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Rockwood
MID-CENTURY MODERN RENO IN
by MARGARET ANNE FEHR
Char’s home in the established Rockwood neighbourhood has been a work in progress since 2005 when she first moved in. Built in 1951, the 1000 square foot house was designed for practicality and Char was eager to put her personal stamp on her living space, having already made improvements with a fully-finished basement and updated bathrooms. But now it was time to tackle her most ambitious renovation by 26
Home Decor & Renovations | April–May, 2021
photography by DUALITY PHOTOGRAPHIC
updating the kitchen along with an eye to creating an aesthetic connection to the adjacent dining room that had originally been a bedroom with closet. A referral from a local renovator brought Char and Doreen Gauthier, President of Make it Home LTD, together and after that first meeting, Char felt comfortable knowing that her renovation plans were in good hands. The project began with an assessment of how to unify the kitchen
and dining room to create a state of flow. The centre hall provided a challenge since both walls were loadbearing. “One wall was relatively easy to remove, but the other would be next to impossible without destroying the finished basement to install additional supports,” says Doreen. The solution was to construct a divider to open up the space. “The divider is still structural, so we incorporated it into our structural