My Houzz: Architectural Elegance With the Addition of Built-Ins

It’s the details that make a difference. For a family home in Ontario, Canada, those details included built-in shelves. “Built-ins provide the wow in our home,” says interior designer Tawnessa Carter. “I have always loved them, and after we bought this old house, I asked my husband to put built-in shelves in every room.” Fortunately, husband Bill Cronin is an artist and a handyman, so he was up to building and installing custom shelves in all of their main rooms to provide storage and display space for treasured items the couple found while traveling and at local stores, secondhand shops and flea markets.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Tawnessa Carter; Bill Cronin; Carter’s mother, Jeanette; sons Cohen (age 9) and Beckett (age 6); and their dog, Lorca
Location: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Size: 1,800 square feet (167 square meters); 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Year built: 1906

“I have always been obsessed with built-ins,” says Carter. “I think they add beauty and personality to a room, and I encourage my clients to incorporate them.”




The built-ins in the living room house the couple’s book collection as well as other meaningful items, including stone eggs from Morocco, framed New Yorker covers purchased from a New York City street vendor and art books purchased in Paris. In addition to her design degree, Carter holds a degree in English literature, and books are a constant presence in her life. “I think of my books as pieces of art. Every cover, every spine reminds me of worlds I’ve experienced and lives that I’ve seen,” she says.


“The coffee table was an old dining table we found at a flea market,” says Carter. “I loved the shape, style and scale, so we cut down the legs to be low enough for a coffee table. Now we use it for the kids to do art on, to spread food for guests or to stack books that we are all reading.”

Sofas: Ikea; rug: Surya



“The inexpensive but stylish Ikea couches provide lots of seating that can be jumped on by the kids and slept on by our family dog, Lorca,” says Carter.


Carter loves the look of well-worn, much-loved furniture, so many of her pieces are secondhand. She says, “I didn’t want anything too precious. I’m not interested in perfection; I want depth and character. It is far more interesting to me.”

Wooden blocks artwork: Ren-Wil





The leather poufs are from the Marrakech souk in Morocco. They’re ideal for the couple’s kids to sit on to do their homework or to play board games at the coffee table.

Artwork collected over the years comes from galleries, the Internet, traveling and local design stores.

Wooden wall hanging: HomeSense; lamp: Uttermost; side table: Structube; vases: Ikea


A large-scale Moroccan chandelier the couple brought back from a trip is the focal point of the dining room. Two tall mirrors make the room feel larger.

The dark blue wall paint in the dining room changes from peacock in the daytime to indigo at night.

Brass lamp on console: Elora Vintage & Antique Show; painting: HomeSense; sideboard: ReStore; wall paint: Rainstorm, Sherwin-Williams; dining chairs: Overstock; light fixture: souk in Marrakech, Morocco


Carter and Cronin refurbished old oak cabinets they found in a secondhand store. Carter painted them white and added art deco handles and molding so they would fit in with the rest of the architectural details in the house. They then positioned them in the dining room so they looked built in.



The diamond-patterned floor is reminiscent of one in a Parisian cafe and adds a graphic element to the main floor. “We installed it when we first bought the house and had no money, and it’s turned out to be one of our favorite design elements,” says Carter. “Any time we’ve considered changing or upgrading it, we decide we like it too much.”

Chairs: Ikea; cabinets: ReStore; pendants: Park Lighting; floor tiles: vinyl composite tile


Open shelving for cookbooks, wine and food staples adds some life and interest. “As soon as someone walks in our kitchen, they know we love food and wine,” says Carter.


Cronin built the kitchen island out of butcher block and pipe. He added hooks underneath to hang the pots and pans.


The couple created the open shelving with basic brackets found at a hardware store and unfinished, raw barn boards. “With a busy family of five, the dishes cycle through and we never worry about dust. The open shelves make it easy for kids and guests to help themselves,” says Carter. “We entertain a lot, and we want our guests to feel completely comfortable in our home.”

The backsplash was influenced by the Paris metro’s beveled tiles. The dark gray grout adds drama and visual interest.

Tiles: Daltile


The large, open hallway on the second-floor landing provides a great space for a home office. A small, well-loved desk and used wingback chair bring a typically unused space to life.

Chair: St. Jacob’s antiques market; wicker basket: HomeSense


The Indian blanket slung over the chair was a wedding gift from a friend.

Trio of yellow paintings: Art.com; female portrait: The Electric Garage Sale


The master bedroom has a mix of Carter’s grandmother’s bedroom furniture and modern art.

Painting: Art.com; light fixture: Structube; bedside lamps: Union Lighting and Furnishings; bedspread, pillows: West Elm; rug: Elte


The built-ins in the bedroom allow the homeowners to display much-loved items and magazines they’ve collected over the past two decades.


The focus in the bedroom is on sleeping and relaxing, so there is no television or extra furniture in the room.

Sketch: Art.com


The stairwell is the perfect place to display large artworks. The grass cloth wallpaper adds a textural element.

Horizontal painting: Urban Barn; vertical painting: Art.com


“We bought this house based on the hallway, as it’s open to the second floor,” says Carter.

Light fixture: Kichler


Carter in her kitchen reading. This time it’s a cookbook.

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