MODERN GOTHIC

A designer makes an 1840s farmhouse livable— and lovable—for her young family.

Learn how this designer made an 1840s farmhouse livable—and lovable—for her family.

Who doesn’t love a really old house with a story behind it? But when that house is a 176-year-old Gothic Revival that includes a creepy wall mural with hidden faces and rooms that are dark and drafty, you know that you are in for the ride of your life when you sign on as the new owner. But the way homeowner-designer Carolyn Elizabeth Wilbrink describes the process of renovating her home, it is not a horror story but a love story that even includes a serendipitous encounter.

“I had seen this house two years earlier in an overpriced listing and saved a few of the photos, never thinking anything of it,” Carolyn recalls. “Two years later, right after we had our fourth child, we decided to look for a larger home. Within days, our realtor called and said she had found the perfect home for our family. When we drove up, I nearly fell over! It was the house I had fallen in love with two years earlier. We walked in and I had that same feeling I always felt in my grandparents’ farmhouse—and that was it. We bought it with full intentions of turning it into our dream home.”

DISTINCTIVE DESIGN

The architectural style of the house, located in Burford, Ontario, Canada, is Gothic Revival farmhouse. Its exterior features a steeply pitched roof, a classic gable over the front center façade, an arched middle window, decorative corbels, red brick adorned with bluff brick detail and a front door with top and side transoms.

The farmhouse, built in 1843, was designed with a traditional center-hall floor plan and sports triple-brick, original ornate plasterwork; 8-inch-wide floorboards and 16-inch-high baseboards. It has four bedrooms and two bathrooms on the second floor. The main floor includes a mudroom, large farmhouse kitchen, powder room, butler’s pantry/laundry room, family room, center hall with a staircase leading up to the second floor, and the living and dining rooms.

CREATING STORAGE SPACES

Carolyn shares her home with her husband, Craig; their four children and their English bulldog. For a large family like Carolyn’s, storage space was a priority. “When we bought the home, there was absolutely no storage—only one closet on the main floor under the stairs and one walk-in closet on the second floor,” she says. “When we designed our kitchen and butler’s pantry, we made sure to incorporate a ton of hidden storage on the back of the island and in the range hood for LEGO pieces, crafts and larger appliances that weren’t used often. In the butler’s pantry, we incorporated an extra fridge (to feed our four growing kids), pantries with room for household essentials, dry goods and snacks for the kids. In the laundry room, there are hidden hampers and deep storage over the stacked washer and dryer.”

“We tried to incorporate as many natural elements into our design as possible, such as reclaimed wood, brick and marble.”

RENOVATION REMEDIES

“We wanted a huge farmhouse-kitchen feel with a modern twist,” Carolyn says. “By gutting the original kitchen and sitting room and creating a cathedral ceiling, we were able to achieve just that. We spend 75 percent of our time in the kitchen. When we took possession, we thought we could live with the kitchen the way it was for a year or so, but once we saw the home empty we soon realized there was a rodent problem and there were holes in the cabinets where they were coming up from the cobblestone basement. That was it for me! The next day we started demo on the entire kitchen and sitting room.”

The kitchen renovation uncovered a hidden element that enabled Carolyn to have a custom-made table in the room for a personal touch. “When we ‘cathedraled’ the kitchen ceiling, we discovered original joists that we removed and gave to our friends to build us a kitchen table. We also used them for shelves in our pantry,” Carolyn says.

FIRST FLOOR COMES FIRST

“We decided to gut the only bathroom in the house because it was filled with mold. Once we opened up the walls that backed onto the laundry room we found a hidden doorway from a servant’s staircase that led up to our boys’ bedrooms,” Carolyn says. “That’s when we decided to convert the bathroom into a powder room. We incorporated a small console sink into the doorway and exposed all of the brick on one wall. We took the leftover space from the original bathroom and turned that into our laundry/butler’s pantry. We also added a mudroom—a must with four kids—that we used as our main entrance to the house.

SECOND-FLOOR MAGIC

“On the second floor, we had only one walk-in closet, located just inside the master suite, and we knew we needed to create a main bathroom for our kids. My brother and I decided that if we pushed the entrance to the master suite back 3 feet, it would leave the walk-in closet out in the hallway so we could use it as a bathroom,” Carolyn says. “It also gained us a wall cavity of 3 feet by 12 feet that we could use to incorporate a closet for our daughter’s bedroom and a double closet for the master suite. We decided to create an ensuite out of the existing master powder room.”

