north of the city garden- diy article march 2009

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Stouffville property inspires DIYers to make the most of great outdoors GOING ALL OUT When Mary Attwell and Robert Bowman walked onto the one-and-a-half-acre property in Whitchurch- Stouffville three years ago, they knew they had come home. The 2,200-square-foot, 20-year-old bungalow was nothing special, but the land was spectacular. “We were just blown away,” says Ms Attwell. “The property was so breathtaking.” The husband and wife are committed DIYers. “My passion is decorating,” says Ms Attwell, who is also a smart, seasoned shopper. Mr Bowman is a pretty accomplished home handyman, who can build a custom wall unit, lay a stone patio and wire an outdoor chandelier on a dimmer. Any work they have done to the outside of their home – and in some cases the inside as well – has been done with an eye to enhancing and enjoying the view. Ms Attwell’s favourite feature of the property is the pond, which is surrounded by majestic willows and attracts wildlife such as geese, beavers, muskrats and blue herons. “As soon as I get up in the morning, I can’t wait to look out the window,” she says. Unfortunately, the view to the backyard from the family room off the kitchen was obscured by the deck railing – wide boards painted white.They immediately removed some of the boards to open it up, and later replaced the entire structure with one featuring large glass panels held in place by sleek metal frames. The boards of the deck were given new life with a coat of black paint. A large evergreen was causing similar obstruction of the view from the sunroom. Mr. Bowman trimmed up the lower branches, and Ms Attwell prettied up the area beneath with a variety of perennials – shasta daisies, phlox, hydrangea and Veronica spicata – all with white flowers, she says, stand out even in the moonlight. They’ve added furniture in strategic locations for enjoying the pond: a pair of Muskoka chairs here, a bench there, and a lovely wrought iron gazebo. It sits on a circle of interlocking bricks, features a round table and four chairs, and is lit by a sparkly chandelier. Planting boxwoods and miniature coral and yellow roses around the gazebo gives the area a formal feel. Large black urns are filled with annuals – for time- saving and instantly-lush arrangements, Ms Attwell buys premade hanging baskets to fill the urns, adding a spiky plant for some height – and the entrance is guarded by two large stone gargoyles. Scale, says Ms Attwell, is important: anything but by Lee Ann Waterman outdoor living 36 north of the city

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Page 1: North Of The City Garden- DIY Article March 2009

Stouffville property inspires DIYers to

make the most of great outdoors

G O I N G A L L O U T

When Mary Attwell and Robert Bowman walkedonto the one-and-a-half-acre property in Whitchurch-Stouffville three years ago, they knew they had comehome. The 2,200-square-foot, 20-year-old bungalowwas nothing special, but the land was spectacular.

“We were just blown away,” says Ms Attwell. “Theproperty was so breathtaking.”

The husband and wife are committed DIYers. “Mypassion is decorating,” says Ms Attwell, who is also asmart, seasoned shopper. Mr Bowman is a prettyaccomplished home handyman, who can build acustom wall unit, lay a stone patio and wire anoutdoor chandelier on a dimmer. Any work they havedone to the outside of their home – and in some casesthe inside as well – has been done with an eye toenhancing and enjoying the view.

Ms Attwell’s favourite feature of the property is thepond, which is surrounded by majestic willows andattracts wildlife such as geese, beavers, muskrats andblue herons.

“As soon as I get up in the morning, I can’t wait tolook out the window,” she says.

Unfortunately, the view to the backyard from thefamily room off the kitchen was obscured by the deckrailing – wide boards painted white. They immediately

removed some of the boards to open it up, and laterreplaced the entire structure with one featuring largeglass panels held in place by sleek metal frames. Theboards of the deck were given new life with a coat ofblack paint.

A large evergreen was causing similar obstructionof the view from the sunroom. Mr. Bowman trimmedup the lower branches, and Ms Attwell prettied up thearea beneath with a variety of perennials – shastadaisies, phlox, hydrangea and Veronica spicata – allwith white flowers, she says, stand out even in themoonlight.

They’ve added furniture in strategic locations forenjoying the pond: a pair of Muskoka chairs here, abench there, and a lovely wrought iron gazebo. It sitson a circle of interlocking bricks, features a roundtable and four chairs, and is lit by a sparkly chandelier.Planting boxwoods and miniature coral and yellowroses around the gazebo gives the area a formal feel.Large black urns are filled with annuals – for time-saving and instantly-lush arrangements, Ms Attwellbuys premade hanging baskets to fill the urns, addinga spiky plant for some height – and the entrance isguarded by two large stone gargoyles.

Scale, says Ms Attwell, is important: anything but

by Lee Ann Waterman

! outdoor living

36 n o r t h o f t h e c i t y

Page 2: North Of The City Garden- DIY Article March 2009

n o r t h of the c i t y 43

A pond lined with willow trees is one of the main attractions of the one-and-a-half-acre property.A round brick patio provides the base for an iron wrought gazebo – an ideal spot to enjoy

morning coffee or light lunch and a view of the pond.

Page 3: North Of The City Garden- DIY Article March 2009

n o r t h o f t h e c i t y 39

very large planters and statues would havebeen overwhelmed by the wide open space.

