Restoring the Family Farm
STORY: LORI DAVIS | PHOTOGRAPHY: SANDY MACKAY
The tray that inspired the renovation of this century brick home is displayed on the antique mantel.
A simple slogan inspired Ron and Cathy Brown’s amazing 18-month journey to preserve a precious family legacy. “I saw a serving tray inscribed with ‘TOGETHER, THEY BUILT A LIFE THEY LOVED,’ and knew it was the perfect inspiration for the project we were planning,” says Cathy.
Ron recently inherited his parents’ 50-acre farm with a charming, four-bedroom house in Paisley. For more than 60 years, Ron’s parents Gordon and Eileen Brown farmed the land, tended cattle and raised three sons. “They were very special people,” says Cathy. “This farmhouse stands as a testament to them and the life they built here.” “It was an amazing place to grow up,” recalls Ron, who worked the farm with his brothers.
Trim throughout the home is painted Benjamin Moore White Dove supplied by Grey Bruce Paint & Décor.
Originally built in 1895, this three-generation farmhouse had to be completely gutted from the original seven bedrooms and one bathroom to the home it is today. Cathy and Ron wanted renovations to reflect Gordon and Eileen’s remarkable heritage. They enlisted designers Courtney Mahon and Donna Hall, owners of Blended Interiors, to help them fuse a classic farmhouse vibe with some modern, updated aesthetics. “Ron and Cathy’s love for the family farm inspired this project,” says Courtney. “There are unique features and pieces collected over the years and we knew the goal was to save and reuse them where we could.” Donna and Courtney skillfully wove classic touches with modern conveniences. “They were absolutely amazing,” says Cathy. “What began as a business relationship quickly turned into friendships that we will treasure forever.”
The restored original front door of the home is painted Benjamin Moore Pomegranate and now leads to a closet.
The original hemlock wallboards were repurposed and used throughout the home while exterior gingerbread trim was repurposed as décor in the upstairs reading nook. The original front door, complete with doorbell and decorative scrolling, was salvaged from the rafters of the driving shed and reinstalled as an interior door leading to a new closet in the dining room. CJW Custom Woodworking restored the door’s original hardware, replaced glass panels with seeded glass and painted it bright pomegranate. “When I was a kid, I remember mom wanted to change the front door and stuck this one in the shed,” Ron recalls. They incorporated their Scottish and Canadian heritage into the design by using family heirlooms and antiques as décor. “We tried to combine both heritages to make this ‘our’ home. Some antique items came from my two grandmothers and some prints came from Scotland,” she says.
The Browns used local trades including James Moyse Contracting to handle the renovation while North Star Carpentry built three new porches and installed the steel roof. The Water Store supplied the reverse osmosis system. “We were very fortunate that almost every single trade that came into our home saw our vision and treated it with the utmost respect,” says Ron.
The subway tile backsplash is a modern addition that highlights the brick wall. Cathy’s grandmother’s hen-shaped egg dish sits at the top of the open shelving.
Cathy loves baking and entertaining, so updating and enlarging the kitchen, added in 1910, was a must. Courtney and Donna reclaimed space from an unfinished mud/laundry room and incorporated an unused “butler” staircase as auxiliary access to the second-floor primary suite. “By doing this, we were able to add a dining room and create a U-shaped kitchen with a huge island,” says Donna. Luxury Woodworking and Cabinets Ltd. supplied custom, soft-close cabinets that contrast beautifully with an original, red brick wall. “We spent an entire week chiseling the plaster off that wall,” says Ron.
“It was a lot of work but totally worth it when we saw the result.” A hen-shaped egg jar that belonged to Cathy’s Scottish grandmother roosts on open shelving while Gordon’s CN Rail clock has kept time in the kitchen for six decades.
Donna and Courtney created light and space in the entranceway by revamping the home’s foyer. They removed part of a wall, creating a TV/media room, allowing more natural light to filter into the foyer. “The original staircase was very dark so we opted to run with a softer, lighter colour palette throughout the main and second floor,” Donna adds. All trim and mouldings for the project came from South Bruce Flooring.
In the sitting room, an electric fireplace, installed by Ashpark Electric, sports an antique mantel, salvaged from a century-old barn. Family artifacts as well as barn doors Ron made from reclaimed wood flavour the room with nostalgia. The piano in the room has been in the family for generations. An antique trunk serves as a coffee table while Ron’s grandpa’s chair provides a cosy place to relax.
In the reading nook, gingerbread from the exterior of the home was repurposed. The wall colour throughout is Benjamin Moore Pale Oak.
The second floor underwent a metamorphosis that included creation of a primary suite, new bathroom, walk-in closet and laundry room. “Everything on the second floor was a massive transformation,” says Courtney. They also refashioned the somewhat spooky service stairs off the kitchen into a beautiful transition to the primary suite, making it private and separate from the three guest bedrooms.
The guest rooms brim with memories of Gordon and Eileen’s history. A wooden ladder, reclaimed from the driving shed, displays Eileen’s award-winning quilts while her glasses, old books and a rotary dial telephone grace a night table. In the Petunia room, a colourful painting of a cow hangs over the bed. “Eileen and Gordon were compassionate toward their cows and every single one had a name. Petunia was one of their favourites,” Cathy says.
A panelled feature wall in a guest bedroom is painted Benjamin Moore Pilgrim Haze. Bedding and pillows follow a similar colour palette.
Wilson Solutions provided and installed all window coverings for the home. Now that the renovation is completed, Cathy and Ron, who currently reside in Owen Sound, look forward to living at the farm full time. “Because of Mom and Dad, we are here today. Our hope is to continue to share our home and make memories with family and friends for many generations to enjoy,” says Ron. Donna and Courtney are thrilled with the results of their collaboration with the Browns. “We wanted to create a home that would last for another 100 years, where new generations could add to those memories and enjoy spaces that functioned well,” says Courtney. OH