Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Interior Designer: Henrietta Southam

Photography: Marc Fowler

Henrietta Southam Design led the complete renovation and spatial redesign of a 1920s Tudor in Canada’s Capital City. What began as a rethink of an awkward two storey entrance evolved into a full transformation of 15 rooms. The original foreboding wall and ungainly staircase were replaced with a rebalanced plan that opened a direct vista from the front door to the garden, forming a new enfilade and restoring architectural grace. A classic staircase, aligned with the home’s heritage, was introduced, prompting further reconfiguration throughout the upper floor.

The project, titled Artful Agora, reflects the owners’ love of Italy and art, with the concept rooted in a cherished Art Deco vase. For the first time, all plaster trim including baseboards, windows and ceiling mouldings were custom designed by HS + Co and crafted by Italian trades who had recently worked on the Senate and Parliament. Marble checkerboard floors laid on the diamond meet curved marble clad stairs reminiscent of an Italian palazzo.

In the kitchen, a complete reworking created three interconnected rooms unified by green tones, lilac veined marble and custom brickwork inspired by a David Burdeny photograph of Matera. Barrel ceilings reference a favourite Sicilian wine bar. Throughout, noble materials including marble, oak and Douglas Fir, deep coffers, bespoke beams and globally sourced finishes elevate the home, uniting art, architecture and craftsmanship in a richly layered, cohesive whole.