Words by Michelle Heslop. Photography by Jody Beck.
As a designer and prop stylist, Jen Evans of Jen Evans Stylist is no stranger to envisioning design potential. After working in Toronto as a costume designer and buyer on films and her latest work in prop, fashion, and interior styling for magazines such as Chatelaine, Today’s Parent, and Canadian Living, Evans has returned to Victoria to focus on interior design and styling residential homes.
It comes as no surprise that these creative homeowners recognized the possibilities in this Samuel Maclure home on a quiet street in Fairfield. Evans saw a project of Martin Scaia’s from Green Island Builders featured online on Design*Sponge and felt confident he would connect with her vision that included gutting the 200-square-foot kitchen. “Our renovation was a story of rejuvenation,” says Evans, who wanted to bring the home’s character back to life and infuse it with a sense of its original character while making it more “modern” and ultimately, conveying the story of her family.
Classic hues, reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts era, are paired with materials like wood and brass for a modern rustic aesthetic. The kitchen’s original cabinets overwhelmed the space and “now we have plenty of storage despite the lack of upper cabinets as the shelves and Shaker pegs allow for the more beautiful kitchen accessories to be on display and at arms reach,” adds Evans.
The kitchen’s showstopping feature was discovered in the gutting process when Scaia exposed the brickwork of the central fireplace that was covered with cracked and peeling plaster. After experimenting with removing it with a wire brush, he and Evans were drawn to the texture of the aged brick and mortar with a light glaze of plaster.
“The fireplace brought a sense of character and warmth to the room,” says Scaia, who knew that this was exactly the kind of energy Evans was looking for to bring the room an inviting, layered look. Beadboard wainscotting, copper, oiled oak floors, and natural materials mingle in this design to create a beautiful extension of the past while revealing the character and creativity of the home’s inhabitants.
