My Houzz: Youthful Freshness for a Traditional Toronto Home
Modern and handmade touches help antiques and traditional architecture lighten up in a hundred-year-old Canadian house
For 30-year-old Lauren Bunton, finding ways to modernize her traditional, century-old Toronto home and collection of rustic antiques became her biggest remodeling challenge. "I walked into the living room one day and realized it looked just like my grandmother's parlor," says Bunton, who's vice president and director of sales at Hosted Villas. "I have since worked to find pieces of art, lighting and more recently flooring that keeps the space looking fresh and modern — like one a 30-year-old lives in, and not, stylish as she is, my 90-plus grandmother."
By opening up rooms and revamping the kitchen, but still honoring the home’s traditional roots by adding century-old wainscoting, Bunton created a cool space befitting her age. And yet it’s something in which even her grandmother would feel right at home.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Lauren Bunton
Location: High Park neighborhood of Toronto
Size: 2,500 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
By opening up rooms and revamping the kitchen, but still honoring the home’s traditional roots by adding century-old wainscoting, Bunton created a cool space befitting her age. And yet it’s something in which even her grandmother would feel right at home.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Lauren Bunton
Location: High Park neighborhood of Toronto
Size: 2,500 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
This guest bedroom features a soothing color palette with original details like crown molding that frame modern pieces like an Eames rocker.
Eames rocker: Craigslist; light fixture: Home Depot
Eames rocker: Craigslist; light fixture: Home Depot
Another guest bedroom reflects Bunton's design philosophy and does double duty as a spot for watching television or welcoming overnight guests. "For me, great design is unexpected and not easily defined. It is less about a certain style or one thing that can be pinpointed, and more about the way a number of components come together to create something that just feels right," she says.
Pillows: West Elm
Pillows: West Elm
On the third floor, Bunton recently opened up a hallway and two small rooms into an open-layout studio and office space, separated from a main bedroom by sliding glass doors.
"With the bulk of the house being more compartmentalized in design, I wanted to create a feeling that the house opened up and really transitioned into a space of lightness as you reached the third floor," she says.
"With the bulk of the house being more compartmentalized in design, I wanted to create a feeling that the house opened up and really transitioned into a space of lightness as you reached the third floor," she says.
Bunton describes herself as a "trial-by-error decorator."
"I need to see a concept fully realized to know if it works for me — or if it drives me crazy," she says. "This does mean a lot of patching and repainting, but for me it is the only way to define exactly what I want. I am made fun of by my friends for pulling decorating all-nighters, but I can’t sleep if I know something is off and could be made better."
Bedding: Pintuck, West Elm; pillow fabric: Sarah Watson Indian Summer collection; floor lamp: Adjustable Metal Floor Lamp, West Elm
"I need to see a concept fully realized to know if it works for me — or if it drives me crazy," she says. "This does mean a lot of patching and repainting, but for me it is the only way to define exactly what I want. I am made fun of by my friends for pulling decorating all-nighters, but I can’t sleep if I know something is off and could be made better."
Bedding: Pintuck, West Elm; pillow fabric: Sarah Watson Indian Summer collection; floor lamp: Adjustable Metal Floor Lamp, West Elm
In her studio space, Bunton keeps clutter hidden in boxes and displays her favorite magazine, Kinfolk, on shelves above.
"After looking at a variety of wallpaper options, I realized that my budget called for something more modest and found that matte-finished vinyl was the perfect solution," she says.
Wall coverings: vinyl, NouWall
"After looking at a variety of wallpaper options, I realized that my budget called for something more modest and found that matte-finished vinyl was the perfect solution," she says.
Wall coverings: vinyl, NouWall
On the other side of the room, a desk is tucked under a sloped alcove that Bunton painted with chalkboard paint. On the left she customized Ikea cabinets with wallpaper to house her growing fabric collection.