They put the most work however intotheir outdoor entertaining area – a large,interlocking stone patio that has beendivided into two “rooms” – one for eating, onefor lounging. Each area is covered by a 10-by-12-foot gazebo of dark brown metal witha resin roof; purchased assembly-requiredfrom Rona, each one took 10 hours for Mr.Bowman to erect. Chocolate brown curtainsare tied back with large tassels that MsAttwell found at the Stouffville Flea Marketfor $2 apiece.

The living room is dominated by anoutdoor sectional, chair and ottoman(purchased at Canadian Tire) in chocolatebrown with fresh green cushions. Ms Attwelladded down-filled throw pillows for textureand comfort. A brick knee wall planted withtall grasses provides a sense of privacy.Accessories and a chandelier on a dimmer –a heavy, wrought iron garage-sale findpainted black – complete the space.

For the dining room, the pair decided togo custom. They love to entertain and MsAttwell wanted a table that could sit 10people. At Century Lumber in Stouffville,they purchased 10-foot lengths of Africanpadauk. The pieces were glued togetherseamlessly, with a rough bark edge left oneither side, to create a large, rustic table. Mr.Bowman oiled and varnished the wood toprotect it from the elements. Over time thecolour has deepened, its lighter red tonesreplaced by a deeper brown, the bark leavinga lighter stripe on the edges. A candlechandelier to which Ms Attwell affixed twosets of deer antlers and spray-painted glossblack hangs above the table. Resin wicker-look armchairs in chocolate brown (alsofrom Canadian Tire) offer comfortableseating and are stackable for easy storage.

A wrought iron sofa table providesserving space. Above it, Ms Attwell hasplaced a stylized sun mirror and two candlescones with scroll details mirroring that ofthe candle chandelier.

Although the sprawling backyard isclearly the focus of their efforts, Ms Attwelland Mr. Bowman have also worked to givethe front of their property some needed curbappeal. They removed two overgrown lilacbushes and created large curving beds thatcan be seen from the road. In them, they

SURE SLIM

LIANOS

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44 n o r t h of the c i t y

Top, left: For Robert Bowman and MaryAttwell, taking their back entertaining areafrom bare to beautiful required vision, timeand getting their hands dirty. The end resultis stunning and includes separate diningand living areas.

Top, right: To enhance the view from theirkitchen, the white railing on the existingdeck was replaced with large glass panelsheld in place by sleek metal frames.

Above: A custom table made from Africanpadauk wood bought at Century Lumber inStouffville provides comfortable outdoorseating for 10.

Left: This shaded sectional offers lots ofroom for friends and family to relaxoutdoors. Details like the chandelier, down-filled pillows and artwork give the space areal “living room” feel.

Page 5: North Of The City Garden- DIY Article March 2009

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HAIR COMPANY

HILTON

planted smaller evergreens – dwarf Albertaspruce, blue star juniper, boxwoods, yucca –and perennials chosen for their contrastingcolours – palace purple coral bells with theirpurple to bronze leaves; autumn joy sedum;beacon silver lamium, a ground cover withmetallic-green leaves and pink flowers. Gardenart includes a pagoda and two Chinese foo dogstatues. Black urns, which last year wereplanted with fuchsia geraniums, flank the frontdoors.

Other gardens to the side of the housefeature Japanese maples, corkscrew hazel,spiral Alberta spruce, ferns, Frances Williamhostas, double-blooming purple clematis andhot pink carpet roses. A unique feature of one

of these gardens is a two-tiered birdbath thatMs Attwell assembled from two smallerbirdbaths and topped with a pineapple gardenornament. On the bottom tier is a largegrapevine wreath in which Ms Attwell plantssucculents (that are watered every other day).The result is a one-of-a-kind addition to thespace.

The outdoor space is still a work inprogress – Ms Attwell can list a dozen projectsshe would like to accomplish in the comingmonths and years – but she and Mr. Bowmanare able to balance their time betweenimproving their home and enjoying it.

“We just love it,” says Ms Attwell. “We areso lucky to be living here.”

Overgrown lilac bushes werereplaced with small-scale

shrubs and perennials in the front garden.

A self-described “very goodshopper,” Ms Attwell offers thesetips to readers looking to add somestyle to their home – inside or out.

• Fashionably late: Shop at theend of the season for deals. Buyperennials in the fall and holidayitems at the end of December, etc.And don’t be afraid to ask for abetter price than what is advertised.

• Double duty: Look for itemsthat you can use from one seasonto the next. For example, inDecember Ms Attwell boughtChristmas balls in a celadon green –one of the main colours in heroutdoor space – and is certain shecan find a use for them this

summer. And she brings her outdoortable into her finished basement touse when she hosts large dinnerparties in the winter.

• Don’t discount the discountstores: Ms Attwell has her favouritesamong higher-end stores (BramptonGalleries and The Queensbridge Millare two), but she’s also a big fan ofHomeSense and Winners,consignment shops, flea marketsand warehouse sales.

• Trust your instincts: When youfind a piece you love and fits yourstyle, pick it up – even if you’re notexactly sure how you’ll use it. “If Ithink it’s a good price and it speaksto me, I buy it,” says Ms Attwell. S

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