A 1920's farmhouse in Canada is brought up to date with modern rustic style and Californian funk

(Image credit: Lauren Miller)

published 1 February 21

The property

A 1920's farmhouse in Canada has been updated and refreshed with a rustic, artsy look, and turned into a beautiful and unique modern home.

Home to artist Christine Flynn, the property is peppered with art, eclectic items and one-off vintage finds.

Located in Prince Edward County (about 2.5 hours outside of Toronto), the waterfront town is a hub for artists, and has become increasingly popular with Toronto's creative set looking to escape busy city life.

Artist Christine Flynn followed suit, moving here from Toronto a year ago, with her husband and two sons, aged 13 and 15. As a family they have been coming here for almost a decade, visiting multiple times during the summer months. Now they can enjoy the fresh country air and beaches all year round.

Entrance

Despite being built 100 years ago, the property itself was in pretty good shape. All it needed was a refresh, a new bathroom, some new electricals and a bit of a face lift.

To help them with their vision, Flynn brought on designer Jennifer Garnett to help give the space a simple, rustic vibe that could play nice with Flynn’s treasure trove of vintage pieces. Together they fixed and resurfaced all the walls, then closed off odd door and window openings in order to delineate a better flow.

Their biggest move was sanding and whitewashing the pine floor boards, stripping them of their orange tint to create a worn, rustic, farmhouse-inspired look.

They also added trim work to match the original trim in the dining room, adding a classic and traditional touch to each space.

Living room

Flynn is a vintage fanatic and a lover of California funkiness – so her home is colourful, storied and textured.

The home is filled with Beni Ourain rugs, antique cabinets, and a few designer pieces thrown in (like this Serge Mouille pendant). Flynn then tracked down an eclectic mix of Scandinavian and vintage pieces to complement the home’s laid-back vibe.

Dining room

Christine's work is featured throughout the home. The house is in a constant state of change due to the artworks.

The two botanical pieces in the dining room are Christine's work.

Breakfast nook

The Saarinen marble table and velvet upholstered tub chairs create a slightly more modern look in the breakfast nook.

The palm print is one of Christine Flynn's works.

Family room

The couple also arched some of the doorways to make the space more dynamic.

What is now their family den was configured by the previous owners as a hair salon.

Bedroom

The master bedroom features a neutral bedroom scheme with a salmon pink colour (Benjamin Moore’s Pinky Swear).

See more bedroom colour ideas

Bathroom

They reimagined an old salvaged dresser as a vanity, bought the black hexagon floor tiles on sale, and used the leftover paint from the bedroom.

Lotte Brouwer

Lotte is the Digital Editor for Livingetc, and has been with the website since its launch. She has a background in online journalism and writing for SEO, with previous editor roles at Good Living, Good Housekeeping, Country & Townhouse, and BBC Good Food among others, as well as her own successful interiors blog. When she's not busy writing or tracking analytics, she's doing up houses, two of which have features in interior design magazines. She's just finished doing up her house in Wimbledon, and is eyeing up Bath for her next project.