Step through the front door of this southeastern Ontario farmhouse decorated by Toronto designer Lori Morris, and you'll think – almost – that you've fallen into a dream from days gone by. The owners, weekenders who love country life, were seeking an escape from the daily grind, and a place where their children could experience a different kind of life than in the city. Morris responded with a cozy, unabashedly pretty design that blends picturesque Victorian detail – some of it original, some added – with updated notions of light and colour.
The 1860 farmhouse itself, which overlooks a lake on one side and a long view of farms and fields on the other, was in fine shape for its age, having already been restored by a previous owner. This allowed Morris and the homeowners to concentrate on embellishing its lovely 19th-century details. Comfort and tranquility were a major concern, Morris explains, rather than slavish attention to authenticity. “We wanted a romantic, over-the-top feeling; the client loves a hand-painted look, and we've used many of her favourite colours.”
Part of Morris's mandate was to examine the original Victorian detailing and extend it through the home, heightening its romantic period look. Ornately milled 10-inch baseboards and equally detailed window casings and woodwork were reproduced faithfully, and installed wherever original trim was missing or damaged. Also, rough-hewn exposed hemlock beams were installed or restored in several main-floor archways, creating a rustic, substantive look that contrasts elegantly with the delicacy of the home's finer details.
With these elements in place, Morris set about adding romantic finery to each of the rooms. One of the home's real bonuses, she noted, was the light; because the house is in the open, and since many of the rooms feature big, sunny windows, a relatively narrow palette of soft, pale colours – ranging from celadon and cream to lilac, maize and a toned-down rust – was repeated throughout. Along with hand-painted or faux-finished walls, several rooms feature light celadon wallpaper with a small repeating pattern – often with natural motifs, such as the butterflies in the girls' bedroom on the main floor.
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