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INTERIOR DESIGN A 19th Century PEC Farmhouse Gets a Modern Update
A 19th Century PEC Farmhouse
Gets a Modern Update
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FARMHOUSE DESIGN STUDIO
The Main Street building is an 1800s Wellington farmhouse with a modernized addition that incorporates the local landscape for a perfectly renewed historic homestead.
Designed as a family home ideal for gathering and entertaining, this modern addition was meant to complement the existing structure without overpowering the original Prince Edward County home. Through neutral design choices juxtaposed against the charm and character of the 19th century, the addition project was designed by Farmhouse Design Studio’s project coordinator Evan Nash–just prior to the studio’s formation in 2019. “We formed Farmhouse Design Studio because we wanted to introduce the architectural design process into what Evan had started with this project, and offer it as a service,” says designer Gabriel Ramirez. Based in Prince Edward County, the studio focuses on residential design with an ethos that seeks to embed environmentally conscious building and design into the current reshaping and development that’s become prevalent in the County. “A very heavy emphasis was put on respecting the beauty and heritage of the original building,” says Nash.
The extruded gable end over the half hexagonal window bank to a calling card of noteworthy local builder WW Fitzgerald. It can be seen on several prominent homes in and around Wellington.
The aim of the exterior was to maintain the look and feel of the handsome century home as it is viewed from the street while creating a modern feel from the back. A shed roof was chosen to direct water run off safely away from the building and the neighbours. Cedar shakes were used as exterior cladding against white trims to enhance the dramatic look of this feature
“Anything that could be restored in the original structure, was.” Whenever you open up a house that’s more than a hundred years old, there are bound to be some surprises, he says, “but the trick is to plan for the unexpected.” They were able to restore the original floors, saving 90% of them. One primary hurdle for the property was water mitigation, which became a prominent concern once excavation began. “The water from the fields to the north seemed to run right off the shale into the back of the house,” explains Nash, noting the grading was corrected to create a swale at the rear of the property.
The home itself integrates effectively with its surrounding natural environment. “The setting is parklike and always full of birds, squirrels, rabbits, foxes and other wildlife. We sought to create a good flow between the indoor and outdoor living spaces while retaining privacy,” says Nash.
With strategic window placement, the addition ensures street views and neighbours are blocked from view while the windows focus the eye outward to the surrounding greenspace. >>
The kitchen was designed to be the heart of this home. The space is large enough to accommodate a group but still homey when not filled with people.
Painstaking care was taken to restore the beautiful features from the turn of the century, the floors and ceiling were stripped and refinished. The tin panels were repaired and repainted as needed. A local craftsman was able to reproduce the baseboard profile to make repairs and modifications.
The flow in the spaces accommodates multiple people. While leaving enough room for the cook to work without crowding.
The rear addition space was created to offer informal entertaining space with easy transition between casual seating, the kitchen and the outdoor living area. This beautiful brick house offered a few pleasant surprises–like the wooden wall behind the TV in the living room, hidden trim, and the original hardwood flooring. “I love this house because it’s Fitzgerald,” explains Nash. “W. W. Fitzgerald was a prominent builder and architect in Wellington at the turn of the century. He was ahead of his time in some respects and is responsible for some of Wellington’s finest homes. I consider his work very important to Wellington and if I get the opportunity to work on one of his buildings, I always try to leave it better than when I found it.”
Elevating this project was one of Nash’s favourite exterior features: cedar shakes. They can be challenging because you must anticipate they will change colour over time. “This house had an interesting pronounced shape from the street side,” says Nash. “The shakes allow the focus to be on the architecture of the structure rather than the cladding.”
Farmhouse Design Studio strives to create buildings that are respectful of the traditional architecture in PEC while adding contemporary comfort and style to the captivating history that is deeply embedded in its buildings. “We want to create bespoke spaces that will foster a sense of place, while working within the vernacular, natural beauty, and history of Prince Edward County.”
