Kickstart your holiday decorating ideas on the popular Homes for the Holidays tour.
This annual sneak peek at some of Ottawa’s premier homes is an anticipated event every November. Area florists and designers decorate each of the eight homes to a T for Christmas, Hanukkah or just a general festive flair.
The tour is a fundraiser for Hospice Care Ottawa, which provides day programs and palliative care for Ottawa residents that gives them a place to spend their final days in a home-like setting.
Visiting the homes on the tour is a great way to get inspired for your own holiday decorating. Here’s what to expect at this year’s stops.
Westboro
Photo: Brian T. Hum
Decorated by Flowers Talk Tivoli, this modern home has several unique features. It reflects the arts and design backgrounds of the owners, who raised their family in a century-old home just across the street. Inside, this home is all about light, plus the library, lobby, lounge, and loft. The design allows for flexible living spaces that can easily be transformed from a room for a large family gathering to a cinema screening, art gallery vernissage or video dance club party, while floor-to-ceiling and clerestory windows flood the home with natural light.
Tunney’s Pasture
Photo: Brian T. Hum
This recent contemporary home is a family-friendly design by CanSwede Homes (run by Henric Alfredsson, brother of the Ottawa Senators’ Daniel) and O’Keefe Florenza Design Group. It features four bedrooms, four full and two half bathrooms and a wealth of floor-to-ceiling windows. Special finishes include a sleek black kitchen with concrete counters and marble backsplash, a glass-enclosed staircase, and a movie theatre. Flowers Talk Tivoli is also decorating this home.
New Edinburgh
Photo: Marc Fowler
This Victorian fixer-upper is an example of a home that has been transformed with personality and flair. Designed by Henrietta Southam, it features bold colours and unexpected flourishes such as a green barn board ceiling. The home is decorated by Mood Moss Flowers.
Rockcliffe Park
Photo: Brian T. Hum
This elegant home balances comfortable family living and large-scale entertaining. Designed by architect Greg Manley, the home features special touches such as smart technology, a granite fireplace shared by the living and dining rooms, a dramatic octagonal study with soaring ceilings and details like five-inch walnut flooring, California shutters and cove moulding. It’s decorated by Karen Grand of Grand Expectations.
The Glebe
Photo: Brian T. Hum
A luxurious condo designed by Hobin Architecture and built by Bateman Development offers spectacular views of Brown’s Inlet from the large terrace. The spacious floor plan was designed to bring the outside in to the two-bedroom-plus-den unit that’s on view for the tour (there are three units in the building). The condo has been designed and decorated personally by the owner, who brings a mix of modern and traditional against a neutral palette. This home is decorated for the holidays by Alta Vista Flowers.
Old Ottawa South
Photo: Brian T. Hum
Packing a lot of history into half a century, this home was built in 1947 for a lumber baron who lived on the main floor and used the second floor as a dance room for his guests, supported by a three-inch concrete subfloor to hold the weight of all those dancers. In the 1950s, it was converted into a triplex, then renovated as a single-family home in 2000. The current owners worked with Urban Keios last year to transform the main floor into an open-concept space flooded with light and circulating around a central floating staircase. Stoneblossom Floral Gallery is decorating this home.
Rideau Glen
Photo: Brian T. Hum
An expansive custom home on the Rideau River offers a glimpse at urban waterfront living. With a cottage atmosphere, where the owners can enjoy boats gliding by, the home takes advantage of its natural setting, adding lavish gardens that lead to a private dock and pool. Designed for entertaining, the home features 18-foot ceilings, a stone fireplace and a full entertainment area. Rebel Petal Floral Design Studio is decorating this home.
Manotick
Photo: Brian T. Hum
Another custom home on the Rideau River, this expansive Cape Cod example boasts fabulous views of the river. The home was recently remodelled to create open, airy spaces, as well as being flexible for the owners to age in place. There are two master suites, for instance, a second-floor one currently being used, and a main-floor one available in case it’s needed in the future. This home also features lush gardens that complement its natural setting. Mill Street Florist is doing the decorating.
Holiday PopUp Shop and Coffee Stop
291 Park Rd.
Photo: Brian T. Hum
As it has been for the past few years, the residence of the Irish ambassador in Rockcliffe Park is the setting for a popup shop. Get a head-start on your holiday shopping with unique gifts and specialty food items.
Gingerbread Village, May Court Club/Hospice
114 Cameron Ave.
Photo: Brian T. Hum
A stone’s throw from the Old Ottawa South home on the tour is the hospice that started it all. For 15 years, the Homes for the Holidays tour has been held to raise funds for this hospice and the larger entity that Hospice Care Ottawa has become. And for the third year, the hospice plays host to the Gingerbread Village, where you can vote for your favourite creation while you enjoy a cup of warm cider and home-baked cookie before continuing on the tour.
Homes for the Holidays
When: Nov. 17-19, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Where: various locations in Ottawa from Westboro to Rockcliffe Park and south to Manotick
Cost: $50
Extras: Check out the popup shop at the Irish ambassador’s residence in Rockcliffe Park, plus the Gingerbread Village at the May Court Club.
Details: website or 613-260-2906, ext. 222
