A 159-Year-Old Prince Edward County House Gets a Modern Facelift

The house is painted a warm, mossy green that picks up different tones depending on the light. It’s unclear if the unusual hue is the home’s original colour, since the earliest photos are in black and white. Jaime and Anna named the house “The Ferg” after its original owner, Arra Ferguson, one of the town’s founders.

One of the best parts of buying an older home? The furniture that comes with it. Jaime and Anna purchased this beautifully worn bench and table from the previous owners.

A colourful hammock is strung up in the backyard for guests to veg out on hot summer days.

In the backyard, a little picnic table is set up outside the back entrance to one of the home’s three units.

The front door is surrounded by a lush garden that Anna and her mother created with a mix of greenery, ferns and plenty of perennials. The door is original, but the exterior lights are new.

In the loft bedroom, a king-sized bed with a vintage teal quilt, picked up at the Toronto Antique & Vintage Market, offers a soft place to rest one’s head. The pillows are hand-dyed from Mags Kandis of Indigo and Rust, who sells her goods at the Wellington Farmers’ Market. Anna and Jaime had the side table custom built using some extra wood they had kicking around.

Another hand-dyed pillow by Mags Kandis sits on a plush chair in the loft’s living space. The blue shade plays off a similar tone in the light fixture above, purchased from a shop on Toronto’s Queen Street West. The crate was a vintage find, as were the sheer lace curtains.

Kyle Lane, a local artisan, built the loft’s striking railing. They idea was to play with negative space and light all while blocking off the ledge, for the sake of safety.

The gas fireplace’s unique facade is thanks to the blue-and-white patterned tiles, gifted to Jaime and Anna from their friend Alex Fida, who was renovating an old house. The wooden mantle is another Kyle Lane original, and the beachy print – shot at Sandbanks Dune Beach – is by Toronto-based artist Christine Flynn.

Here’s a better look at coffee table, one of the home’s many vintage finds.

This ladder was picked up at a vintage shop in Bloomfield, and acts as stylish storage for blankets. A flourishing snake plant soaks up the ample light beside the window.

Here’s a wider shot of the space, including a rocking chair from Anna’s family.

The four kitchen chairs were painted in pastel hues using milk paint, which adds a bit of texture. They are paired with a blue tin table that once belonged to Anna’s mother. The pine floors are new to the home, and Anna and Jaime opted to white-wash the wood to maximize light.

Milk paint also makes an appearance in the kitchen, where a minty green was used on the cabinets. It contrasts nicely with the exposed wood beams, one of the home’s original features. Guests can prepare breakfast while jamming out to their own playlists with the wireless speaker on the counter from Soundfreaq.

Look familiar? The kitchen in the main unit of the house also uses the minty milk paint, but to a different effect. This entire space was once painted a deep shade of maroon, and it took countless coats of white to erase it.

Here’s a wider shot of the kitchen, including a retro light fixture. The black bar stools, another Toronto Antique & Vintage Market find, add an industrial punch to offset the farmhouse vibes.

Just behind the kitchen, the dining space offers a bright space to share a meal. Jaime found the chairs in the classified section of the Picton Gazette and picked them up from a lovely older gentleman. Kyle Lane custom built the table to match. The funky clock on the wall is from EQ3.

The perk of having an artist for a mom: original artwork. Anna’s mother, Mary Hardwick, created the two pieces displayed on the wall. The pine coffee table was another piece gifted from Anna’s parents, and the bamboo black chair is from Catherine Coe, who runs the vintage-obsessed Instagram account Charcoal and Teak.

Patterns on patterns make their appearance on the couch, including another hand-dyed pillow from Mags Kandis of Indigo and Rust.

Here’s a closer look at the artwork. Another Soundfreaq speaker is discreetly tucked on a side table.

One of the coolest things about having a house built 51 years before Canadian Confederation is all the original features. The wooden bannister is more than 200 years old. The image on the wall is from Dead People’s Stuff, an adorable vintage shop in the region.

At the top of the stairs, a little landing offers just enough space for a desk. A colouring book is on offer for guests looking for some time alone. Another piece by Mary Hardwick is placed above the desk, and the beautifully aged oar was found in the basement.

The main unit has two bedrooms. This one, aptly dubbed the green bedroom, includes a vintage quilt from the Toronto Antique & Vintage Market, throw pillows from Ikea and an old fisherman needlepoint purchased for $15 at Stowaway Vintage in Cherry Valley, Ont.

The blue bedroom is a bit softer than the green room. Nearly everything here – including the bed frame, side tables and lights – were inherited from the original owners. The soft pink pillow is from Anthropologie.

Milk paint strikes again in the bathroom, where the subtlest shade of pink was used to accent the claw bathtub.

The same pink was used on the vanity, which is original to the space. The two sconces on the wall are both vintage.

The third and final space is the one-bedroom suite. In the kitchen, artwork from Charcoal and Teak hangs on the wall. Anna and Jaime installed the stunning blue and beige checkerboard floor to add an intriguing pop.

Plenty of elements seen throughout the home are tied into this bedroom. The pastel pink bed spread is reversible and was picked up from the Toronto Antique & Vintage Market. Jaime salvaged the needlepoint from a garage sale down the road.

Another Soundfreaq speaker sits on the side table. Both pillows are from Ikea.

At the end of the bed, a dresser original to the space was painted with pale yellow milk paint. A garage-sale needlepoint offers a picturesque vista of a sailboat cruising across a lake. (It cost a cool $10.)

The Ferg is rented out all year, and the gas stove offers guests some warmth on snowy nights. The chair is an heirloom from Anna’s family, and the ottoman is another Kokito find.

Contractors working on the house accidentally painted the floors white, like the floors in the loft’s kitchen. After realizing the error, they sanded them back to their original glory. Some white still remains, but the effect works.

The dining space is bright and sunny, and a beautiful antique table surrounded by vintage chairs provides ample space to entertain. The door to the utility closet was built from reclaimed wood found around the house.

Here’s a better look at the mix-and-match chairs. The light fixture is from Ikea.