PROJECT OAKVILLE // KITCHEN RE-FRESH & HOME TOUR



I'm so happy to share this family home with you today!

Kelly and Colin live in a beautiful home in an older part of Oakville, Ontario with their three kids and dog Marlowe. 

Yay Smyth family!

The Smyth family in their re-freshed kitchen. 
The chalkboard wall helps keep this busy family organized 
as well as showcasing the kids art! 


Kelly approached me last winter to help them out with a kitchen and family room refresh in their new house. They are planning on an extensive renovation of their kitchen down the road, but wanted to give the space an update that better fits their style.

The Smyths' are talented home renovator's and creative DIY'ers with great style. They love scouring antique markets for vintage treasures but appreciate clean modern lines.

The goal of this project was to freshen up their space. They wanted to utilize as much furniture as possible in these two rooms recognizing that their usage could change when the time is right and they take the plunge to renovate.


I hope you enjoy touring Kelly and Colin's home.



   K I T C H E N   B E F O R E ...










K I T C H E N   A F T E R !

kitchen renovation kendall charcoal









The kitchen had the most dramatic changes, so I shared some before shots with you.

What we did:

1. The cabinets on the chalkboard wall were removed to open up the space and utilize the entire wall for the kids art and organization items.

2. All the kitchen cabinetry was painted out. I think it turned out great! It's amazing what a can of paint will do for a dated space. The lower cabinets, pantry wall and desk were painted Benjamin Moore's Kendall Charcoal. The uppers were painted Cloud White.

3. New light fixtures (source: Living Lighting)

4. Hardware remained the same! Usually changing hardware is a surefire way to freshen a kitchen. In this case, the aged brass is on trend and looks amazing with the colour of the cabinets. Besides, hardware can add up quickly. When you are trying to save money little items like this can save your budget.

5. The countertops didn't change since this is a re-fresh, however, the desk countertop was painted out in the same paint as the cabinets. Now it looks like one solid piece of furniture!

6. New counter stools provide a nice spot for the kids to eat breakfast or do homework while meals are prepared.

7. The desk area got organized. Boxes and baskets assigned to each child help sort paper and special keepsakes. Sorting through cookbooks so that the ones you use most often are displayed helps to reduce clutter. Finally styling the desktop with containers to organize pencils, scissors etc keeps it functional and pretty! I love the (working) vintage rotary phone.

8. Kelly and Colin wanted a coffee/tea station. So we took the doors off the upper cabinets and stacked their collection of handmade mugs and some dishes that are easy to access. 





Not too many changes happened in the dining room...
A new light fixture and dining room chairs (both from Crate and Barrel) freshened up the space. Now they have a comfortable and stylish spot to entertain. 







Some styling on the console in the foyer provided an organized and welcoming spot to drop keys and items coming in the front door.






The beginnings of a family gallery wall are taking shape in the foyer. I love how the mix of black and white frames turned out. 





The family room was freshened up with new curtains and hardware. 
Somehow I am missing a photo of that side of the room. I'll have to share it later. Two new floor lamps (again not shown, darn!)

The sofas stayed the same. They are actually older and well loved Montauks slipcovered. Although oversized for the room, once we re-positioned them it helped open up the space.

The mantel was styled with a collection of vintage globes found at thrift shops and antique markets. A new sisal rug, a pouffe from Target provides extra seating around the antique box they use as a coffee table and storage for games. We also added in some new throw pillows from West Elm and a few accessories from Homesense.



The kids rooms...


A vintage locker was stripped by hand (by Colin) to use as an armoire. 





Old skateboards are given a new life as shelving and old but beloved t-shirts are framed as art.






An old brass chandelier is given a new lease on life with a simple and inexpensive can of spray paint. 






I think this bedroom is one of my favorites. The combination of the orange feature wall and steel furniture give it a nice vintage industrial feel. The fabulous cabinet is a Homesense find.






This desk and shelving unit from Crate and Barrel is an ideal spot for homework and to display books and Lego creations! The locker is from the set in the other bedroom. It fits perfectly in this space.



Kelly and Colin did all the labour in this renovation. Their energy to tackle this project amazed me. They are one talented couple! I keep telling Kelly they should have a blog of their own!

It was a pleasure to work with them on their home and I can't wait to see what future home projects they embark on.

You can find beautiful images of their home in the summer issue of Canadian Family magazine which we shot this past spring. I had the opportunity to work with my brother and talented photographer Jim Norton on this shoot. 

Sadly, the magazine has ceased publication of it's print magazine. This was their final issue. So, a warm shout out to the amazing editorial and design team at Canadian Family Magazine. So happy I had the chance to work with you on this and previous issues.




All photos and styling done by me, Debra Norton :)



3 comments

  1. Well done Kelly and Colin...you have a beautiful family and beautiful home...love, Rhonda.

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  2. Looks nice Kelly :-)

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  3. beautiful! I love the pops of yellow in the kitchen.

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Thanks so much for your comments!