Making Waves
BY MATT DRISCOLL PHOTOGRAPHY BY TAYLOR NULLMEYER
Niru Somayajula steers the ship from Collingwood to Nova Scotia
Whether it’s navigating the ebb and flow of national economic cycles or the frigid swells of the Great Lakes, Niru Somayajula knows how to ride the waves. Somayajula is the President and CEO of Sensor Technology Ltd, a world leader in hi-tech manufacturing of underwater sonar solutions based out of both Collingwood, Ontario, and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
“I hate to say I live a double life but I kind of do,” explains Somayajula from her part-time home in Halifax. “Collingwood is an incredible place to live but Ontario is very isolated when it comes to ocean tech. Out here, we’re able to do testing in the ocean and we’re surrounded by like-minded companies along with many of our customers and partners.”
It’s a long way from the Collingwood pottery company where Sensor Technology has its roots. Those roots began with Blue Mountain Pottery, a Collingwood-based company founded in 1953 and closed in 2004.
At one point, Blue Mountain Pottery was one of the largest pottery manufacturers in the country, employing more than 700 people from its Collingwood headquarters. Blue Mountain Pottery hired Dr. Eswar Prasad, who holds a degree in physics and also happens to be Somayajula’s father, to handle a new hi-tech division of the pottery company. While Blue Mountain Pottery was eventually forced to close its doors, the hi-tech branch, under Dr. Prasad and Somayajula’s mother, Shashi, broke away and eventually formed Sensor Technology Limited. >>
—Niru Somayajula
With over 35 years of experience, Sensor Technology specializes in working with their clients to provide innovative, customized solutions that provide repeatable results. Their market penetration is global in scope, and they specialize in these industry sectors: defense, aquaculture, energy, oceanography and hydrography.
Sensor Technology is focused on the design and manufacturing of piezoelectric ceramic materials, custom acoustic transducers and custom hydrophones. These products are used in all manner of underwater applications. Oil and gas companies use them to locate hydrocarbons, others use them in underwater construction and they have even been used to locate the wreckage of historic plane crashes underwater using echolocation, similar to the method bats use to navigate through the dark.
While the tech used might seem complicated to the layperson, it’s second nature to Somayajula. “Some of my earliest memories are of walking around the factory floor,” she says. “I guess it’s in my blood.”
That being said, the path from owner’s daughter to president and CEO was far from a linear one.
“Growing up in small-town Ontario, like a lot of kids I wanted nothing more than to leave and see the world,” says Somayajula.
In 2007, she was in grad school when her parents asked her to step in as interim manager of the company while it was in the process of being sold. The sale ultimately fell through, but Somayajula found that she had fallen in love with the family business and in 2011 she assumed the role of president and CEO and bought out the shares of the business.
Since then, the company has seen significant growth, including their expansion into Nova Scotia. Somayajula describes that move as difficult but worthwhile in the end.
Some of the world’s most advanced detection, ranging and navigation systems rely on Sensor Technology products. She says the technology they develop can be used in everything from barbecue lighters to medical equipment and over time they plan to expand into other markets.
In the past three years, the company has invested somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million in new equipment at their plant in Collingwood, and roughly $1 million at their facility in Nova Scotia.
In addition to balancing two geographic locations from the business side of things, Somayajula also needs to balance family life with two daughters of her own. While the girls live in Collingwood, they often accompany her to Halifax, and, when the pandemic permits, sometimes even further afield.
“We have customers all over the world. I’m typically on an international flight at least once a month,” she says. “There are some days when I wake up and I’m not sure which city I’m in.”
To stay sharp mentally and physically, Somayajula is an avid triathlete and a part-time surfer. Despite spending so much of her time near the ocean, Somayajula cut her teeth on a surfboard carving the waves of Georgian Bay.
“I wanted to try surfing and I had a coworker - in Nova Scotia actually - who told me I should start in Georgian Bay,” she says. “I found the Georgian Bay Surf Club and now I love it. You can pretty much surf anywhere in the world.”
While the past 18 months have seen some particularly rough seas for most industries, Somayajula says Sensor Technology Limited has managed to not only stave off a downturn but has increased sales by roughly 30% year-over-year for the past two years.
Somayajula says she’s eager to get back on the road and continue the company’s expansion, but she adds that Sensor Technology will always call Ontario home and take pride in their Collingwood roots.
sensortechcanada.com @nirutheceo @ceowhocooks
