This article first appeared in the Interiors 2015 issue of Ottawa Magazine.

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By SARAH BROWN

When a young professional couple contacted Chuck Mills in 2013 to discuss updating their tiny 1930s-era Westboro home, they had three items on their wish list: a comprehensive interior and exterior renovation, an expansion, and the creation of a unified look with an Arts and Crafts feel. One year later, the resulting transformation won a coveted award for Mills and his collaborator, Steve Barkhouse of Amsted Design Build, at the annual Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association Design Awards.

“It really was a perfect marriage between designer and client. Arts and Crafts is my design sweet spot,” says Mills of the style that incorporates details and handcrafted materials. “It was a real thrill to work with clients who respected that style and were very aware of making sure their renovated house would still fit with the neighbourhood.”

While many of the rooms feature vibrant paint colours, the kitchen and bathroom are linked by a more subtle palette of greys and greens. Grey accents are repeated in the backsplash tiles in the kitchen, the tiled fireplace surround in the adjoining living room, and the floor and wall tiles in the ensuite bathroom.

Both rooms also feature patterned tiling — a subtle diamond-patterned backsplash in the kitchen and a bolder pebble-stone tile in the bathroom. By contrast, it is the kitchen that highlights a bolder green hue on one wall, while the ensuite glows throughout with an ever so pale grey-green. The two rooms are also tied through the cabinetry, with both having the same door styles and painted finishes to give them a softer look. “There’s a lot of personality to this house,” says Mills. “But it’s a unified personality, and that’s really special.”

Photo by Gordon King

The Team
Designer: Chuck Mills Residential Design & Development Inc.
Contractor: Amsted Design Build

Kitchen
Backsplash: Sunflower Mini Ming Green Marble from Saltillo Imports Ottawa
Cabinetry (main): Deslaurier Custom Cabinets
Cabinetry (island): Solid cherry doors with Brazil-nut stain, Deslaurier
Cabinetry hardware: Blom, Deslaurier
Dishwasher: GE Monogram
Faucet: Delta Trinsic, Ensuite Bath & Kitchen 
Flooring: Nirwana Tropical Walnut Collection from Ottawa Diamond Flooring
Hood: GE Monogram, 36-inch
Island counter: Caesarstone Ice Snow
Paint: Terrapin Green from Benjamin Moore
Pendant lights: Coronado from Multi Luminaire
Refrigerator: GE Monogram
Sink: Kohler Strive from The Ensuite Bath & Kitchen Showroom
Stools: Bouclair Home
Stove: GE Monogram, 36-inch with six-burner range

Bathroom
Cabinetry: Deslaurier Custom Cabinets
Chandelier: Canarm from Marchand Lighting + Electrical
Counter: Ecostone White Diamond
Faucets (sinks): Riobel CS from The Ensuite Bath & Kitchen Showroom
Faucets (tub): Riobel from The Ensuite Bath & Kitchen Showroom
Faucet (shower): Riobel controls, rain head, and rod-mounted wand from The Ensuite Bath & Kitchen Showroom
Flooring (main): Waterfall series Niagara tiles from Ottawa Diamond Flooring
Flooring (shower): CV Pebble four-colour tile from Saltillo Imports Ottawa
Mirrors: Casa Luna Furniture & Accessories
Paint: Antiguan Sky by Benjamin Moore
Shower glass: Mirror Works
Shower (wall tile): Waterfall series Niagara tiles from Ottawa Diamond Flooring with CV Pebble four-colour mix slice accent from Saltillo Imports Ottawa
Sconces: Vetri
Sinks: Kohler, Reve vessel basins
Toilet: Kohler, Highline dual flush from The Ensuite Bath & Kitchen Showroom
Tub: Kohler, Escale collection, from The Ensuite Bath & Kitchen Showroom