It’s hard for an artist to hide when her palette is a 10,000-square-foot home on the shores of Kempenfelt Bay.
Then again, why would she want to?
When Arch and Helen Brown handed over their 10,000-square-foot home to the United Way of Greater Simcoe County for its 50th anniversary Gala, raising money and awareness for the organization may have been the goal, but it achieved so much more.
What started as a large-scale staging project quickly ballooned into a room-by-room renovation that brought together hundreds of volunteers, including numerous suppliers and more than a dozen of the city’s best and brightest designers.
“I was absolutely thrilled with the amount and level of participation in this event by the design community,” says chairperson Joanne McPhail. McPhail chairs both the United Way of Greater Simcoe County and the Estate on the Bay steering committee. “I think we really struck a chord with this type of event, a first in our community. It was so amazing to be a part of this project that just kept getting bigger and bigger as more people and businesses came to the table to contribute. It was a wonderful example of what United Way does in the community – brining people together to achieve results and make a true impact in the community.”
And those results of bringing people together are as extraordinary as the talented people who devoted their time to the project.
“In the end, the house and exterior looked so spectacular. Everyone was amazed at the tremendous effort everyone put into the spaces,” says Sacred Space Landscape and Design’s Melanie Rekola. “The outcome was incredible. It is amazing that a home designed by so many different people can still look good together. I feel the property speaks for itself; Barrie residences need not to look to the “Big City” for chic and
contemporary design when within our community there is such wonderful and unique talent.”
Sacred Space Landscape and Design took the home’s barren flagstone terrace and transformed it into what Rekola calls an ‘intimate and comfortable’ seating and dining area. The area features an outdoor sofa and lush, freestanding living wall (which initially required watering every two days for seven weeks).
The social aspect of the project, Rekola says, helped breed new friendships (with designers and suppliers) and create memories that will last a lifetime.
This fact was not lost on Cyndie Jerome, of Cyndie Jerome Design.
Not only being ‘absolutely thrilled’ to be among those selected to be part of the project, Jerome says it was such a great opportunity to have some fun and really contribute creatively.
Jerome teamed up with Michelle L. Major of Foxglove Design to tackle the main kitchen and sitting room.
“We approached this challenge to recreate the space by injecting contemporary elements and a warm colour palette to what is truly a great space with an unbelievable view of the bay. We really wanted to capitalize on all the wonderful inherent positive features,” says Jerome. “We enlisted the help and support of more than 30 of our product suppliers and trades to accomplish this. There were several major design elements that we tackled that set the stage for the decorative additions.”
Dufferin Simcoe Flooring helped refinish the existing hardwood to a beautiful, dark espresso shade, and cabinets were removed to open up the room. The pair then enlisted Cambria and Quartzcraft Fabricators to replace the countertops.
“They came to the table and contributed the single most spectacular difference to the kitchen by installing their solid quartz surface in a warm butterscotch shade, that absolutely enhanced the existing exquisite bird’s eye maple cabinetry,” says Jerome. “The quartz was equally enriched by the granite sinks and faucets provided by Blanco. We had the fireplace resurfaced, a backsplash installed, a feature wall of cork wallpaper resembling white birch added, new pendant lights installed above the bar, custom roman valances and sheer draperies created for the windows and a very modern chandelier placed to mimic the effect of light sparkling on the water.”
Custom designed armchairs, plush bar stools and a birch patterned cream, original oil paintings from Red Canoe Gallery, and taupe area rug finish the room.
The project was more than just a palette to showcase their skills, says Jerome.
“Helping the United Way raise their profile in Simcoe County and be a part of all the fun and excitement was an incredible experience,” she says. “I would do it all again and for me personally, I learned so much about the United Way and what an incredible organization it is and also about the satisfaction of giving back to the community.”
Major echoed her colleague’s sentiments.
“This was an amazing project right from the initial meeting. For me the experience was very positive and I would do it again,” says Major. “Through this experience I have met some very professional trades and some of the other designers/decorators. It is always nice to have that support system with each other. It was great to see the quality and talent base of the design trade in this area.”
Best of all, say each of the designers, it was all for a good cause.
“Personally I had never been involved with United Way. I knew they were around, (but) never knew really what they did,” says Michelle Finnamore, of Advantage Staging. “It gave me an opportunity to help raise funds for a group that has the same belief systems that I hold. Everyone deserves a hand up, not a hand out.”
Finnamore chose to design the exterior grounds and the cabana so that she could show her design skills when it comes to designing or staging in a green, environmentally friendly way – including the exterior art pieces, which were made from 65% post consumer steel. The faux rocks used to cover the wellhead and septic system are also biodegradable.
Kyla Cotton from Urban Harvester was also thinking green for her part of the project.
“Edible landscaping is the art of creating beautiful vegetable gardens through design. There is a focus on both productivity and aesthetics,” says Cotton. “I used a method called sheet-composting to build the garden. I used small flagstones that were edging the pre-existing beds to create a path through the edible landscape.”
Among a few ornamental plants, Cotton planted a variety of edible plants, from red cabbage, celery, lettuce, swiss chard, kale, leeks, parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage, strawberries, chrysanthemums, marigolds and calendula.
Cotton says the final product shows that Barrie is home to a variety of creative and professional designers. It also shows the charitable nature of these designers and their suppliers for making this event happen.
Finnamore couldn’t agree more.
“The designers came through in each room with outstanding results that could appear in any major design magazine layout,” she says. “After meeting the other designers, I have personally used two of the designers in my work staging with excellent results and happy clients.”
“As well, I hope we demonstrated how working with a design professional can enhance the decorating process by helping to create a home that not only functions well but adds lasting beauty and enjoyment,” says Cindy Jerome.
While Helene Jattan of The Art of Preparation says the whole process was an personally rewarding, Ricki Mintz from Interior Fabrications adds to this, saying every decorator and designer and supplier took great pride in the Brown house and what they, as a team, accomplished.
“A great deal of the labour was done not only by professional trades, but by us, says Mintz, who chose to the gazebo because of her love of the outdoors. “Bravo to everyone.”
United Way’s 50th anniversary Gala shines spotlight on the city’s best designers
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