An elegant Georgian-style house infused with the soul of an historic lakeside town in Ontario
‘People would walk past and say, “when did the renovation start on this house?’”And we’d reply, “It’s a new build”’. For constructor Travis Hageman and his wife, interior designer Rhiannon, who run Hageman Homes together, this was music to their ears. Set on a leafy street in the historic town of Old Oakville, Ontario, the house is surrounded by elegantly preserved Georgian and Colonial Revival homes. Though completed in 2022, Travis and Rhiannon felt it was important to create a house with the patina and presence of one that had been standing for centuries.
Generous sash windows are framed by traditional louvred shutters that emphasise their satisfying, balanced proportions. Steps lead to a classical white portico topped with a faux Juliet balcony. It is an elegant realisation of design plans so thoughtful and attractive that the house was spoken for before a single brick had been laid.
The clients, a couple who had once lived in Oakville before moving to nearby Toronto, longed to be near their grandchildren and to return to the intimacy of a more close-knit neighbourhood. For Travis and Rhiannon, what had initially been intended as a spec project, became something far more involved and personal: ‘we got to build them a full home,’ says Rhiannon.
Although the couple were instantly taken with Travis and Rhiannon’s original vision, it was equally important that the house should reflect the rhythm of their own lives. With their children long since flown the nest, there was no need for as many bedrooms. Instead, these spaces were reimagined with charm and consideration: a light-filled sewing room for her, a tranquil and contemplative office for him, with each room a quiet testament to the pleasures of a home truly shaped around its inhabitants. ‘They knew what was important to them, and we wanted just to make sure that we honoured that,’ remarks Rhiannon.
For the wife, in particular, being able to entertain well was vital and Travis and Rhiannon worked to make several rooms around the house attuned to the movement between daily life and lively gatherings. In the sunroom, with its cedar-clad walls and stone floors, fully enclosed for all-season enjoyment, the couple enjoy quiet dinners or linger over games at a charming corner table. The kitchen, at once classic and highly functional, centres on a very generously proportioned marble-topped island. Once, there had been plans for a breakfast table, but they opted for stools at the island instead. ‘She loves to host dinner parties and said their friends are in the kitchen with [them] while cooking,’ Rhiannon recalls. ‘So she wanted a kitchen where she can still be part of what's going on in the rest of the house too.’
The dining room, by contrast, remains quiet and muted, a serene counterpoint to the convivial bustle the kitchen invites. The walls are covered in a subtly textured green grasscloth that brings a sense of envelopment and intimacy to the room, which is now perfectly suited to a relaxed approach to dining.
‘It was nice because they trusted us and said, “here's what we think, how we think we want to live. Does that make sense to you guys?”’ says Rhiannon of the process. ‘We were able to work really collaboratively on making sure that the floor plan made sense for them now and in the future’. When it came to the interiors scheme, once again the clients placed their trust in Rhiannon to carry the Georgian sensibility of the exterior inside in a way that felt warm and lived-in, rather than museum-like. ‘I knew we had a very strong vision of what we wanted the house to feel like, and that was an old, charming, layered house that felt collected.’ says Rhiannon. ‘If we are going to put something in the house, whether it's the floor or the furniture, we want it to be of quality that’s going to last, and for it to feel like it's been here for a while.’
With this in mind, 200 year old white oak floor boards were sourced from Baba flooring. Rhiannon also scoured the antique shops of Toronto and found an antique dining table by Donald Phyfe, the Scottish cabinet maker whose creations once graced distinguished East Coast homes in the 18th Century. Heritage brands were consulted for upholstery fabrics that brought some of the charm of the English country house to Ontario. Having returned from Toronto with little more than their clothes, bankers’ boxes and a few personal belongings, the clients also invited Rhiannon to curate a collection of antiques, trinkets and artworks on their behalf.
What the clients moved into in 2023 was a house that trust had built. A significant one for Rhiannon and Travis, the project was not without its challenges. ‘There was a big push to get everything done before the winter because it can be hard to get anything done [otherwise],’ says Travis. Working with international companies, adjustments had to be made for pieces to work in a Canadian home, including the commissioning of a lot of custom backplates for lighting. ‘Our running joke was: why make it simple when you can make it complicated!’ Rhiannon laughs. But the attention to detail and insistence on quality craftsmanship has paid off. The result is a beautiful home with a welcoming atmosphere, that in a short space of time has acquired much of the quiet assuredness of an older property. A charming, confident addition to this historic lakeside community.
