This Prince Edward County Home Has Everything — Including a Pool

It’s easy to fall in love with Prince Edward County – the wineries, the beach, the fine selection of vintage shopping. And that’s precisely what happened to interior designer Marie Girolamo and her partner, Gianpaolo Andreis. Last year, they stumbled upon this charming five-bedroom home in the heart of the county. The place was built in 1903 and they loved the house’s bones, but the state of design – hunter-green accents, floral wallpaper – made it look like it was trapped in the 1980s. They bought it anyway. The same day they got the keys, they got to work restoring the home’s original features.

Entryway to a house built in 1903 with hardwood flooring and patterned area rug

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Working Together

Marie and Gianpaolo bought the place with two friends – Karen Sampogna and Susan Tavana – with plans to rent the house year-round. They painted the entire house white – including the entryway, seen here – to draw attention to the house’s original features, such as the hardwood floors.

Paisley wallpaper in a living room in neutral tones

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For Keeps

Most of the wallpaper in the house seemed outdated, but they decided to keep this paisley wallpaper in the living room as a nod to the home’s roots. The gold and glass coffee table is from Wayfair.

Grey tufted sofas add a modern-vintage flourish to the living room

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Subtle Throwback

The tufted sofas, from Structube, are one of many modern-meets-vintage flourishes. Looking for something a little more modern? Check out these sectional sofas that will transform your living room.

An open-concept living room and dining area in neutral tones and paisley wallpaper

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More is More

Open-concept

homes are lovely, but in a house this size, Marie said it didn’t seem necessary to knock down any walls. “Each room is the size of someone’s apartment in downtown Toronto,” she said.

Large harvest table in the dining room that can seat 12 guests

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Dinner for 12

The dining room has a massive, 10-foot long harvest table from Restoration Hardware that can easily accommodate 12 guests. And yes, that’s a real harp in the corner. They found it on Bunz from a musician who was looking to give it a good home.

A white kitchen with butcher block island

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Fresh and Clean

A pilot previously lived in the house and the kitchen was decorated with airplane-pattered wallpaper and honey-oak cabinets. “It stuck out like a sore thumb,” Marie said. For a fresh slate, they painted everything white and added a butcher block kitchen island.

The exposed brick wall in the all-white kitchen lends the space a country-home vibe

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Brick-by-Brick

Rather than paint the brick white like the rest of the kitchen, they opted to keep the original colour to preserve the country-home vibes.

A bright and sunny white breakfast nook in the renovated kitchen

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Breakfast Time

Believe it or not, the breakfast nook had the tightest budget in the house. The table is from IKEA and the chairs are from Wayfair. The homeowners loved how the space turned out.

Upstairs hallways with a vintage rocking chair at the top by the window

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Space Between

The upstairs hallway has one of the most pastoral views in the home. Marie loved the detailing in the railing and insisted that they keep it. The rocking chair by the window once belonged to Susan’s father.

A renovated bedroom with a neutral colour palette and whimsical feather artwork over the bed

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Birds of a Feather

The idea for the bedrooms was to use a similar colour palette, yet still make sure they all seemed distinct. The whimsical wall hanging behind the bed is from HomeSense and the chair was a curbside find in Parkdale, the Toronto neighbourhood where Marie and Gianpaolo live. They updated the chair with a coat of blue fabric paint.

Textured white bedspread in the renovated bedroom

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Popular Demand

A question the couple always get from guests is where they bought the bedspread. The answer: Structube. “But it’s always sold old,” Marie said. The side lamps are from Wayfair.

Grey textured wallpaper in a neutral palette guest bedroom

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Paint on Paper

In this bedroom, they decided to paint the textured wallpaper a deep grey to ground the space. The artwork on the wall once belonged to a convent in Wisconsin and Marie found it in a market in South Carolina.

Small white bedroom with grey area rug and macrame wall art

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Comfort is Key

This is the coziest bedroom in the house, according to Marie, who admits it’s her personal favourite.

Bed throw pillow with Notorious B.I.G. lyrics in the guest bedroom

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Living Legend

One of Marie’s favourite things about the room is this pillow from Society6, with a nod to lyrics by The Notorious B.I.G. The wall hanging is another HomeSense find.

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Sleeping in the 6ix

This bedroom has been dubbed “the Toronto room.” The obvious reason: the Drake pillow, also from Society6. But there’s also three aerial photographs of the city framed on the wall that Marie shot on a Porter flight.

A carpeted family room with a gas fireplace in the corner and sectional sofa

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Getting Cozy

The family room, seen here, is the only place in the home with a television. The decision was intentional. “When people go away, they don’t really want to watch TV, so we didn’t want TVs in all the bedrooms,” Marie said. Come winter, the gas fireplace gives the room a warm ambiance.

A spiral staircase leading up from the family room

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Do the Twist

One of the most striking architectural details in the home is the original spiral staircase and they decided to keep the black and brass colours. “We didn’t touch it,” Marie said.

A guest bedroom with hardwood flooring and an Elvis Presley throw pillow

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Heartbreak Hotel

The staircase leads up the “the Elvis room,” named for obvious reasons. To make the space pop, they painted the panelling white and added a dark accent wall.

Guest bedroom with throw pillows, textured bedcover and side tables

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Staying Consistent

In case you didn’t notice, the side tables in each bedroom are the same design, from IKEA, but in different colours.

A bathroom painted in midnight blue with a clawfoot tub and shower with exposed pipes

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Bubble Bath

Like the kitchen, the bathroom‘s design was trapped in the 1980s, with hunter-green accents and matching wallpaper. They replaced the green detailing with this shade of midnight blue. They also added a shower, for the sake of convenience.

A floral painting on the wall of the midnight blue bathroom

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Personal Touch

The floral picture on the wall once belonged to Marie’s grandmother and it made its way into the bathroom. The antique towel rack was once “some sort of sewing apparatus,” Marie said, that they found at a market in Trinity Bellwoods in Toronto.

A vintage armoire and chair in the midnight blue bathroom

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Hand-Me-Downs

The armoire and chair in the bathroom were left behind by the previous owner and Marie loved how they fit into the space. The pictures are both from Value Village.

An on-ground pool that is partially in-ground and above-ground surrounded by wood patio

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Summer Days

Easily the biggest renovation in the home was adding the swimming pool. It’s an on-ground pool, which means it’s partially in-ground and partially above-ground. It took about a month to build from start to finish.

BBQ deck space for grilling and eating outside

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Get Grilling

One of the nicest features in the home, Marie said, it the huge amount of outdoor space. The BBQ deck offers an area to grill and eat dinner outside. The patio set is from IKEA and the cushions are from HomeSense.

Coral sling chairs poolside with donut-shaped floating devices in the water

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Soak up the Sun

One of the best places to while away the afternoon is beside the pool in these coral sling chairs from IKEA. The floating donuts are also a comfy option.