Decorating & Design
See How This Family Made The Leap From A City Semi To A Country Home
Updated on April 25, 2022
It was the summer of 2020 and Torontonians Kelly Wilton and Rob Price loaded up their car with kids and suitcases in search of some much-needed fresh air. The lockdown was in full swing and Kelly’s parents’ house in Fergus, Ont., offered refuge, with its sprawling space and inviting pool. One blissful week of swimming, biking and hiking later, Rob looked at Kelly on the drive back to Toronto and said, “What are you thinking?” Her reply was instant. “I think I want to move.” The couple, along with their two children, Theodore, 4, and Vivienne, 3, had been living in a semi-detached house in the Danforth area for close to a decade. “We were bursting at the seams,” says Kelly. “We came close to buying in Toronto in the summer of 2020, but none of the houses were right — we felt we were always sacrificing something.” Both professionals worked long hours: Kelly, a respirologist and sleep physician, was on the front lines at Scarborough General Hospital, while Rob was in property tech. Weekends were spent escaping to the outdoors. They missed their families and, as the pandemic wore on, they kept asking themselves the same question: “Where do we find joy?” says Kelly. “It wasn’t in the city.” They decided to move to Guelph, Ont., not far from Kelly’s parents’ place.
Prior to 2020, if you’d told Alana Firestone and Jordy Fagan of Collective Studio that they’d be renovating a house in Guelph from their computer screens in Toronto, they wouldn’t have believed you. But they quickly sprang into action when Kelly gave them a call. “We signed on and everything was unknown,” says Alana. “We didn’t have a contractor in Guelph; site measurements had to be done remotely, and we had to provide a detailed construction package, where everything, down to the location of a toilet paper holder, was included because we couldn’t visit.”
Keep scrolling to see this beautiful Country escape!
Kelly and Rob (pictured) had landed on a 3,265-square-foot historical red brick charmer in downtown Guelph with a circa- 1907 front porch and a pool. Older houses can be tricky to tinker with, let alone one that needed a complete gut job. “All this panelled wood has to go,” Kelly remembers thinking the first time she walked in. Both she and Rob envisioned something spacious, clean and organized — a modern but warm perch from which they could easily access nearby trails and parks.
“We thought the history of the house was interesting, and we were excited to transform it into something open and airy,” says Alana. “Kelly and Rob wanted the home to feel organic — not just all fresh, white and new,” adds Jordy.
In the homework area, muted colors like Farrow & Ball’s Treron create an organic vibe; lights from Mitzi add casual whimsy.
The designers proposed moving the kitchen from one side of the house to the other to incorporate more items on their clients’ wish list (windows to better frame the view, a dedicated pantry space and a 36-inch range). A stunning new vent hood became a central sculptural piece while muted colors throughout — mossy green, blue-black and grey — created a natural look.
A banquette now sits in the footprint of the old kitchen, with Jeanneret-style chairs adding modern flair.
The kitchen island’s base cabinet is painted a blue-black, bringing depth and dimension.
The powder room’s fluted vanity is topped with a marble slab repurposed from an upstairs bathroom.
The mudroom’s millwork features vinyl grasscloth so little people’s fingerprints are easily wiped off.
Even though the main floor is open concept, the living room is designed to feel distinct and separate.
The owners replaced the old stairway with a modern version in white oak and installed a steel railing to keep the look light and airy.
The third floor was converted into a principal bedroom oasis, with the ensuite clad in V-groove panelling.
Generous windows in the bright ensuite look out to the backyard pool.
The roof angles are a feature in the principal bathroom, which boasts a generous walk-in shower and shimmering tile.
“Rob prefers a clean, Japanese aesthetic, while I like laid-back, modern California style,” says Kelly of the mix in their bedroom.
A generous window seat in the principal bedroom is a comfy spot for reading.
Lauren Miller
House & Home April 2022
Alana Firestone and Jordy Fagan of Collective Studio