“For the boys’ wing, we discovered enough hidden space within the walls that we were able to give our oldest a deep double closet,” Carolyn says. “The little boys’ bedroom was big enough that we were able to steal 3 feet by 12 feet of space to create two double closets. My brother designed the trim and baseboard configurations in the boys’ wing, bathrooms, kitchen and mudroom, and replicated as close as he could what was original in the house. From there, we had a friend come in and refinish all the floors. We were able to source flooring to replace the rotten boards and match the new to the old seamlessly. Any boards or trim that we removed for the bathrooms we reused in the home somewhere else.”

For a large family like Carolyn’s, storage space was a priority.

DIVING INTO DECORATING

Once the major renovations were completed, Carolyn was able to flex her decorating muscles. “The previous owners had done a very good job of maintaining the home, but they had never touched it in regards to décor and design,” she says. “There was an original stone mural throughout the hallway and up the stairs that actually had hidden faces painted within some of the blocks. It was the creepiest feature. All of the rooms except the kitchen were dark and dreary, and the floors had been covered in a thick varnish, leaving them an almost burgundy color in spots.”

Carolyn had a clear vision of how she wanted to update and redecorate. “The décor is definitely modern farmhouse style,” she says. “We tried to incorporate as many natural elements into our design as possible, such as reclaimed wood, brick and marble, as well as all the modern updates [like] stainless-steel appliances, LED lighting and central vac [central vacuum cleaner]. We didn’t want our home to have a ‘kitschy’ farmhouse look, so we went for that relaxed eclectic feel, while still maintaining the charm and character of the original house.”

Carolyn says decorating the home with elements that reflected her family was the easiest part of the project for her. “I’ve always found that when you’re truly passionate about something, it takes no effort at all. We incorporated original tin signs from my family’s farm, a family auction poster from 1926, pictures and trophies of my grandfather’s prize-winning cattle, the original calf barn door track onto our sliding barn door and other mementos that had meaning to us. The previous owners gave us photocopies of historical documents, such as the original deed to the land and letters from the original owner/ builder, William Fowler. Craig and I loved all of this history, so we had the original property leases and land deed framed and display them in our living room to pay homage to the Fowler estate and all who had a part in building our beautiful home.”

To turn the old house into a comfortable family home, Carolyn made sure to layer different styles and textures throughout the rooms. “By mixing different elements throughout the home, such as woods and metals, we were able to create a lived-in, eclectic farmhouse feel with a modern twist.” (See the sidebar on page 49 for Carolyn’s tips on how to turn an old house into a home that reflects your style.)

“By mixing different elements throughout the home, such as woods and metals, we were able to create a lived-in, eclectic farmhouse feel with a modern twist.”

CURB APPEAL

After the interior of the home was brought up to speed, Carolyn was able to focus on the exterior. “Three years after the renovations, we created our porch sanctuary, complete with a hanging daybed swing and dining area,” she says. “Once that was built, we landscaped the entire property and added a flagstone walkway to our mudroom entrance and around to the front door, with gardens surrounding the home filled with white hydrangeas and evergreen bushes.”

Carolyn’s favorite aspect of her home lies in its historical features. “The architectural detail and plaster moldings throughout the home have to be our favorite,” she says. “The door casings and huge baseboards and trim with their dings and dents show decades of history about those who lived there before us. It’s hard to imagine that over 175 years ago, without electricity or a single power tool, such beauty and unique details could be created. We also absolutely love our front porch and spend all summer out there. It’s the most peaceful spot on our property, and the view is unreal.”

GOTHIC BEAUTY. Designer-homeowner Carolyn Wilbrink's renovations and decorations for the exterior of the 1843-built Gothic Revival farmhouse include a metal roof, a custom-stained deck, trimmed and painted millwork posts, custom windows, an outdoor dining set with metal dining chairs and wicker armchairs from Ikea. The front door is original to the home.

