Maura Graham doesn’t shy away from a renovation challenge. A retired computer engineer and practising artist, she has remodelled or built eight homes over her adult life. Growing up with an architect father, she lived through many more revamps. But her latest project in Calgary’s Britannia neighbourhood stands apart, starting out as really, truly, head-scratchingly strange.
“When I saw the realtor listing, I thought, what the heck is this?” says Graham. The structure was on a nice, tree-lined, residential street and had once been a house. That is, before it was turned into a private military museum. The windows had been covered and the interiors almost completely hallowed out to display bayonets, medals and uniforms. There were two bathrooms, a kitchen in the basement and statues of army soldiers. Otherwise, it was dark, two-storey shell.
To bring it back to life, Graham worked with Kayla Browne, founder of Calgary’s Bold Workshop. “We had to take everything back to the studs,” Browne says. “We kept the general footprint, but reimagined everything else.”
One of the biggest transformations was the addition of light. It floods the main floor, washing through new picture windows into the great room, a combined kitchen, dining area and living space. Throughout, Graham embraced a single, joyful colour to tie the space together: yellow. “I value morning sunshine,” Graham says. The house faces east, and now the yellow surfaces, including yellow window frames, catch and reflect the light throughout the day. “It adds to the sunshine inside,” she says.
“There’s basically yellow in every single room,” Browne says. “One of the bathrooms has yellow tile, the other has yellow grout. It gives the house a holistic, cohesive feel.”
In the great room, custom powder-coated yellow chair legs bring a jolt of energy to the walnut dining table. The millwork is edged in yellow-toned wood, subtly connecting each space. The floor, fashioned from sustainable cork, adds to the honey hues. By the nearby front door (all glass to let in more light), yellow pegs double as both practical hooks and fun pops of the signature colour.
To be clear, Graham doesn’t live in a canary cage. There is variety. Throughout the main floor, she also used neutral accents. There are white walls. The pendant above the dining table is grey wool felt, as are a few chairs in the space. “I like the texture,” she says. “And the contrast.”
The space is also lined with art – some of which is her own. Just up the stairs, Graham has what she calls her maker space. It’s a bright, open area where she sews, paints, and hosts a book club. “If I was still working with robots,” she says, “I’d probably be building them in here.”
Her approach to both her creativity and the design of her house is intuitive and unapologetic. “I can’t stand anything too trendy,” she says. “I just want stuff that makes me happy and will stand the test of time.” That includes colour – if she loves something, she sticks to it. “I don’t want to have to make another decision about it.”
She attributes her approach to her upbringing. Both of her parents were creative. In addition to her father (who helped her and Browne with the floor plan of the house), her mother loved poetry and fashion. “She had me in the 1960s when she was 21,” Graham says. “You can imagine the wardrobe. Very mod. Always something cool and colourful.”
The family moved around a lot, including stints in Montreal and Ottawa before moving west. Maura hasn’t ruled out moving again herself. “I don’t like when people ask me if this is my forever house,” Graham says. “It would be very hard to let go of this house. However, things change. There will be another project, for sure. I just don’t know where and when and exactly what.”
Get the look
Element rug
Made from New Zealand wool, the geometric Element Rug by Gus Modern adds soft colour alongside yellow accents in the great room.
Buying options
$975, through gusmodern.com
KARLPETTER chair
Graham gave standard Ikea dining chairs, like these Karlpetters, a pop of personality by powder-coating the legs in bright yellow.
Buying options
$70 each at Ikea
Pablo Belmont Pendant
The grey wool Pablo Belmont Pendant adds contrast and texture above the dining table.
Buying options
$800, through pablodesigns.com
Nelson Ball Clock
The Nelson Ball Clock, from Herman Miller, incorporates mod shapes and fun colours that are both mid-century modern and somehow timeless.
Buying options
From $685, through hermanmiller.com
Selfridge Ceramic Art
The shelves of the great room are lined with Maura’s personal photography as well as a collection of pottery from Edmonton studio Selfridge Ceramic Art.
Buying options
Prices upon request, through selfridgeceramicart.ca
