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GREEN DESIGN: A green builder guts his own home as a passion project, yielding spectacular results

By Tony Palermo; Photography by Christian Lalonde – Photolux Studio

A self-confessed “green geek,” Scott Demark has an extreme passion for green building — specifically Passive House. He’s also a partner with BuildGreen Solutions, where one of his specialties is dramatically reducing carbon footprints. In late 2010, Demark decided to put his ideals to the test, announcing that he and his family planned to purchase an energy- and water-guzzling 1920s house on Third Avenue in the Glebe. The goal: to turn it into a 2,000-square-foot model of sustainability. To do so, Demark set out to incorporate two of the most ambitious sustainability strategies in the world — Passive House and the One Planet Communities program. After several construction delays and a disastrous fire toward the end of the project, Demark and his family finally moved in at the end of last year.

The open-concept living and dining room features a south-facing folding glass wall that opens up to a terrace overlooking the street. The folding wall allows for a seamless transition between the indoor and outdoor living spaces — when weather permits. Among the many green features in the kitchen: custom concrete counters with embedded recycled glass, remilled pine over the island, and energy-efficient appliances. Photography by Christian Lalonde - Photolux Studio.

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GREEN DESIGN: More than a decade’s worth of planning and dreaming went into renovating this family’s Alta Vista home

By Amélie Crosson; Photography by Marc Fowler

For Kristina Rudnitski and Chris Cooper, “It’s not about size — it’s about how you use it.” They’re talking about their house, of course, which they built on Cunningham Avenue in Alta Vista.  Though it looks quite expansive from the street, the north-facing house is fairly compact, built in a C shape with a courtyard at the back. The shape opens up the dwelling to take advantage of sunlight streaming in from the south. This is a project that has been a long time in the planning — more than a decade, in fact. Long before they started their family, Kristina started building this house in her imagination — a house that reflects her professional interest in environmental science and her passion for design. Today the space is beautifully set up for both family and work time, accommodating lively young children and two professionals who work out of the house. In the future, it can evolve as the family grows.

From the street, the house belonging to Kristina Rudnitski and Chris Cooper can best be described as part castle, part Roman villa. Because the house faces north, the larger windows are concentrated on the back side of the house to allow light to flood through the space. Photography by Marc Fowler.

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GREAT SPACE: The spectacular reinvention of a 1920s-era former butcher shop in New Edinburgh

Originally built in the 1920s as a butcher shop, the squat New Edinburgh dwelling, which for years had been divided into apartments, was in serious need of an upgrade. That’s when owner Shalindhi Perera teamed up with architect Andrew Reeves for a full-scale reno that honours the building’s heritage 

By Sarah Brown; Photography by DoubleSpace Photography. 

It was 1988 when Shalindhi Perera’s mother, Ranji, first set eyes on the quirky little duplex for sale in New Edinburgh. She was looking for an investment property, and her daughter was looking for a place to live. It certainly wasn’t much to look at — squat and a bit tired-looking from the outside, dark and cave-like on the inside. A former butcher shop, the building had been renovated on the fly over the years and was now a mishmash of styles and small rooms.

STREET VIEW: A view from the street of the square building that was once a butcher shop. The owner and architect agreed that they wanted a modern renovation but were equally dedicated to a reinvention that would not make waves with the neighbours. Photography by Doublespace Photography

 

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GREAT SPACE: Modernizing a sunny urban townhouse in Old Ottawa South

By Sarah Brown • Photography by Marc Fowler/Metropolis Studio.

This story appears in the October edition of Ottawa Magazine. Buy the magazine on newsstands or order your online edition.

“I WAS PRETTY MUCH STALKING THIS HOUSE,” admits Chris Corner with a laugh. The co-owner of OnConference, a conference call company, first noticed the John Donkin-designed townhouse when it came up for sale about five years ago. From the street, it is a fairly unremarkable brownstone townhouse, but step inside and you’re transported into a light-filled loft with floor-to-ceiling south-facing windows and towering views over the tree-filled properties below.

Window View: The automated drapes, which are a stunning 34 feet in length, were installed this past spring. They cut heat and glare while allowing light to pass through. The previous owners did not have any window coverings. The fireplace: When Chris Corner moved into the house, the fireplace surround was painted orange, making it the focal point of the room.

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GREAT SPACE: As the Château Laurier celebrates its 100th birthday, Ottawa Magazine visits the storied Karsh Suite

In 1980, photographer Yousuf Karsh and his wife, Estrellita, moved into a suite in the Château Laurier. They would live at the glamorous address for 18 years. Today the Karsh Suite pays homage to the icon  By Janet Uren

Yousuf Karsh and his second wife, Estrellita — a native of Chicago — lived in the Fairmont Château Laurier from 1980 to 1998. “To everybody else, the Château is a place probably where you come and go, where you say ‘Good morning’ to the bellboy and you leave,” Mrs. Karsh said in an interview in 2007. “But we lived here, and the Château family became our family.” Taken by Karsh, this portrait of the couple now hangs in the foyer of the hotel’s signature Karsh Suite.

