Tamara Woolgar was feeling hemmed in by Toronto’s concrete skyline and missed the open prairies and hills of her hometown of Calgary, Alberta. Craving a respite from the bustling town, Woolgar and partner Dave Suydam purchased a straightforward 1960s bungalow nestled between vineyards and cherry orchards in one of Canada’s lush wine country towns. They set to work using a midcentury-inspired renovation, executing a complete overhaul of the first floor and adding another story made as a personal getaway to capitalize on the magnificent views.
at a Glance
Who lives here: Tamara Woolgar, Dave Suydam and their 3 daughters
Location: Near Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
Size: 2,664 square feet plus an 8-acre vineyard
; 4 bedrooms, two1/2 baths, garage
Before Photo
The present house was cramped for a family of five, and ill suited to make the most of its spectacular environment, but its overall design informed the new design. The couple claimed the present footprint, building up rather than out.
Andrew Snow Photography
AFTER: The couple left the garage as they found it but stripped the bungalow to the studs, fully modernizing the structure and also adding an extra floor. In a nod to the first house, they retained the present front measures intact.
They worked with a local architect to prepare permit drawings, and with a builder for the build, but handled the design work, preparation and material selection by themselves.
Andrew Snow Photography
They reorganized the ground-floor design to contain bedrooms for the three children; a toilet; an open-plan kitchen, living and dining space; plus a small TV nook. The newly created second floor includes spaces intended solely for the couple. Smaller in size, this degree is also an open plan and contains a workplace, a sitting room, a semiprivate bedroom, a main en suite plus a south-facing terrace.
On all four sides of the house are large, full-height windows shaded by deep overhangs, designed to keep the house cool in summer and permit winter sunshine in for extra warmth. A geothermal system set up under the driveway helps regulate temperature as well.
The large main-floor terrace doubles the magnitude of the living area in the summertime, and a solar-heated saltwater pool brings cool air through the terrace doors (not to mention being the kids’ favorite way to combat the warmth when the mercury rises).
Windows, doors: Marvin; pool: Boldt Pools & Spas; orange and aqua doormats: Maine Float Rope Company
Andrew Snow Photography
Woolgar was fascinated by midcentury modern design for several years before renovating. She read up on architects and designers like Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Neutra and George Nelson, and honored homes like the Farnsworth House and Koenig’s Case Study House #22. She developed a clear vision for the house: some thing open, simple and linear, with a lot of natural light for warmth and colour.
With the help of Suydam, she chose a neutral palette of natural materials for the exterior cladding: quartzite ledgestone veneer and stained wood. The minimalist window frames were painted to draw in the views, and the couple chose the same shade for the fascia, helping to emphasize the structure’s linearity.
Andrew Snow Photography
Facing west and south, the corner bedroom is perfectly situated to capture the breathtaking Niagara sunsets, rolling thunderstorms and Canada Day fireworks. Being a flooring higher completely changes the perspectives on their degree plot of land, as distant vistas become framed through wraparound Marvin windows. The set installed bamboo flooring in the bedroom and throughout most of the house.
Bed: American Modern, Design Within Reach
Andrew Snow Photography
The bedroom is partly isolated from the rest of the upstairs living room, letting it feel like its space whilst still maintaining an open design. The owners’ penchant for midcentury style is countered by their own edgy and irreverent taste in decor and art. Here they matched a graphic navy and pearl wallpaper pattern from Flavor Paper with a color-splashed print by Toronto artist Denial.
Dresser: Morgan, Structube; lamp: Capri Bottle Lamp, Jonathan Adler; wallpaper: Sassy Toile, Flavor Paper
Andrew Snow Photography
The focus of the bathroom is a large soaker tub, centrally situated near a large south-facing window. The opinion is perfectly styled, offering the perfect place for sitting and watching the sun cross the sky.
The homeowners installed blinds by SelectBlinds in the restroom and throughout the house.
Andrew Snow Photography
The couple rented a cottage in south-central Ontario several summers before embarking on their renovation and adored that the house had a partial second-story adults-only region that contained the main bedroom, office, sitting room and en suite. The brothers had the run of the main floor and cellar, so the second floor became a personal escape. In the get-go, they knew they wanted to replicate that feeling inside their own house.
Sofa: Reverie Apartment Sofa, EQ3; cupboard: PS, Ikea; place carpeting: Örsted, Ikea
Andrew Snow Photography
Both often work in this house office. Woolgar is the proprietor of Prairie Ink PR, a PR and communications company, while Suydam is the president of Architech, a company focused on software plan, design and development. Matching desks and Herman Miller office chairs face north and are positioned near the canopy of a large tree to help cut back on direct sunlight. Even though they now work and live in Toronto, the two visit this house whenever possible and plan to finally move here full time.
Desks: Adel, Structube; office chairs: Sayl, Herman Miller
Andrew Snow Photography
Just off the office is a south-facing terrace, devoting some personal exterior space to relish the warm summer nights. Outdoor furniture fits the colours of the vineyard below.
Tavern cart: Ernest, CB2; exterior seating: Tropea Lounger, The Bay; java table: Pebble, West Elm; hurricane lamp: Tubie, CB2
Andrew Snow Photography
Considering that the stairs are so visible in the new design, the pair chosen for an open-riser design to maintain the machine looking as clear and light as possible. They used maple for the treads, stained to match the classic dining table.
