Comfort And Joy
Story Merrilyn Patterson | Photographer Jason Hartog
Joleen and Costa Constantis learned valuable lessons when they built their first home in the south end of Guelph. That build gave them enough confidence the second time around to find the perfect location to design and build their forever home. Their lot backs onto a designated green space near a park and schools in a quiet, young neighbourhood in mid-Guelph. Joleen says they wanted to design a home they could enjoy as they transition from a young family to their golden years. “A house to grow into as the dynamics of the family change.”
Joleen is Principal Designer at Volumes of Space Inc. and her early background in the construction industry and expertise in interior design gave her the knowledge needed to create a home to suit their lifestyle and future needs. It took two years to build and they moved into the home in March of 2010.
The kitchen and living room are the hub, where Joleen says the family spends most of its time. With two boys, Milo, 7, and Niko, 5, and parents who both run businesses from home, life is nothing short of frantic.
Joleen designed an extra-large kitchen island with ample space for cooks, food prep and room for the kids to craft projects and complete homework. The island plan allowed for extra floor space where the kids love to play. “In fact,” Joleen says, “we sometimes have picnic dinners on the floor – the kids love it!”
Cabinetry and countertops were supplied by Barzotti Woodworking Ltd. through the builder, Pidel Homes. Joleen chose shaker doors and a neutral palette of off-white and grey and selected a billowy silk window valance to soften the linear and contemporary style. Throughout the house she has also incorporated custom architectural detailing, including a coffered ceiling in the living room, millwork on the staircase wall, and wide window and door casings.
Costa calls the kitchen, “Joleen’s perpetual pet project.” Joleen says it’s true and that it may never be finished. For instance, the “right” backsplash hasn’t presented itself to her yet, so she pulled a prop from a staging job that pulls together all the colours in the room and in the interim gives the wall behind the range some contrast and texture.
Joleen wanted defined spaces as opposed to the open concept layouts you often see in new builds. “It’s important to frame large room openings, so that there are clear lines for where paint colours start and stop,” she explains, pointing to the transition from the kitchen to the living room.
The house was chosen to be featured on the JOY Home Tour last November. Joleen says decorating for the Christmas tour was a catalyst to complete some of the projects she had been planning for years. They installed a coffered ceiling in the living room, bought new chairs for the dining room and a new hall table from Accents for Living. The whole house was painted, with hardly a moment to spare before the tour.
Joleen and her design team from Volumes of Space worked feverishly for weeks to make sure each room had interesting and inspiring ideas for the more than 800 tour goers to consider for their own homes. There was a definite natural outdoor crafts theme that suits Joleen’s young family and the way they live.
Rug & Weave co-sponsored the home. They supplied the one-of-a-kind rugs in the living room, master en suite and master bedroom. The trees and all other decorations were designed and expertly placed by Joleen’s team, with the exception of the guest suite, which was decorated by Acqua Salon.
The separate dining room is used for family dinners and the table becomes a huge buffet snack table for large parties. Joleen wanted to bring the outside in, so she chose a Crown wallpaper depicting stands of birch.
Off the back hallway, there’s a laundry and mudroom that Joleen has plans to change. She’d like to move the laundry to the basement and turn the entire space into a larger mudroom. Costa says most of the drama in the house happens in this room because there’s no space to move around. “It’s the entry from the garage and the boys are always bumping into each other,” he says.
The master bedroom upstairs has an electric fireplace and decorative wall details, completed by Rimik Contracting. The en suite features a Kohler Escale soaker tub that Joleen insists is for her alone. The boys have a Jack-and-Jack bathroom to share, so this elegant spa-like space is her retreat.
Milo’s room has a Where the Wild Things Are theme, and Niko has a world of travels and adventure to dream about when he’s in his bed. There is also a welcoming guest suite starring bold floral wallpaper when friends and family come to stay.
All dressed for the holidays, and still in planning mode for the future, Joleen and her family are living the life they so carefully planned, and loving their home as they grow. For details about this year’s home tour go to christmasjoy.ca OH
