My Houzz: Harbor Views Enrich a Newfoundland Townhouse
Bigger windows in this brownstone bring in ocean sights, but more features for entertaining are just as much a draw
Home tour contributor for Houzz, freelance photography and graphic design based out of St. John's, NL.
Check out our home renovation blog www.theuncommonlaw.ca
Home tour contributor for Houzz, freelance photography and graphic design... More »
| Share: |
|
A property with a stunning view of St. John's Harbour, off-street parking and a double garage is hard to come by in downtown St. John's, Newfoundland, but Gerrie Nicholas got lucky with her townhouse, one of eight brownstones on a hillside lot. Nicholas renovated each floor and customized the layout of the main level, replacing all the unit's rear south-facing windows with floor-to-ceiling windows to take advantage of her beautiful ocean view.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Gerrie Nicholas
Location: Downtown St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
Size: 2,400 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms
That's interesting: The townhouse sits on the site of the former Bishop Spencer College, a Church of England school for girls, which operated from 1845 to 1972.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Gerrie Nicholas
Location: Downtown St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
Size: 2,400 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms
That's interesting: The townhouse sits on the site of the former Bishop Spencer College, a Church of England school for girls, which operated from 1845 to 1972.
| |
| BEFORE: By removing one of the walls shown here, Nicholas turned an inefficient kitchen layout into one more conducive to hosting. The island had protruded from a wall, making it awkward to walk around in the space. Nicholas rearranged the room, installed hardwood floors and replaced the cabinets. |
|
by Becki Peckham
»
|
| AFTER: Newfoundland is known for its kitchen parties, and Nicholas loves to entertain, so she wanted the room to make a lasting impression. A massive granite-topped island now takes center stage in place of the previously misplaced island. The surrounding countertops are topped with a complementary darker granite, while new cabinets are painted a creamy off-white. The island cabinets and drawers are stained a deep brown. Granite: Diamond Stone Formation; cabinets: Cherry Nook; drum lights: Lighting World; appliances: Sears; chairs: Winners; backsplash, door hardware: Rona |
| |
| BEFORE: Nicholas replaced these windows above the sink to capitalize on the view. |
|
by Becki Peckham
»
|
| AFTER: The kitchen now has its own cozy sitting area for reading, with traditional-style furniture. "I am inspired by many styles and enjoy when periods can be merged harmoniously," says Nicholas. The chairs are reproduction pieces by Councill Craftsmen in North Carolina, and the ottoman was made by hand in Houston. The hanging Rashdizadeh silk rug is from Iran, where Nicholas lived with her late husband for a year in the '70s. Wall paint: Revere Pewter, Benjamin Moore; drum lights: Lighting World; granite: Diamond Stone Formation |
|
by Becki Peckham
»
|
| Storage was really important for Nicholas, as she had moved from a 4,000-square-foot home into this townhouse. New built-in cabinets serve as a pantry and provide storage for serving dishes. The frosted glass door allows light into the basement, where there are no windows. |
|
by Becki Peckham
»
|
| The kitchen opens to a deck with a barbecue for outdoor dining during the summer. About giving up a garden in the downsizing, Nicholas says, "I love to admire it but don't love the work. I now have two decks, and container gardening works for me." Paint: Sisal, Benjamin Moore; Trim: White Down, Benjamin Moore |
by Becki Peckham
»
The townhouse is built on a hill, and the south side of the basement provides a ground level walk-out through an attached garage. Prior to the renovation, the basement was one open, unfinished space. Nicholas split the space up by creating a porch area for coats and shoes and a closed-off, separate unfinished area for storage.
BEFORE: Here you can see the previous hallway that led to the kitchen. Nicholas closed up this hallway and added a compact bathroom. She replaced the iron balusters with wood spindles and painted the entire space a warm white to brighten everything up.
|
by Becki Peckham
»
|
| AFTER: The townhouse is four stories high, with two sets of oak hardwood stairs. On the main level are the kitchen, living room and dining room. During the renovation, a redundant hallway to the left of the stairs was closed off and turned into a small bathroom and a closet on the other side. The staircase was custom fabricated by local staircase specialist Dave Carter. Wall paint: Indian White, Benjamin Moore; stairs: English Chestnut stain, Rona; canvas print of cove: Bold Creative |
by Becki Peckham
»
The new powder room is only 3 feet by 2 feet. Nicholas recalls that as being her biggest challenge during the renovation. "On paper the measurements worked, but I wasn't convinced until I had the construction crew do the ultimate test. They had to enter the powder room, pass the vanity/sink with ease and sit on the toilet."
Nicholas repurposed a chest of drawers into a vanity and added a custom-cut fossil marble countertop.
Wall paint: Smoky Green, Benjamin Moore; toilet, faucet: James Crawford
Nicholas repurposed a chest of drawers into a vanity and added a custom-cut fossil marble countertop.
