Decorating & Design
See A Cool Boat-shaped Bungalow With Classic Mid-Century Style
Published on March 2, 2022
Destiny. Karma. Kismet. Call it what you will, but a mix of providential force and family history must have played a hand in drawing designer Jaclyn Peters to the fixer-upper in Steinbach, Man., that she and her husband, Mark, bought in 2006. You see, growing up, Jaclyn had always known about the angular 2,050-square-foot bungalow designed in the shape of a ship. It had been built in 1971 by a naval officer named Tom Ladobruk who, coincidentally, is Jaclyn’s grandfather’s cousin. When the unique house came on the market, Jaclyn — who was pregnant with their daughter Avery, now 15, and had her 10-month-old daughter Lauryn, now 16, at home — was compelled to take a peek inside because they needed more space. “It was like a time capsule that hadn’t been touched since 1971,” she says. “My husband convinced me that this house was the one.”
Scroll down to see how Jaclyn designed her cool 1970s bungalow!
The experience dramatically changed the trajectory of her career. Some consider renovating to be a trial, but Jaclyn, who at that time had a ho-hum job in accounting, saw the chaos, cacophony and constant white-knuckle decision-making as a thrilling creative act and set out to become a designer (she appeared in “Ones to Watch” in H&H’s December 2020 A-List issue). “I love the process,” she says. “To me, it’s just as much a part of the reward as the end result.”
Mark thought the house had good bones and great natural light, and with windows on almost all of the exterior walls, they’d have the feeling of being in nature.
They were young, some would say foolish, and about to embark on their first renovation. Two whirlwind months later, they had gutted the interior — adding new floors, ripping out a pony wall between the kitchen and dining area, replacing all the windows, creating a new kitchen and renovating one bathroom — and had moved in.
In the dining area, Jaclyn maximized the space by creating a luxurious leather-clad banquette and custom table. To emphasize the prow-like shape of the house, the original painted cedar exterior was replaced with stained cedar siding carried up onto the soffit.
White oak herringbone-patterned floors evoke the era of kitten heels and MCM glamour while the kitchen’s dark tones, cocktail bar seating and matte black soapstone counters create a moody, unexpectedly sexy vibe.
It’s not surprising that, in 2020, the itch to renovate again — 14 years later — was irresistible. Tastes change, minds evolve, and the gap had allowed Jaclyn time to design a home that better suited their grown-up family. “We’re homebodies, so we really wanted a warm, cosy vibe with lots of soft, layered textures,” says the designer. “So we started all over again: new floors, cabinets, lighting, plumbing fixtures — only the layout stayed the same.”
Throughout the house, the soothing neutral palette is inspired by a wedge-shaped, 50-year-old Manitoba stone fireplace Jaclyn describes as “the heart and soul of this house.”
The challenge, of course, was to respectfully modernize a ’70s bungalow without erasing its heritage. To pull it off, she deliberately avoided all but one of the iconic furniture pieces of the era (an Eames lounge chair with ottoman) and focused on subtle details that echo the home’s unusual ship shape and quietly reference mid-century design — consistent threads that make it feel cohesive. Lauryn (left) and Avery love to hang out in front of the fire.
Whimsical wallpaper and framed art transform the multipurpose laundry room–office into a fun and functional space.
Cedar slats and white oak vanities are a warm contrast to the ensuite bathroom’s soapstone counters. Marble mosaic floor tiles echo the V-shape of the house.
The principal bedroom features custom bedside tables and a wraparound velvet and linen headboard.
The final result is not what the home would have felt like in its heyday but a fresh, contextualized mix of now and then. “Our home is so much cosier and welcoming; we never want to leave,” says Jaclyn, snuggled on the living room sofa by the fireplace. You could say that it was destiny.
Ariana Tennyson
House & Home January/February 2022
Jaclyn Peters