Last week I had the opportunity to attend a fundraising event for a new initiative called 40Back for The Royal. You can read more about that here.
The event took place in the Glebe-area home of Kellie Major and her husband Warren Newberry. Kellie is a fellow Carleton j-school survivor who, might I add, hasn’t changed a bit and looks as fabulous as she did so many years ago.
Anyway, yes, their home was the star of the show of the 40Back event. Simply put, it’s gorgeous, but I imagine it took a lot of heartache to get there. The old Major-Newberry home burned down on Halloween 2008. Fortunately no one was hurt, but it meant they had to rebuild from scratch.
Can you imagine losing everything? I imagine it would really force you to rethink the value of your stuff, wouldn’t it … whether it’s sentimental or dollar value. I can’t imagine.
I asked Kellie to send me some pics of the new place and she kindly obliged (these ones are hers), but I have to say that this is the exactly the type of home that deserves to be profiled in a magazine and professionally photographed.
The way Kellie and Warren designed their living space is truly inspiring.
There were a few standout features for me; an upstairs (second-floor!) family room nestled between bedrooms (Kellie and Warren have two kids) and the laundry room, and a glass garage-style window-door (it’s a window AND a door – how else can I describe it?) at the far end of the dining area which opens to a cute little patio.
And oh, the kitchen. It is the stuff that dreams are made of; partially seen here:
You get the picture I’m sure. It’s all very open. Which is why it’s probably a good thing that the kid stuff is contained to the bedrooms (which were cute too) and an area in the basement.
The entrance to the home is beyond those floaty stairs (LOVE). The place is longer than it is wide and has a wonderful way of unfolding as you move through it. Check out the gorgeous flooring:
As an added bonus, there are lots of places to sit or stretch out and dream (which I think is pretty important).
Pretty sweet, isn’t it?
Anyway, I discovered that Kellie has a blog she’s been keeping to document the rebuilding of her home. Check it out for more photos, and stories behind the photos. Great stuff.
Thanks Kellie and Warren for opening up your home!
