It may be a stretch to think about Christmas with the summer-like weather we’ve been having this fall, but the holiday season is coming, and likely sooner than we expect.
Need some help getting into the spirit? Then check out the crème de la crème of seasonal house tours: Homes for the Holidays. Pairing top Ottawa florists with stunning homes around the city, this much-anticipated annual tour offers inspiration, ideas and a sneak peek into beautiful private homes decorated for the holiday season.
Now in its 22nd year, Homes for the Holidays is a major fundraiser for Hospice Care Ottawa, which provides end-of-life care and services, at no charge, to those living with a life-limiting illness and their families. Since its inception in 2003, the tour has raised more than $2.6 million to help with the significant portion of Hospice Care’s operating costs that are not provided by government.
This year’s tour will see seven homes, ranging from heritage to new build, open to visitors from Nov. 15 to 17. The tour also includes a pop-up shop (Friday and Saturday only) with unique gifts and seasonal treasures from local vendors and artisans.
“From Manotick to Rockcliffe Park, and in between, we have some really beautiful homes,” says longtime tour co-chair Sharon Lalonde.
Early-bird tickets are $50 each if purchased before Nov. 1. After that they jump to $65.
Here’s a snapshot of the homes on this year’s tour:
City View #1
Built in 2020, this contemporary infill is designed with family in mind, yet still includes grown-up touches like the custom wine wall. Modern and sleek, the emphasis is on details and craftmanship. That’s not surprising since one of the owners is a designer, who, incidentally, was so impressed with the tour as the decorator of one of last year’s homes that she offered up her own this year.
Expect to see florals by Alta Vista Flowers complementing the owner’s own holiday decorations.
City View #2
Dubbed farmhouse chic by Lalonde, this expansive two-storey home replaced a smaller home on the lot and includes an in-law suite for the owners’ parents.
“They’ve decorated it beautifully,” she says of the home.
This home is one of two that longtime tour florist Flowers Talk Tivoli will decorate.
Rockcliffe Park #1
Originally on the tour about 20 years ago, this Edwardian home is making a repeat appearance, with all three floors of the home open for viewing, showcasing classic architectural details, period furnishings and captivating artwork.
With a homeowner who loves Christmas, expect this home to be fully decked out. “She has a huge room in the basement — she calls it the red room — full of Christmas decorations that are going to be coming out,” Lalonde says. “It’s going to be spectacular.”
In an unexpected coincidence, the florist paired with the home — Lynette Deir-Mullen of Stoneblossom Floral Gallery — was also involved in decorating it the first time around. “I know exactly what to do,” Lalonde says Deir-Mullen told her.
Rockcliffe Park #2
This 1930s Tudor-style home has seen extensive renovations by the owner, who is also a designer, blending classic details with contemporary design for a refreshing update on a century home.
“It has a beautiful, very modern kitchen,” says Lalonde, yet she loves that some of the older, small archways in the home have been retained.
Capital Florist, a new participant on the tour this year, will join the homeowner in decorating this stop on the tour.
Highland Park heritage
Another century home, this one built in 1914, was offered for the tour after the owners took part as tour-goers last year.
The classic home combines the character of the original architecture with modern amenities. Features include a custom clear maple kitchen with black granite counters, detailed mouldings, granite fireplace and a winterized sunroom that serves as a home office.
Set on a large urban lot, the home is surrounded by mature trees, a pond and waterfall and lush gardens.
“It’s a gorgeous space to walk through,” Lalonde says.
This is the second home that will be decorated by Flowers Talk Tivoli.
Kempark bungalow, Leitrim
Located in a small enclave of large lots surrounded by the greenbelt near Leitrim, a “big, beautiful bungalow” is this stop on the tour, says Lalonde.
Set on a half acre and surrounded by extensive landscaping, including a striking stained-glass fence, the sprawling 3,700-square-foot bungalow was built in 2018 and boasts curved archways, columns, cathedral ceilings, a massive window wall and a living room that can accommodate 50-plus guests.
The Planted Arrow Flowers & Gifts from Winchester makes a return appearance this year as the home’s florist. Expect to see Christmas decorations here, too.
Manotick
The second home to make a repeat appearance on the tour is this expansive waterfront bungalow, which was first on the tour in 2018.
At the time, the home boasted a new 65-foot front porch, reclaimed wide-plank hardwood floors to provide a rustic grounding to the kitchen’s crisp modernism, an indoor pool and a sunken modern library space.
Since then, it has seen a large renovation, particularly to the walkout basement, which faces the river.
“That’s going to be pretty spectacular,” Lalonde says.
As it did the first time around, the home will be decorated by Mill Street Florist.
Don’t forget the pop-up shop
The unofficial eighth stop on the tour is the pop-up shop of handcrafted gifts, seasonal items and foodstuffs to help you get ready for the holiday season.
This year it will be held at one of the hospice locations: the Ruddy-Shenkman Hospice in Kanata, partly as a cost-saving alternative to expensive event spaces and partly to increase awareness and exposure of the hospice itself. Note that the pop-up shop is only open on Friday and Saturday of the tour weekend.
