Page 14 - At Home Prince Edward County

He started his work in the church, which unstained planks’ subtle variations of
he now calls the Chapel, first removing the colour and rough-sawn look goes great
pews (they are currently in storage until he with Victorian arches and carvings. It’s
can offer them at auction with his friend solid and sturdy and a natural dance floor.
Boyd Sullivan.) He cleaned and repaired “I ripped up carpet, then the lino, then
windows and woodwork, made sure the more lino to get to the original floor, which
impressive balcony was secure and safe, unfortunately was not good enough to re-
stripped and polished the wooden pillars. finish. It squeaked something awful. I laid
Cindy painted the wainscotting a smart a new floor on top,” he laughs, “and that
charcoal grey. “It used to be robin’s egg squeaks a bit, too, but I kind of like that!”
blue,” she says, with a grimace. “Nice Al sourced lumber from Quinn Forest
colour, but not for here, it sort of killed the Products in Trenton, run by a County fam-
colours in the windows.” ily who started the business 60 years ago.
Now with crisp grey wainscotting and They like to support local business, and Al
light cream walls, the Chapel is country grew up with Bruce Quinn.
fresh. Trendy minimalist style is not for
them, they’re more Pared Down Country, AN AMAZING CEILING
it’s nostalgic but not cutesy. Stripped, pol- “I looked for a tinsmith locally, to make a
ished and painted wood, soaring windows custom tin ceiling for the hall,” says Al. But
and simple walls make a classy backdrop the traditional art of pressing tin is dying,
that can be left as is or decorated by clients and he had to go all the way to Kitchener to
to their hearts’ content. find an elderly German artisan to create
The Chapel’s high ceiling just needed the ceiling. It is spectacular.
fresh paint, but Al replaced the boring Unpainted ornate tin squares gleam,
beige carpet with warm rustic wood. The even in the dim light from windows that
were covered when we visited. It’s jaw-

14 @HOME CONSTRUCTION, RENOVATION & GARDENING DIRECTORY