RESTFUL RETREAT. The cozy and inviting porch addition was custom built by the couple's friend, Morgan Shaver. It features a custom-stained deck, trimmed millwork posts and a cedar daybed porch swing upholstered with outdoor fabric and cushions.

|ABOVE LEFT| WARM WELCOME. Guests are greeted at the back door with interesting, colorful elements, including a round area rug from Candela Interiors and a hanging Coach light from Savoy House. Refreshments include apple cider, apples and caramel cookies. |ABOVE RIGHT| DINING ALFRESCO. Eating outside is always a treat, and Carolyn has decorated the porch to make the experience even more delightful. The table décor is from Carolyn’s kitchen and the hydrangeas are from her garden. |RIGHT| COZY COMFORTS. The daybed porch swing sets the tone for the relaxed ambience. The space also features stained deck boards, an outdoor rug and gray-washed wicker armchairs from Ikea.

Homeowners Craig and Carolyn Wilbrink with their English bulldog, Georgia, stand at the entrance to their intricately designed home.

PORCH PROFILE. The side view of the porch includes an outdoor dining table from the couple’s friend Marco’s company, TW Studio. It features a reclaimed pine base with galvanized top, raw metal chairs from Structube with a matte powder finish. For lighting, Carolyn chose the Coach house lantern light from Savoy House.

LOVELY LIVING ROOM. The living room was given a new lease on life with a fresh coat of wall paint, fully restored plaster ceilings, refinished original pine floors, cowhide and area rugs, linen armchairs, a vintage-style sofa, an industrial coffee table and a crystal chandelier. |OPPOSITE TOP LEFT| A STEP ABOVE. The front-hall staircase features refinished original pine floors, restored plaster walls, trim and a refinished staircase.

|ABOVE RIGHT| KEEPING DIRT OUT. The mudroom design was clearly not an afterthought for Carolyn. With four active kids, a mudroom is a necessity as a place to hang outerwear, but Carolyn designed this one to be stylish as well. Beautiful flooring, made with natural slate 12-inch x 24-inch tiles, is a charming and practical element for a mudroom. |ABOVE LEFT| Pumpkins and custom-made pillows create a stunning display even though they are neutral in color. The variety of patterns and textures adds interest to the room.

|OPPOSITE RIGHT| FAMILY MEALS. “Our dining tabletop was made from the original 176-year-old joists that we removed when we added the cathedral-style ceiling,” Carolyn says. “We had the table legs made by a local company and painted to match the chairs. The copper pots were left behind by the previous owners and were tarnished so badly we never thought they’d come clean, but my brother Billy worked on them and surprised me with them one day. The chandelier is from Pottery Barn.” |OPPOSITE BOTTOM| BUTLER’S PANTRY. Old treasures make up this corner of the kitchen. The Milk bottles are from Carolyn’s grandfather’s dairy, Avonsyde Dairy, which was once one of the largest in their area. “The wood shelves are made from the original joists out of our ceiling in the kitchen, and my father welded up the wall brackets,” she says. |BELOW| STORE MORE. In addition to the custom kitchen cabinets they designed, there is hidden storage on the back of the island. Carolyn customized the Kitchen Aid refrigerator to give it a commercial feel by adding handles and a custom metal header.

FARMHOUSE FRESH. This is where Carolyn’s skill at creating a modern farmhouse look really shines. The barn door is hung on the calf-barn door track from the original family farm. Carolyn’s dad took it off before they tore it down. The tin sign is also a family-farm heirloom. The exposed brick wall took weeks to chisel the paint off. “When we removed the plaster and exposed the brick, we discovered the doorway to the servants’ stairs, which is why there’s a second barn door,” Carolyn says.

|BELOW| MASTERFUL BEDROOM. The master bedroom combines sophistication with comfort, thanks to refinished original pine floors, cozy linens and elegant finds like the refinished antique dresser and nightstands. |OPPOSITE LEFT| GIRL POWER. The chair is from Marshall’s, and the desk was an antique that Carolyn bought finished. Her blush velvet drapes were custom pinch pleated. |OPPOSITE RIGHT| COLOR MAKEOVERS. The bedding is from Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen. The chandelier was a Home Depot special that Carolyn spray-painted off white. The daybed was bought secondhand and custom-painted black.

|RIGHT| RUSTIC RESTROOM. A rustic farmhouse-style look is achieved in this powder room with a wall of exposed brick, custom trim work, marble basket-weave tiles and a farmhouse-style sink and hardware.

|ABOVE RIGHT| Carolyn built the wooden abacus, with her father’s help, for son, Case, before he was born. |OPPOSITE| BOY CAVE. The boys’ bedroom takes on a vintage vibe with round mirrors above the beds, refinished original pine floors and custom baseboards.