Wall paint: Smoky Green, Benjamin Moore; toilet, faucet: James Crawford
|
by Becki Peckham
»
|
| Nicholas chose a clear vessel sink so as not to obstruct the view of the beautiful fossil details in the marble. Sink: Rona; fossil marble: Diamond Stone Formation |
BEFORE: The multipurpose second-story living room had a corner propane fireplace that was too small for the room, and smaller windows.
|
by Becki Peckham
»
|
| AFTER: Larger windows let massive amounts of light in and optimize the harbor view. Nicholas also removed a corner fireplace. Windows: The Window Shop; wall paint: Timid White, Benjamin Moore |
by Becki Peckham
»
Nicholas' daughter is a musician who lives away but comes home for the summer and Christmas. While it was difficult to move this baby grand piano up the stairs, it fits perfectly in the far corner of the living room.
|
by Becki Peckham
»
|
| Nicholas converted one of the bedroom closets into a compact workspace. After removing the doors, she added a built-in desk for her computer. Shelving on each side of the desk keeps clutter to a minimum. Paint: Hazy Skies, Benjamin Moore |
by Becki Peckham
»
With three stories in the front and four in the back, Nicholas says, "I get my exercise by climbing flights of stairs all day." During the renovation she replaced the stair treads and refinished all the floors in the house. The dark railing nicely contrasts the medium brown floors and light walls, and ties in with the kitchen island.
Wall paint: Timid White, Benjamin Moore; stairs, floor stain: English Chestnut, Rona
Wall paint: Timid White, Benjamin Moore; stairs, floor stain: English Chestnut, Rona
| |
| BEFORE: The bedroom furniture did not match the scale of the space, and the window and door placement needed reconfiguration. Nicholas made better use of the wall leading to the patio by installing one large window and a door to the left to allow for space beyond the bed. She also replaced the carpet with hardwood floors. |
|
by Becki Peckham
»
|
| AFTER: The master suite and a small laundry closet are on the top floor, the reward for the stair climb being a spectacular harbour view. High ceilings and white walls keep the space looking fresh, while dark furniture accents warm it up. Two red chairs in front of the large window provide a relaxing reading area from which to enjoy the view. Wall paint: Timid White, Benjamin Moore |
BEFORE: The bathroom might be one of the biggest transformations. Before, dated white and cream ceramic tile covered the floor and the tub surround.
|
by Becki Peckham
»
|
| AFTER: Nicholas rearranged the entire bathroom around the tub and made use of the awkward ceiling eaves. Large mirrors help reflect window light and make the space appear larger than it is. She also chose other reflective surfaces for vanity lights, accessories and tile trim, including a glass shower surround to help keep things light and open. Wall paint: Winds Breath, Benjamin Moore |
|
by Becki Peckham
»
|
| The master bedroom features a small patio with a downtown view. Nicholas replaced the previous iron rails with glass panels for an uninterrupted view. |
|
by Becki Peckham
»
|
| This is the gorgeous view that sold Nicholas on the downtown house. Historical sites including St. John's Harbour, the Narrows and Signal Hill, where Marconi received the first wireless transatlantic message in 1901, can all be seen from her upstairs bedroom. "Downtown St. John's has historic buildings and the colored 'jelly bean' houses," Nicholas says. "The row houses are painted different bright colors, which help compensate for the gray rain, drizzle and fog we experience in abundance." |
by Becki Peckham
»
Gerrie Nicholas enjoys a glass of wine in her kitchen, where she has spent many nights entertaining guests. "This is my center of operation," she says. "It is where I live, read, reflect and entertain."
Ideabook published on Nov. 28, 2012.
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
Find Local Pros by Category:
Architects & Designers · Interior Designers & Decorators · General Contractors · Home Media Design & Installation · Landscape Architects & Designers · Kitchen & Bath Designers · Design-build Firms · Closet & Home Storage Designers · Carpet and Flooring · Fireplaces · Tile, Stone & Countertops · Specialty Contractors · Landscape Contractors
Find Local Pros by Metro Area:
Atlanta · Austin · Baltimore · Boston · Chicago · Dallas · Dc Metro · Denver · Detroit · Hawaii · Houston · Las Vegas · Los Angeles · Miami · Minneapolis · Nashville · New Orleans · New York · Philadelphia · Phoenix · Portland · Salt Lake City · San Diego · San Francisco · Seattle · St Louis
The most beautiful city ever where I grew up & so much history plus the friendliest people. A beautiful job on your home. The homes in downtown St. John's are spectular. I love to go home often & miss the people & the city.:)).
Gives me hope...!
Joanbertha
Places I like are as follows.... Wheatons store in the Maritimes have some beautiful things, Homesense has beautiful things at really great prices, Bowrings (Beautiful dishes & great accessories & furniture, Bed Bath & Beyond ( has the best return policy I've ever seen) a great place to browse...they have everything. There are great artisans in downtown Halifax around the Harbor, one of a kind. Please let me know if you need more specific stores. I would only be to happy to help. Great restaurants in Halifax as well...a wonderful place to spend a day. Hope this helps Joan