My Houzz: Creative Salvaging in the Canadian Countryside

Three months after Meaghan Gizuk and Trevor Arthur moved into their newly renovated three-story home, the basement flooded. They had to gut the space and start over. But resilience and resourcefulness seem to go hand in hand for these two.

For instance, when they realized their 12-foot antique church pew didn’t fit their dining room, they simply cut it up and reassembled the ends. For a makeshift kitchen island, Gizuk affixed a piece of Carrara marble to a wine barrel given to her by her winemaker brother. Another wine barrel became a side table. Two suitcases, meanwhile, hold up an office tabletop. These clever design moves are why the couple refers to decorating as a family sport.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Meaghan Gizuk, a dental hygienist and blogger; Trevor Arthur, a heating and A/C mechanic; Jack Russell terrier Milo and cats Oliver and Sammy
Location: Welland, Ontario, Canada
Size: 2,500 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, plus a basement

Two stacked mizuya, or tansu cabinets, are the focal point in the living room. "There are several rooms built around the stairs, which is great for entertaining large parties," Arthur says.

Cabinets: Jalan; leather chair: Kijiji


Gizuk's dad made the 12-foot-long "Oliver and Rust Antiques" wood sign above the windows out of pine. It refers to the name of Gizuk's Etsy shop. He was inspired by a photo on the blog Ekster Antiques, bought the letters from Michael's, then applied two coats of a wood stain mix. The existing oak fireplace mantel was updated with black paint.

Wall paint: Baby Fawn OC-15, Benjamin Moore; sectional: Ektorp, Ikea


Two Ikea chairs and a church pew Gizuk's mom found on Kijiji, a classifieds site, surround the couple's harvest table. The couple cut the 12-foot-long pew and reassembled the ends to fit in the dining room. Gizuk salvaged, stripped down and hung two decorative doors on the back wall.

Mirror: Restoration Hardware; paint: White Dove OC-17, Benjamin Moore


Paint: Rockport Gray HC-105, Benjamin Moore; painting: Edward Spera


Armchairs: Ektorp, Ikea; coffee table: antique


Three months after the couple moved in, the basement flooded, and they were forced to gut it and start over. The space is now used mainly for watching movies and winter entertaining. Reclaimed barn wood lines a nook that displays mementos.



A buffet table that had once belonged to Arthur's grandfather is now the media center. Guzik stripped it down and installed metal mesh on the doors. The couple made the two wall lights out of 90-year-old glass X-ray shades.


Reclaimed barn wood replaced a vinyl-covered drop ceiling.


Photographs of grandparents, Gizuk's nonni's first shoes, pay stubs, marriage certificates and some newspaper clippings adorn a basement wall. Pictured here is the couple's dog Milo.


BEFORE: The kitchen had natural oak cabinetry when the couple moved in. The box in the center of the ceiling was a light with a piece of plastic covering it.


AFTER: They painted the cabinets and added molding to the top, and changed the sink, faucet and flooring. "We're not glossy people," says Arthur. They chose a matte black granite countertop and pine beadboard painted the same color as the cabinets to complete their kitchen renovation.

Gizuk placed a piece of Carrara marble on top of a wine barrel for a makeshift kitchen island.


Cabinet paint: White Dove OC-17, Benjamin Moore; wall paint: Spanish Olive CC-606, Benjamin Moore; kitchen light fixture: Steven and Chris; china closet: Kijiji


Gizuk teamed up with her dad to make these vintage library-inspired shelves using galvanized tubing and wood shelving.

See how to make a similar shelving unit





AFTER: Arthur and Gizuk updated the main-floor bathroom by painting the woodwork and walls and changing the light fixture. Gizuk placed a round glass piece on top of a large vase for extra table space.

Paint: Alexandria Beige HC-77, Benjamin Moore


This hallway on the top floor features black and white photographs, old sheet music, newspaper clippings and a collection of antique mirrors.

Paint: Alexandria Beige HC-77, Benjamin Moore


A small collection of suitcases warms up a sunlit sitting area at the end of the hall.


The bed in the main bedroom was originally a medium pine that the couple stained darker.
They shipped the white Bamileke headdress over their bed from Africa.


A salvaged door, a freestanding porch pillar and a linen-draped chair complete the eclectic Shabby Chic–style vibe.

Paint: Natural Linen CC-90, Benjamin Moore


Gizuk converted the fourth bedroom into her home office-workshop to do sewing and general work. Two suitcases hold up one side of her worktable.

Paint: Revere Pewter HC-172, Benjamin Moore


Arthur and Gizuk ripped out carpeting in the guest bedroom and kept the existing subfloor. The headboard is a salvaged find that Gizuk touched up.


The couple repurposed a ladder they found on the side of the road as a hanging rack for extra linens.

Paint: Dufferin Terrace CC-456, Benjamin Moore


The first thing Arthur and Gizuk did when they moved in was gut the bathroom and put a shower in place of what had previously been a closet.

Wall paint: Baby Fawn OC-15; trim: Cloud White 967, both by Benjamin Moore


Many of the photos on display used to hang in Gizuk's childhood bedroom.

Shelves: Ikea





The porch has an outdoor barbecue space and dining area. Gizuk stapled a grain sack runner to the table and hung crates to store garden-related decor items.


A garden shed from the previous homeowners was repainted to match the home's color scheme and now holds the couple's lawn tractor.

The couple added an old wood-burning stove to an existing firepit. They plan to relocate it in the near future and build a pool in its place.


Trevor Arthur and Meaghan Gizuk, shown here, love to spend their summer free time outdoors caring for their lawn and tending the gardens.

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URL: My Houzz: Creative Salvaging in the Canadian Countryside http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-18459.html