THE ARMENIAN-BORN PHOTOGRAPHER Yousuf Karsh was a household name by 1980, when he sold his house on the Big Rideau and moved into the Château Laurier. He and his second wife — the American-born Estrellita — remained there for the next 18 years. Today their former rooms — living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and dressing room — comprise one of the hotel’s Signature Suites, where guests the likes of Nelson Mandela have stayed during visits to Canada. The mark of Yousuf Karsh remains in the form of nine richly shadowed and finely textured portraits of the rich, talented, and powerful men and women who were once the distinguished subjects of Karsh’s work.

Karsh built a reputation in Ottawa in the 1930s as the photographer of choice for society debutantes. During the Second World War, however, he caught the eye of the world when British Prime Minister Winston Churchill paused for a moment in talks with Canadian leaders to glare into Karsh’s lens. The resulting photograph has since become an icon of the times. When the Karshes left Ottawa for Boston in 1998, the hotel renamed the couple’s rooms “The Karsh Suite” in honour of this extraordinary artist and his charming wife. Yousuf Karsh died in Boston in 2002.

After the Karshes left Ottawa for Boston, the suite was redecorated in light colours of the kind Estrellita had also favoured. Of the hotel’s four Signature Suites, this is the lightest and airiest in design. The view has changed significantly since 1998. The large living room windows, now overlooking a relatively new condominium at 700 Sussex, would have shown the old Daly Building when the Karshes lived here.

 

Some years after moving into the hotel, the Karshes pulled up the living room carpets and discovered a parquet floor (above, left) of warm-coloured oak, original to the 1930 wing of the hotel. They made sure it was uncovered for all to see and enjoy. Over the fireplace, with marble surround, hangs the 1943 portrait of playwright George Bernard Shaw. Canadian figure skating champion Barbara Ann Scott (above, right) sat for Karsh as a teen in 1946. Photography by Doublespace Photography.


In the hallway leading to the bedroom hangs a stunning portrait of Karen Kain, Canada’s prima ballerina in her day (above, left). This is one of nine Karsh images in the suite, which were a gift to the hotel from the widowed Estrellita Karsh in 2007. To the left of the frame hangs the self-portrait (seen in the post intro) of Karsh and his wife. In the dressing room (above, right), a gold-framed mirror captures a portrait of Estrellita created by her virtuoso husband. Photography by Doublespace Photography.

 

Estrellita Karsh liked the traditional marble and porcelain of their lavish bathroom, and some pieces have been restored. The shower, lined with fine grey marble, is an art deco marvel, with elaborate taps and rows of pipes that surround the bather and spray water from all sides. The suite includes a kitchen (above, right). The huge ice box — long ago converted to electricity — is original to the room, and it was installed in 1930. The leather floor, with its alternating checks of blue and ochre, is also original. Other elements of the kitchen have been modernized, but these relics remain to remind visitors that the Fairmont Château Laurier has a long, long history. Photography by Doublespace Photography.

DAY TRIPPER: It’s day lily season at Ripon’s Jardins d’Emmarocalles

Photography by Eric Fletcher.

Photography by Eric Fletcher.

By Katharine Fletcher

When Michel Tardif and Mireille Albert retired, they turned a weekend project into a full-time endeavour — their dream garden. To do so, the couple transformed five of their 80 acres of flat pastureland property into a world of winding pathways through colourful perennial beds of hemerocallis (day lilies), echinacea, phlox, hostas, and heucheras.

Tardif, who retired first, launched the venture in 2008 — landscaping, creating pathways and beds, and ordering specimens the couple had researched and wanted. On weekends, Albert planted. Three years later, in 2011, the Jardins d’Emmarocalles boasted a collection of 1,500 day lilies, including 17 foundation specimens. Among the easiest perennials to grow, day lilies come in many shapes and glorious colours, with some possessing an exquisite fragrance, as well. In addition, day lilies are edible, meaning they can be incorporated into some deliciously surprising summer salads.

And echinacea? The Jardins d’Emmarocalles has flowers that range in size from dwarf to metre-high and in hues of red, orange, yellow, purple, and white. The beauty of these, and all the perennials, is complemented by art installations and antiques that are integrated throughout the beds. Occasionally an antique chair beckons. Placed just so, it invites you to sit and contemplate the surrounding beauty.

Plan to linger overnight, for the couple’s heritage farmhouse doubles as a B & B. An overnight stay allows the garden lover to stroll the gardens throughout the day, as well as to appreciate the blossoms, flowery perfumes, shrubs, and art by moonlight. Come morning, a breakfast featuring local artisanal foods inspires further exploration of nearby Ripon. Don’t miss sampling the refreshing strawberry wine from Domaine Mont-Vézeau, then visit proprietor and potter Linda Boulianne, who also sells handmade floral tiles. And before you leave, don’t forget to ask why the couple named their dream garden d’Emmarocalles.