REID LAMBSHEAD1/28Travis designed the cabinetry with Canadian outfit Top Notch Cabinetry, requesting for the kitchen island the largest slab of marble it was possible to get without creating a seam. The island is accompanied by custom chairs upholstered in Rogers and Goffigon fabric finished with a Samuel and Sons trim. At the window hangs Nicholas Herbert’s ‘Donatello’ as a blind, diffusing soft light into the room. 'Belluno' lights by Vaughan hang over the island, one of the few pieces Rhiannon has repeated across projects, so fond is she of them. Most of the flushmounts in the house are by Urban Archeology.
REID LAMBSHEAD2/28A large marble-topped island and a Lacanche range help make this kitchen perfect for entertaining family and friends, something the clients really enjoy.
REID LAMBSHEAD3/28It was important to the clients that the dining room be a social but calm space. Rhiannon opted for a grasscloth wall covering by Cowtan and Tout. A chandelier by Remains Lighting brings a little bit of the dramatic without overwhelming the space.
REID LAMBSHEAD4/28The antique Duncan Phyfe dining table is accompanied by custom chairs made by Whittington & Company and upholsted in Pindlar velvet, demonstrating the graceful amalgamation of old and new pieces. A large bespoke area rug by Y & Co brings the room together.
REID LAMBSHEAD5/28Farrow and Ball’s ‘Joa White highlights’ wonderfully highlights the details of the scenic floral wallcovering by Gracie.
REID LAMBSHEAD6/28The home bar provides a striking pop of colour with Benjamin Moore's ‘Raisin Torte’, a rich, burgundy. That bar itself has been crafted out of Carrara marble with nickel bistro shelving by Rhode-Island-based Palmer Industries
REID LAMBSHEAD7/28The majority of the bespoke furniture was created by Whittington & Company. The sofa is upholstered in a wool fabric by Holland and Sherry and the armchairs in Fermoiel. For the mirror, Rhiannon sourced one from antiques purveyor John Rosselli and replaced the glass. It sits above a custom-made fireplace.
REID LAMBSHEAD8/28Both the ottoman and the armchair were made bespoke by Whittington & Company. The armchair is upholstered in Robert Kime’s ‘Nimes’. Rhiannon recalls persuading the clients to make the investment in the fabric, which would inspire the colour palette of the whole house. The Ottoman is upholstered in warm leather from Holland and Sherry. Schumacher’s Plain Stripe was used for the curtains and a Vaughan floor lamp stands near the armchair making this a perfect nook for reading.
REID LAMBSHEAD9/28The family room cleverly balances restraint and drama with this wrought iron chandelier by Currey and Company. Rhiannon created a layered lighting scheme in this room with Ralph Lauren Home’s ‘Anette’ Floor lamps in a natural brass finish, which were sourced from Visual Comfort. Walls covered in sisal by Schumacher bring a sense of gentle warmth
REID LAMBSHEAD10/28In the family room is a layered window treatment consisting of Lisa Fine’s linen ‘Paradeiza’ curtains in ‘coco’ and blinds by Namay Samay. The sofa and ottoman are both bespoke pieces by Whittington & Company. The sofa is upholstered in a wool fabric Holland and Sherry, the ottoman in linen from Rogers and Goffigon. The checkered chair is by Iatesta Studios; the rug bespoke and by Y&Co.
REID LAMBSHEAD11/28The light-filled hallway upstairs has a cosy window seat filled with cushions from Claremont, Robert Kime and Jasper Fabrics.
REID LAMBSHEAD12/28A bespoke office set--desk and chair-- by Whittington & Company bring a sense of refined, calm industriousness that is also reflected in the room's restrained colour scheme, which is grounded by the Holland and Sherry wool wallcovering. Curtains by Rogers and Goffigon hang at the large sash window, while the solid brass floor lamp from Ralph Lauren Home stands authoritatively by the desk.
REID LAMBSHEAD13/28In the opposite corner of the bedroom-turned-home-office, stands an antique chest of drawers on which rests a hardback leather bound collection of the works of Charles Dickens and a classical-inspired lamp from Vaughan. The rug is an antique sourced from Stark NY
REID LAMBSHEAD14/28Without a need for as many bedrooms upstairs, one was converted into a sewing room with an ensuite. The handcrafted flooring and tiling are both Walker and Zanger, sourced from Canada-based luxury tile company Surfaces & Co. A bespoke Peter Dunham curtain hangs from an elegant custom brass rail above this combined bath and shower.
