Many of our renovation projects involve opening up spaces. Once upon a time, dividing rooms by their function was the way to design, but many of today’s families prefer a more open concept so that family members can still be together even when they’re doing different activities.

Such was the case for this Barrhaven home, which is a renovation finalist in the upcoming Housing Design Awards. This was not a project requiring radical demolition of walls, rather a thoughtful approach and key changes that would turn a dated home into a beautiful main-floor transformation full of light and colour.

One of those changes was removing a dividing wall between the kitchen and the dining room to allow the entire space to be considered as one. Then, by reducing the size of the dining room, more space was freed up for a large island with counter seating and the extension of what had been a small corner pantry into a larger, cohesive buffet. Now there is room for the pantry, a broom closet and a new home organization centre.

Some separation is maintained between the kitchen/dining room and step-down living room, but the spaces are tied together with new hardwood flooring throughout and a more open feel.

The living room, meanwhile, gets a facelift with a new coffered ceiling to visually expand the height of the room and a new gas fireplace, which is surrounded by floor to ceiling tile that matches the colouring of the kitchen for a seamless transition between spaces.

Soft, timeless finishes allow the homeowners to play with colour as their tastes change. For now, that playfulness is found in pops of teal and orange throughout. The overall effect is a light, bright and welcoming space for the whole family to enjoy.