Bookcases: Bestå, Ikea
Bookcases: Bestå, Ikea
Being almost a century old, her home has revealed different parts of its past. An overhaul of the basement uncovered piles of old newspapers used as insulation. Bunton also uncovered layers of paint — the trim in the house was previously painted forest green — and a piece of old floral wallpaper left behind a kitchen cupboard.
Here, outside of her bedroom, Bunton artfully displays some of these finds on a chest that belonged to her grandparents.
Here, outside of her bedroom, Bunton artfully displays some of these finds on a chest that belonged to her grandparents.
While the kitchen is now Bunton's favorite spot in the house, it wasn't always the case. When she bought the house, it had cold gray laminate countertops and was painted top to bottom in a shade of pale yellow. She worked with her father to repaint the cabinets and install birch butcher block.
A more recent addition to the house is the beautiful 150-year-old pine and hemlock wainscoting, designed and installed by Jake Bonnetta and Terence Sheard, founders of Woodchop in Toronto. "They took to heart how I wanted the space to feel, and also how the wood would look against the Mini Moderns Whitby wallpaper that hangs on the upper half of the walls," she says. "Their amazing work is definitely to blame when every gathering at my place ends up being a kitchen party."
Art: 2013 Cities calendar, Rifle Paper; vintage Hermès typerwriter ad
Art: 2013 Cities calendar, Rifle Paper; vintage Hermès typerwriter ad
When Bunton moved in, the kitchen also had white tile flooring that looked dirty no matter how often it was scrubbed. She replaced it with the same hardwood flooring that runs throughout the main floor.
"Aside from my aesthetic love of the space, the island has become a meeting place," says Bunton, who often entertains her friends and family. "Sitting in the kitchen tucked around the island, stories of love and heartbreak, challenge and success, have all been celebrated and mourned. It's a place for daydreaming and for great discussions, and all of those moments contribute to it being a wonderful space that really is my favorite in the home."
Island: Stenstorp, Ikea
"Aside from my aesthetic love of the space, the island has become a meeting place," says Bunton, who often entertains her friends and family. "Sitting in the kitchen tucked around the island, stories of love and heartbreak, challenge and success, have all been celebrated and mourned. It's a place for daydreaming and for great discussions, and all of those moments contribute to it being a wonderful space that really is my favorite in the home."
Island: Stenstorp, Ikea
The entrance immediately offers insight into Bunton's personality. Her job has her traveling the world in search of incredible new villas, so a vintage map of North America roots her back home.
Map: Arcadia Antiques; table: Craigslist; flooring: golden Taun hardwood
Map: Arcadia Antiques; table: Craigslist; flooring: golden Taun hardwood
One of the design challenges of Bunton's home was its original layout: a long space consisting of many small rooms. To make it feel cohesive and less like a collection of smaller moments, she used a consistent color palette in most of the home.
Love seat: Elton, West Elm; mail bags: Etsy; decorative windows: Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Love seat: Elton, West Elm; mail bags: Etsy; decorative windows: Habitat for Humanity ReStore
An original pocket door in the living room is one of Bunton's favorite details. "The way the old wheels squeak and stall at times is a reminder of its age and the number of people who have pulled its beautiful weight slowly closed," she says.
An accent wall of wide vertical stripes highlights a record collection and acts as a focal point in the living room.
How to Paint Perfect Wall Stripes
How to Paint Perfect Wall Stripes
Bunton attributes a lot of her design prowess to growing up and hearing her parents talk about the feel and flow of their family home. "These conversations were never based on design books or the latest trends, but were focused on creating a welcoming space that any individual could enter and feel at home in," she says.
Sideboard: Gadsby's of Gravenhurst
Sideboard: Gadsby's of Gravenhurst
"The scars on my hands still remind me of the work that went into making this space my own," Bunton says. "But what I think I will remember most are the moments that have been lived in each of these rooms, and how honored I am to have a home that allows them to be created."
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Pillow fabric: Lush collection by Erin Michael in Sky