Paint-brush fever swept the nation in the 1950s and 60s when postwar Canada fell in love with bright interiors and a palette of new colours proffered by manufacturers in the burgeoning economy.
The downside to this wanton epidemic was the loss of millions of board feet of hardwood doors, baseboards and trims.
Drab oak, mahogany and maple fittings were either removed and replaced with colourful space-age materials or lost under layers of shiny, oil-based enamels.
Anyone who has removed these ultra-adherent paints with wood strippers, steel scrapers and multiple sheets of sandpaper to reveal the gorgeous hardwoods beneath will testify the work was labour-intensive but the result worth the effort.
After a consultation with the homeowners, a designer with an eye for the beauty of wood recently won a reprieve for a 40-year-old house in St. Vital from the ravages of the paint brush.
"My clients really wanted to give their home a fresh, new look and one of the options considered was to paint the oak ceiling beams, pocket doors, baseboards and trim," said interior designer Doreen Gauthier, president of Winnipeg-based Make It Home.
"I suggested they leave most of the wood in its natural state and focus on other ways to achieve their design requirements," she said, adding the baseboards and some of the trim were painted, as was a staircase leading to the second floor.
"My husband and I couldn't be more pleased with Doreen's advice not to paint all of the oak, as well as her overall design concept for our house," said owner Liz.
Part of Gauthier's challenge was to brighten up several areas in the older home using a combination of natural light and paint, as well as pot lights and decorative fixtures.
To this end, a small window in the kitchen was replaced by one that spanned an entire countertop, letting in sufficient natural light to illuminate the darkest regions of the cosmos.
Gauthier further increased the luminosity by replacing dark cabinets with matte white ones made by Ultima Cabinet Works.
By changing the position of the fridge and removing a small dining area and a rail that separated the kitchen from the family room, Gauthier enlarged the eating area to include an island, also by Ultima, and, at the same time, increased access to the room.
The new kitchen countertop, including a double-drop sink and new faucets, is Torquay quartz by Cambria, as is the top of the island.
The floor is solid T&G smoked-oak, which high lights the strong radial figure of the hardwood and creates a visually striking contrast with the white cabinets and island.
The contrast is echoed by bar stools with dark hardwood legs and seats upholstered in white leather; two smaller walls are painted Soho Loft by Benjamin Moore (grey with a red undertone) to complement the greys and reds in the red oak flooring.
All of the appliances are built into the cabinetry, including a double-door stainless-steel fridge that is less deep but wider than conventional ones to allow it to align with the rest of the equipment. The fridge is covered with a smudge-proof coating that resists fingerprints and is easy to clean.
On the wall opposite the main countertop are two floor-to-ceiling pantries with drawers. Next to them are upper cabinets with glass doors and lower cabinets with solid doors. A narrow countertop that divides the cabinets is Torquay quartz with a backdrop of large porcelain tiles that include black, white, grey and red tones to pick up the major colours used in the kitchen.
"I love to entertain," said Liz. "The narrow countertop is ideal as a bar. Overall, I have about four times the working area than in the original kitchen."
Liz and her husband Hugh heard about Gauthier by word-of-mouth. Subsequently, they visited several of her renovations; impressed by her work, they hired her to do a major reno of their house.
"We were just going to have the en suite bathroom redone," said Liz. "But my husband suggested we do the entire house at once and be done with it."
Liz said Gauthier had the ability to zone in on her style, something between contemporary and traditional.
"I had many pictures clipped from magazines that I liked. Doreen looked through them and picked out a common thread that included everything we wanted," said Liz, adding there is nothing she and her husband would change now that the reno is finished.
The work was completed in two stages so the couple would have access to a bedroom, bathroom, cooking area and running water at all times. (Gauthier loans small appliances to her clients when required.)
The kitchen, family room, a powder room and two bathrooms were renovated. As well, wall-to-wall carpet (Chromolon Velour double-chocolate) was laid in the master bedroom and upstairs hallway.
The original floor in the family room was replaced with luxury vinyl planking (LVP) with light sand tones.
Gauthier said the LVP was chosen for its durability because the family room is connected to an outdoor pool and bathers are constantly passing through the area.
A main-floor powder room was gutted and refitted with the same LVP used in the family room, a large mirror with a baroque-style, gold painted frame and a vanity with a Torquay quartz countertop, including an elegant white sink and framed-mirror cupboard doors.
Grey wallpaper with oval shapes and curlicues to match the mirror's frame covers the wall behind the vanity; shimmering grey drapes hang either side of a window.
Lighting includes pot lights throughout the ceiling and a circular hanging lamp that resembles crystal.
Both the main and en suite upstairs bathrooms have in-floor heating; the heated floor extends into a new glass and tile shower in the en suite bathroom.
"I know it's decadent," said Liz. "But it feels so good on my feet."
Other lovely touches include porcelain floor tile with marbled grey streaks in the main bath and hexagonal porcelain with various shades of grey in the en suite. White marble backsplashes accent new vanities in both rooms, as do hanging lamps and pot lights.
"I told Doreen that if we ever decide to move from this house, we will hire her to gut and renovate our new home," said Liz, adding the interior designer has won many accolades.
Gauthier tends to be shy about her achievements so I'll list a couple here: In 2013, she captured gold in the whole house category and silver in the kitchen category at the Manitoba Home Builders Renovation Awards.
You can read clients' comments and view previous work at www.makeithome.ca, click on more testimonials and past projects.