Andrew Snow Photography
The tiled mudroom is the point where the household typically enters the house. Log stumps out of West Elm mimic the trees through the window ; the kids pull their shoes off here as it pertains indoors.
Log stumps: West Elm; doormat: Skinny Stripe, Chilewach
Andrew Snow Photography
Pink accessories decorate among the daughter’s bedrooms, offset by white and two-tone furniture from Ikea.
Dresser: Mandal; dining table: Micke; office chair: Jules, all three bits out of Ikea; graffiti decal: Scribble On That Which
Before Photo
The previous owners had a formal living area just off the main entry that was underutilized. It served more as a pass-through to the rest of the house.
Andrew Snow Photography
AFTER: The renovation opened front area to the rest of the house, enabling guests to flow more easily into the main living area. The revised furniture structure created a nook for those kids to read and watch TV in, while the sofa (out of Structube) provides overnight lodging in a pinch.
Sofa bed: Flow, Structube; credenza: Line Media Console, Design Within Reach; pouf: Knitted Pool Pouf, CB2
Andrew Snow Photography
A view from the sitting room demonstrates how the main spaces now feed into one another. Groupings of strong and furniture figurines, such as the light fixture, help delineate unique places. The fixture is really made up of two pendants — the Firefly, from CB2.
Dining table: 2Loons, Design Circle; bowls: Loyal Loot Log Bowls, Kit Interior Objects
Before Photo
The dark walls and oak veneer cabinetry combined with outdated linoleum floors and an inefficient design made the prior kitchen seem more bloated than it really was.
Andrew Snow Photography
AFTER: Woolgar and Suydam pulled all cabinetry off the back wall so that they could optimize the south-facing window openings. They made the area about off-the-shelf Ikea parts, however, the kitchen appears habit. The present ceiling elevation was taller than the complete height Ikea cabinetry and if they couple expected closing the gap, they ended up leaving it as is. They paired the birch cabinets with minimalist Caeserstone countertops and linear door pulls to complete the appearance.
Andrew Snow Photography
The replanned kitchen is organized around a central island, making sure that the space doesn’t feel cut off from the rest of the house. Since the cooktop needed to maintain the island, the set installed a Broan downdraft hood that hides when not being used. This allows for uninterrupted views while still cooking.
Before Photo
The view from the sitting area into the rest of the house demonstrates how broken the prior living space was.
Andrew Snow Photography
AFTER: With the main partition walls eliminated and the size and number of windows considerably increased, the main floor takes on a totally different feel. It’s often hard to imagine this project is a renovation rather than a brand new build.
Position at the center of the area is a classic walnut dining table from Design Republic surrounded by replica Eames molded plastic chairs.
Before Photo
The present living room was packed with furniture and blocked the sole full-height views to the outside.
Andrew Snow Photography
AFTER: Currently anchored by a stunning floating hearth from Fireorb, the main seating area mixes midcentury classics with newer bits from CB2 and EQ3. As with the rest of the house, the decoration is kept to a minimum to permit the sweeping views to take centre stage.
Situated in the southeast corner of the house, the distance captures the dawn sunrise as well as diffuses light through the trees across the rest of the day. “We never get tired of waking up to this view or viewing the sunsets, hearing the birds and spying on local wildlife,” Woolgar states. “We know how lucky we are to be here and there’s not a day that we take it for granted. “
Wood-burning fireplace: Fireorb; planters: Case Study, Room & Board
Andrew Snow Photography
Though quirky touches are available throughout each space, midcentury design is really the foundation for the couple’s design aesthetic, both in architecture and interior decoration. Woolgar stuck with fresh lines and pared-back furnishings as far as possible.
Art: “Enjoy Denial” painting by Denial andsamurai wall mural by Camilla D’Errico, Eyes On Walls; sofa: Reverie, EQ3; carpeting: Tiller, EQ3
Andrew Snow Photography
Unbeknownst to Woolgar and Suydam, the vineyard they purchased is among the very sought after in all Niagara County (a significant wine-producing area in Canada). The neighborhood community breathed a sigh of relief when the pair called upon among the premier viticulturists in the area to look after the vines, making sure that the chardonnay grapes grown on their land could continue to be made into award-winning white wines by wineries like Peller Estates, Lailey and Ravine.
Andrew Snow Photography
A few steps away from the terrace, a sculptural Cor-Ten fire bowl by John T. Unger modernizes the ritual of sitting around the fire. The kids love to hang out here at night and play cards or create s amores.
The couple finished the renovation in the fall of 2012, so the landscaping remains a work in progress. Thus far, with the help of Kiva Landscaping Design, they have implanted blue fescue around the pool and also russian sage, blue hostas and a variety of tall grasses on the north and east sides, and have laid river rock adjacent to the house. They chose not to overdesign the landscaping, wanting it to be rather easy and natural, in keeping with their environment. Next summer they plan to replace the overgrown foliage near the fire bowl with a row of Silver Feather grass.
Fire bowl: John T. Unger; landscaping (in progress): Kiva Landscaping Design
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