REID LAMBSHEAD15/28A wonderfully light colour scheme lends a sense of airyness to this laundry room. The walls are in the Hagemans' version of ‘Linen White’ while the joinery is painted in Farrow and Ball's ‘Pale Powder’. A blind by Soane with a Samuel and Sons Trim in a warm, sunny yellow hangs above the open window.
REID LAMBSHEAD16/28In the dressing room, patterned fabric by Bennison takes centre stage. An antique vase sits on a bespoke chest by Top Notch cabinetry. The charming wall lights framing the pleated balloon shade are from Vaughan with Fermoie shades.
REID LAMBSHEAD17/28The principal bedroom exudes warmth. The luxurious sofa is upholstered in fabric by heritage brand Holland and Sherry. The ‘Hann’ table lamp by Christopher Spitzmiller, whose pieces have also been in the White House, sits on the side table by Canadian custom furniture makers Whittington & Company.
REID LAMBSHEAD18/28Jamb created this sleek, marbled fireplace for the principal bedroom. Right beside it in a perfect position to enjoy cosy winter nights is another custom Whittington and Company chair in a fabric by Bennison. Whittington & Companty also created the ottoman which is upholstered in fabric by Rogers and Goffigon. The walls are covered in a wool fabric by Philip Jeffries and Rhiannon turned to Vaughan pieces for the lighting scheme.
REID LAMBSHEAD19/28Light pours into this primary bathroom through a trio of sash windows dressed in a curtain by Jasper Fabrics. The deep freestanding bath is by Waterworks. Above it hangs a beautiful sculptural light: the Hampton chandelier by Aerin.
REID LAMBSHEAD20/28The primary bathroom also has a shower with handcrafted tiles from Walker Zanger
REID LAMBSHEAD21/28The mirror was sourced from Mirror Home.
REID LAMBSHEAD22/28The inviting guest room is painted in Farrow and Ball’s ‘Skylight’, a serene, pale blue with very subtle grey tones. The head and footboard of the generous sized bed are upholstered in Rogers and Goffigon linen. The wicket basket was sourced from Privet House Supply, a charming New England shop selling homewares and antiques. The sunny patterned curtains are from Lee Jofa and the chandelier from Limehouse Lighting.
REID LAMBSHEAD23/28With the help of her mentor, Rhiannon searched for antique pieces all over Toronto include this elegant bedside table. guest bedroom
REID LAMBSHEAD24/28Antique furniture helps add a sense of accumulated history to the guest bedroom in this charming new build. The chair is upholstered in ‘Plain Stripe’ by Bennison Fabrics who are well known for their 18th and 19th century-inspired handprinted textiles. On the antique chest sits a Besselink and Jones’ ‘Bamboo Candlestick’ Lamp with a custom shade by Schumacher.
REID LAMBSHEAD25/28The vanity in the powder room was made bespoke by Whittington & Company. A mirror by Scully and Scully hangs above it. New York-based Ann Morris provided the wall light which has been dressed in a shade made of Soane's ‘Old Flax Fabric’. In line with Rhiannon's desire to honour the historic nature of the neighbourhood and infuse the house with it, the wallpaper is by Adelphi, known for their custom historic wallpaper created using 18th and 19th century patterns and techniques.
REID LAMBSHEAD26/28Painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘French Grey’ and having a little less natural light, the boot room has a hushed, cocooning quality. The bench is an antique and the light is by Vaughan.
REID LAMBSHEAD27/28A combination of bespoke craftsmanship and storied heritage brands defines the house and this sun room is no exception. A chandelier with custom shades from Visual Comfort hangs above Kingsley Bate wicker chairs in Penny Morrison upholstery. A Chaddock coffee table–also bespoke–anchors the space. The side table is by Vaughan, the floor lamp by Ralph Lauren home. Bamboo blinds by Namay Samay frame the view of the gardens.
REID LAMBSHEAD28/28These matching chairs by the window in the sun room are upholstered in ‘Dolly’, a floral print fabric by Sister Parish, in ‘lettuce green’. The table is an antique.
