beams. LED strip lighting run along the top of the beam to create a pyramid effect and highlight the ceiling detail.
The rest of the kitchen is finished in bright whites to complement the white oak. “The idea was to have everything flow together so there’s no stopand-go to the eye,” Healy said.
The island was a big factor in the kitchen design. The family uses it for everyday meals, cooking prep and as an extra surface when entertaining. Healy created a merged design with a white oak surface for dining and quartz for cooking. She reconsidered where everybody sits for casual meals.
“When you eat at an island, you’re usually sitting in a line and looking at each other over your shoulder. I wanted to bring in an integrated table for casual eating that helps the family interact and connect,” Healy said.
She worked with the kitchen contractor to create a legless table that is connected to the island and has room for three chairs. This makes it easy for the couple’s four-year-old daughter Emma to hop up to any meal.
Another show-stopping feature of the house is an in-plainsight wine cellar tucked into a space under the stairs leading up to the master suite that was originally a closet used as a “dumping ground” for household items. When Healy first toured the house, she noted the couple’s extensive wine collection in the basement and wondered if they’d find it useful and meaningful upstairs.
They were intrigued, so, under floating white oak stairs, she designed a glass-fronted storage area with custom metal racking and lit with a subtle glow.
In the living room, they created another dramatic focal point by updating their traditional fireplace. “We bumped out the whole space and made a floorto-ceiling fireplace feature and clad the whole thing with a porcelain that’s a dead ringer for natural marble,” Healy said.
When it came to updating the mudroom at the side entrance, the Healy used another inventive design trick. “We live in Canada and that means lots of slush, mud and rain at the door, so we wanted to tile that space coming in.
“But because the walls don’t meet up on both sides of where the mudroom ends and the living room stair area begins, we came up with a really cool ombre solution of integrating the tile into the hardwood,” Healy said.
“It adds interest and beauty to merging those two spaces together.”
The work began October 2018 and had a hard stop on Christmas Eve since the Kilkennys had committed to hosting a party. They moved to Melissa’s parents’ house for the duration.
Today, they use the house in a whole new way. “The openness has connected everybody a little more. It allows us to be around one another all the time without being in each other’s business,” Matthew said.
“We sit in the backyard at night with the house lit up and enjoy the transformation and the new features. It’s beautiful.”