Many visitors to Les Jardins d’Emmarocalles come specifically to see the collection of 1,500 colourful day lilies, including this one named Web Browser. (Photography by Eric Fletcher)

GETTING THERE

Hours: Open daily from May 5 to Sept. 3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Open Friday through Sunday from Sept. 7 to Sept. 30.

Admission: Adults $7, children (12 and under) free. Season pass $152.

Getting There: Ripon is 80 kilometres northeast of Ottawa, accessed by Highway 317. 1068, rte. 317, Ripon, 819-983-6476, www.jardinsdemmarocalles.com.


Katharine Fletcher writes eco-tourism, environment, and gardening stories from Spiritwood, where she enjoys her organic gardens of vegetables and perennials.


A CONDO WE LOVE: A light-filled loft in a former Laura Secord factory

Housed in a former Laura Secord factory, The Lofts at 120 Holland Avenue are massive, open-concept spaces flooded with natural light from the nearly floor-to-ceiling industrial-style windows. Fifth-floor units are particularly coveted, and Jeremiah Bartram designed his to promote what he calls “visual silence,” or a feeling of calm that defies the street noise below. The resulting aesthetic is serene and airy, the views are lovely and private, and Bartram feels very close to the sky and the weather.

By Riva Soucie

Abundant space allows for two distinct work areas. Bartram does his creative writing surrounded by magnificent morning light. Photography by Christian Lalonde / Photolux

NAME: Jeremiah Bartram

OCCUPATIONS: Consultant and writer/blogger

HOME: Open-concept, 1,300-square-foot loft

BUILDING: The Lofts at  120 Holland, Routeburn, 1998. (The original two-storey factory was built in 1956, with floors three, four, and five added about 10 years later.)

I CHOSE THIS CONDO BECAUSE: “I was initially attracted to the architecture. This is a really unique space,” Bartram enthuses. “I love the gallery [the long hallway that leads to the main living space], and I love the open space.”

PREVIOUS HOMES: In the ’80s, Bartram owned early-20th-century heritage houses, first in North Vancouver, then in Edmonton. He lived in an apartment near the canal before purchasing this condo.

FAVOURITE FEATURE: Location. Bartram moved here in 1999, before the area really took off, but he loves that it becomes more like a quartier each year, with lively street life, small boutiques, local restaurants, and specialty food shops. Plus, the neighbours are great. Bartram says that with only 16 units, residents support one another, bringing meals when someone is sick and throwing parties to celebrate important events.

LEAST FAVOURITE FEATURE: Noise from the street drove him crazy when he moved in. Now, he says, he doesn’t even notice the sound of Wellington West’s busy daytime traffic. “I’m in a city, after all,” he reasons. “I find the noise reassuringly human.”

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20 Best Neighbourhoods: Five great options for first-time home buyers

By Laura Byrne Paquet

First-timers, I assume, are concerned mainly about price. If a neighbourhood offers lots of housing close to or under the average February 2012 sale price, that caught my attention. But price doesn’t mean merely the price of the house. If it’s a steal but it’s so far out that you have to spend hundreds of dollars a month on gas just to get to work and the grocery store, it’s a bit of a false economy. So I also took into account such variables as car use and nearby amenities.

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Twenty Best Neighbourhoods 2012

By Laura Byrne Paquet | Photograph by Dwayne Brown

20 Best Neighbourhoods 2012

The Glebe

So you’re looking to buy a house. Good on ya. keep the economy rolling and all that. But you’re finding yourself overwhelmed by location choices. This neighbourhood has great schools but not much in the way of shopping. That one has great nightlife, but you’re a bit worried about crime. Then there’s the area where the prices are reasonable, but the commute — not so much.

So you check with your friends and family, but they’re not much help. Sure, they’re happy to extol the virtues of their own ’hood. The only problem is, they have kids and you don’t, or their budget runs to champagne and caviar, while yours is more of a beer and pizza thing.

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20 Best Neighbourhoods: Hot real estate picks aimed at the family demographic

By Laura Byrne Paquet | Photograph by Dwayne Brown | Statistical graphics by
Aesthetic Intelligence

20 Best Neighbourhoods: Families

Old Ottawa South

For families, my main focuses were good schools and community services. Neighbourhoods with arenas, pools, community centres, parks, a library branch, and other kid-friendly facilities scored highly here. Reasonably priced single-family houses also factored into the mix — I suspect most families of four aren’t interested in squeezing into a 600-square-foot apartment. When you’re paying for braces and hockey school, it never hurts to save a bit of money on gas, so I’ve also noted the percentage of people in each neighbourhood who go to work by private vehicle (the rest walk, cycle, or take transit).

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