February 15, 2018: IODE Annual Home Tour;
Westboro Homes on the Tour.
By Elanor Brodie.
IODE Laurentian Chapter’s 57th Annual House and Garden Tour is sure to appeal to people who love house and garden design. This year’s tour features 2 very interesting properties in Westboro, along with four others from across the city.
The first is a wonderful home on Hilcrest Avenue that was originally small but has seen additions made to it over the years. The second homeowners added an extension for a new living room and the current owners added a second story to this extension in 2001, for a master bedroom suite. The old summer kitchen has been incorporated into the house with a side door bricked-in with glass, and the kitchen modernized with built-in cabinetry to divide some of the rooms. Windows are custom-made from fir by Lowen Windows of Manitoba with a stained finish. The exterior was completely refinished to replace miss-matched brickwork. Original cedar shingle garage and hen-coop were replaced by a garage and garden-shed, designed to harmonize with the house.
Outdoors the garden features a cowboy statue from Yardley’s, Ottawa. Owners put in a water feature and they have retained the large trees.
Second is a modern house on a corner lot on Highland Avenue completed in 2015. Architect Alex Diaz of Arthouse Developments and Interior Designer Candice Sutcliffe responded to the desires of the owners – with an airy, open plan house, centered around the kitchen; its clean lines, limited colour palette and “rustic” fixtures expressing their taste.
The patio area is designed for outdoor entertaining and is adjacent to the kitchen. It features a very private outdoor room, sheltered from the elements but open to the pool area. The pool echoes the linear design of the whole house.
The four other homes across the city include:
- A charming home in Alta Vista located on a large, treed lot which was designed and built by the owners in 1996. This house is filled with a mixture ranging from antiques and family heirlooms to thrift store purchases and curb side finds. The result of this eclectic blend is a house that is both interesting and easy to live in. The gardens are large and fairly natural for both ease of care and to attract wildlife.
- Two older homes – one in New Edinburgh dating from the 1890s and one in Rockcliffe from the pre-war 1930s building boom both of which feature kitchen renovations and interesting art collections.
- And the last home off of Prince of Wales Drive that is a well appointed family home with a Rideau River view and a small indoor pool.
The focus recipient for the funds raised is the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa. IODE Laurentian Chapter is partnering with them to support their Mattress Program which will ensure homeless youth have a safe place to sleep.
Tickets are $35 and will be available as of mid March at retailers across Ottawa and on-line.
For updated news about our tour please visit our website at http://laurentian.iode.ca
Photo Caption: A Highland Avenue home, the work of Architect Alex Diaz of Arthouse Developments is one of two Westboro homes featured on the IODE Annual House and Garden Tour. Photo courtesy of Arthouse Developments.
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