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.” (more…)