DISTINCTIVE DESIGNS 2021 EDITION 106
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Watching the freighters and pleasure craft sail by – both Betty Ann and Jim look out at the marine traffic and wildlife on St. Clair River from their bridge-like, custom-fitted offices. Surrounded by a rounded bank of windows and seated at curved desks, each of the couple can view the river from his/her own space. Attracted by the home’s location and its quality, they are happy with both. Avid boaters, they chose their home for its location on an island south of Sarnia. “We liked the river view and privacy,” says Betty Ann. “The fact it was an Oke Woodsmith house made it very attractive,” says Jim. “We liked their reputation.” The house was built in 1998/99 and Betty Ann and Jim bought it in 2015. The three-bedroom, two-anda-half bath, 3,000-square-foot house reflected that era. They wanted it to suit their lifestyle today and approached Oke Woodsmith. “We sought them out to maintain the integrity of the home,” says Jim. Inside, the great room was Betty Ann’s priority. A small awkward corner cabinet housed the television beside a fireplace. “It didn’t appeal to us,” www.okewoodsmith.com
says Jim. “We were apprehensive about changing what Oke Woodsmith had built, but Betty Ann really didn’t like it.” They need not have worried about insulting the builder. “Within 10 minutes of their conversation about a new design, Steve Poortinga came up with exactly what we wanted,” says Jim. By relocating the office door to the corner where the small cabinet was, it opened up the space to create a feature wall. “Randy Oke took us to a client’s home with a design that demonstrated what they were recommending, and Betty Ann said, ‘I definitely want that wall.’” This solution created an attractive floor-to-ceiling entertainment wall for a recessed large-screen television and fireplace. Clad in stone from Patene Building Supplies, with dark wood cabinets and open display shelves, it is the focal point of the great room, soaring to the 18-foot ceiling. “Randy Craner, project foreman, did an excellent job building this wall and also built bulkheads with pot lights above the doors flanking the entertainment wall,” says Betty Ann.
