An inherited 1960s Ontario home in Canada receives needed updates while maintaining rustic farmhouse charm.
Stark whites, black accents, and an open concept are three of the mainstays in this newly renovated modern farmhouse style Ontario home in suburban Newmarket. “We definitely wanted to rebuild this home in a more modern, or transitional modern, way,” homeowner and designer Amanda Shields says. The neutral color scheme and sleek lines paired with natural accents bring to life the well-loved modern farmhouse style in this Ontario home.
The living room features the largest set of windows in the home. “This room has enormous windows that go all the way up,” Amanda says, “I love seeing all the trees.” This stunning view of nature brings a natural element to the living room that features a neutral color palette and modern touches like sharp lines and minimal decor.The sliding glass door extends all the way into the dining area, exposing both kitchen and dining room to the outdoors and creating a large, open area for guests and family to gather and mingle. From the outdoors you get a glimpse of Amanda’s exquisitely curated modern farmhouse.
For Amanda and her husband, Gordon, this renovation was sentimental as the house was where Gordon had grown up. When the couple inherited the home, they knew right away that it needed some TLC. The home hadn’t had any work done since the 80s and was in bad shape. It became clear early on the extensive amount of work that would need to be done.
“We knew we wanted to make it our own, and that meant we needed to start fresh,” Amanda says. “We took it right down to the studs and then built it back up.” Virtually the only thing the couple kept from the original house was its floor plan. By starting with essentially a new build, Amanda had a lot of creative freedom in bringing her modern farmhouse vision to life.
True to Amanda’s desire to be close to nature, one side of her kitchen consists of a large 24-foot glass slider door that opens up completely to the backyard. “The idea was for there to be an easy flow from the inside to the outside for when we are entertaining,” Amanda says, “I love the outdoors and wanted it to feel like we were seamlessly connected to the outside.”Decor items like potted greenery, wooden cutting boards, and a wicker basket contrast with the kitchen’s marble backsplash and countertop. The combination of styles creates a space that feels both functional and inviting.Throughout the home, Amanda alternates between earthy tones and modern black and whites. Her color palette is a way she ties together her tastes for both the modern and farmhouse aesthetic. In the extensive dining and kitchen area, she used different types of wood paired with black and metal accents.
Natural Inspo in this Ontario Home
When creating her home design from the ground up, Amanda took inspiration from the surrounding neighborhood, in particular, the many mature trees that envelop the property. “We really wanted to bring the outdoors in; that was a huge element for me,” Amanda says. Not only is this apparent with much of her indoor decor but also with the many large windows throughout the entirety of the home.
A neutral color scheme and sleek lines paired with natural accents bring to life the well-loved modern farmhouse style in this Ontario home.
When Amanda was renovating and designing her home, she always knew she wanted a space dedicated as her in-home office. “I like working from home,” she says. As an office space, the area has a modern, professional feel with its black lighting and sleek chairs. “I wanted it to feel homey, too,” Amanda says. She brought in softer elements with a distressed rug and a natural wood table. Amanda’s kitchen is full of her modern aesthetic with sharp lines and streamlined appliances. “Even the profile of the cabinetry is very streamlined,” Amanda says. The color palette of the kitchen flows with the rest of the home and utilizes light, earthy tones paired with Amanda’s signature black.
In every space there is a view of the beautiful, tree-abundant neighborhood. Amanda tapped into her love of nature to incorporate elements in the home that brought warmth and texture, which softened many of the home’s modern features. She chose materials like white oak and walnut, cozy rugs, unique tile patterns, and added greenery in most areas of the home. She balanced these rustic farmhouse elements with more modern touches like light, neutral colors, sharp lines, and some pops of black for grounding.
“I always had a vision of a large window in the primary bedroom and a large window over the top of the garage,” Amanda says. This vision is what drove her to add a roughly 20-foot addition that became the primary bedroom. As with many of the other spaces in her home, her primary bedroom boasts large statement windows that give a clear view to the tree-filled outdoors.
Making Modern
While the home’s prominent windows and use of natural elements tie into a rustic farmhouse style, its open floor plan utilizes a lot of sharp lines and contrasts, paired with sleek light fixtures and black accents, to capitalize on modern aesthetics. “Inside, we kept the lines very clean and the color palette fairly neutral,” Amanda says. Many of Amanda’s design accents used burnished metals like bronze lamps, knobs, and gold bathroom fixtures. These sleek features pop against her neutral color palette.
Amanda let her dreams inspire her when it came to the primary bedroom’s ensuite. “I had this vision of myself taking baths and looking out the window at the beautiful green trees,” Amanda says. The trees you can see from the ensuite are year-round, and allowing a glimpse of them was a huge focus for her.Amanda kept the design simple in the primary bathroom with porcelain tile and grounded white oak cabinets. She combined matte and high polish finishes for contrast and chose streamlined black and gold fixtures.
Love the modern farmhouse vibe and neutral color scheme in this Ontario home? Don’t miss this Scandinavian Inspired Ontario Home for even more ideas. Of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to get your daily dose of farmhouse inspiration!
Jillian began her writing career while working through college. She has continued to follow that passion in the years since. Jillian thrives in combining her experience and education to craft insightful and engaging writing. She loves to research and collaborate with others in order to tell stories that bring value to readers’ lives. Jillian’s love of writing was initially born from her passion for reading. She enjoys all genres including fantasy, historical fiction, non-fiction, thriller and more. She believes one of the best ways to be a great writer is to be a great reader and tries to spend as much time as she can reading. When not reading or writing, Jillian enjoys punk rock concerts, swimming and spending time with family. Jillian lives in Orange County, California with her significant other, two children and their dog. Her work can be found through Linkedin or her personal website.
