The home was recently used as a set in Hallmark’s Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Lesson in Murder
QUICK FACTS:
Approx. 3,100 square feet
Beautiful established garden
4 bedrooms
4 bathrooms
Set back from the road and surrounded by lush, established gardens is a classic Oak Bay home—a beautiful Craftsman-style house more than a century old and oozing with charm.
“When I saw it, I thought, ‘I love this place,” says the homeowner, who shares the Hampshire Road home with his wife, two school-age children, and two cats. “It was the character for sure. I love that it’s old and well-built with real care and attention, and the gardens were also a big pull.”
Coffered, 10-foot ceilings with thick fir beams bring stately elegance to the main floor of the 1911 house that was recently used in Hallmark’s Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Lesson in Murder. In the living room, a large stone mantel anchors the room and a towering, gilded mirror reflects all the natural light pouring in through the windows. But the heart of the house is the kitchen—and it’s huge.
“We wanted to buy the home for the curb appeal and then when we walked through the house and saw the big kitchen, that did it for us,” the homeowner explains. “We enjoy cooking and entertaining, and that was a huge draw for us.”
With two islands, both with sinks and heaps of not just prep room but also storage, the kitchen’s been completely updated with all the modern conveniences. It was renovated, along with the rest of the main floor, by the previous owners (local jazz singer Heather Ferguson and her husband), and includes some special design details, like the decorative blue backsplash tiles from Mexico.
“They were travelling in Mexico and they saw the tile and they loved it. I actually hated it when I first came through the house. We had a more modern, white subway tile in our old house, but after we started living here we liked the uniqueness of it.”
Another unique feature added by the previous owners is a custom-made stained glass window created by Edward Schaefer in 2018. It blends perfectly with the home’s character.
“They had it made and I think it’s based upon a vineyard in Germany,” says the homeowner, who bought the house four years ago. “They liked this window so much, they said that if we ever decide to take it out, they want to buy it back from us. It has that much sentimental value to them!”
The kitchen overlooks the deck and the beautiful gardens in the backyard, which face east and take advantage of the morning sun.
“We love seeing the sunrise through the windows and having breakfast and coffee on the deck,” the homeowner tells me. “We actually didn’t realize how nice the backyard was until we’d lived here for a while because we bought it in the winter and then that first summer came and it was beautiful.”
Tucked away to the side of the kitchen and just off the deck is a small powder room. Beyond that is an expansive dining room—perfect for entertaining—with leaded glass windows, built-ins, and wood panelling painted white to keep it light and bright.
“I love the way the old windows look but super inefficient for heating!” the homeowner jokes.
Pocket doors connect the dining room to a cozy den with a fireplace just off the foyer. The staircase and upstairs still have the original fir floors, creaky and worn over time, but part of the home’s history.
The four bedrooms upstairs are spacious for a home of this era. The guest room overlooks the leafy front yard and has a little balcony. The primary bedroom, facing the front of the house, has a big bathroom with a large walk-in shower and separate soaker tub.
But one of the most unique features is in the renovated main bathroom: an ornate wood vanity and vintage storage cabinet steeped in history.
“What’s fascinating about these pieces is that they’re from the original Oak Bay Beach Hotel,” the homeowner tells me. “When they tore down the old hotel and built the new one, the previous owners were gifted three pieces. They took one with them and two are in this bathroom. They’re a really interesting design and the vanity is super tall and not very practical for kids but we kept them just because of the history.”
The home is steeped in stories and it even has a name—Havering House, which is another part of its story from the previous owners.
“Havering is the Scottish word for talking nonsense and (the previous owners) were also very big entertainers. They loved having people over, drinking wine and having lots of fun, so Havering House came from that and I think it fits.”
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