Number One Grafton Street: From PEI heritage house to beautiful B&B

One thing I love about blogging is getting to know other design bloggers and checking out what they’re working. Susan Snow at Susan on Design shared an amazing project with her blog readers — a complete renovation of a heritage house on a quiet street in Charlottetown, PEI. Susan posted regular updates as the house was transformed from a three-unit apartment building into a beautiful bed and breakfast, Number One Grafton Street.

The house originally looked like this:

Image from One Grafton Street and used with permission of the Public Archives and Records Office of Prince Edward Island.

And later this:

Image from Heritage Houses of Prince Edward Island, Two Hundred Years of Domestic Architecture by James W. Macnutt.

Now it’s been transformed into this:

Number One Grafton Street is on the corner of Grafton and West Streets. It’s close to the Boardwalk, and just a short walk from the center of Charlottetown.

Benjamin Heartz had the house (originally called “The Cottage” ) built as a wedding present for his son, Frank Heartz. It was designed by renowned PEI architect William Critchlow Harris in 1894, and constructed by local contractor Charles McGregor. It was  completed in 1895 and cost a grand total of $7,000.

The original staircase. Image from Gothic Dreams: The Architecture of William Critchlow Harris 1854–1913 by Robert C. Tuck.

The Honourable John Alexander Mathieson, Chief Justice and Premier of PEI, purchased the house in 1914. In 1951, Judge Mathieson’s daughters, Dora Campbell and Jean Rogers, turned it into a guest house called Caroma Lodge — named for the first two letters in the three surnames (CAmpbell, ROgers, MAthieson).

John Alexander Mathieson. Image from One Grafton Street and used with permission of the Public Archives and Records Office of Prince Edward Island.

Graeme and Judy Sheldon are the innkeepers at Number One Grafton Street. They fell in love with PEI while on holiday, and bought a cottage on Panmure Island in eastern PEI in 2005.

Panmure Island - Image from Three Best Beaches

They soon decided that they both needed a complete change from their jobs in the UK — Graeme was a Project Manager in the chemical industry for over 25 years, and Judy was a Deputy Principal at a prep school. They decided to make PEI their permanent home when it became increasingly difficult for them to return to the UK after spending time at their PEI cottage. They bought the house on Grafton Street in 2008 and moved to PEI permanently in 2009.

The unfinished attic was converted into Graeme & Judy’s living space, and the interior layout was redesigned to create five guests suites for the B&B. The renovations began in September 2009 and were completed in March 2010. Once the renos were done, the inspections performed, and the furniture and window treatments installed, the website was created and Number One Grafton Street opened for business on June 14, 2010.

After following the progress on Susan’s blog, I really wanted to go to PEI so I could stay at Number One Grafton Street!! And in particular, I wanted to stay in my favourite room, Room 2. So last weekend when hubby and I went to Matt’s Art for Life Gala in Dieppe, we also spent a few days in PEI, and yep, we stayed at Number One Grafton Street in Room 2 :-)

So with no further ado, let’s take a tour of this beautiful Charlottetown B&B.

When you come in the front door, you’re greeted by Graeme & Judy and a light and bright front entry. Judy’s collection of blue & white ceramic ware adorns the beautiful wood cabinet.

The interior is decorated with the perfect combination of old and new. The interior front door has a beautiful old doorknob.

The traditional architectural details like the ceiling medallions and archways look fresh and new with a couple of coats of white paint. (And probably lots of sanding and priming too!!)

 

To the left of the entry is the living room, which is open to the dining room.

Check out the reflection in the mirror over the fireplace — the mirror echoes the shape of the archway between the dining room and living room.

Guests can help themselves to coffee and Judy’s delicious homemade squares throughout the day from the buffet in the dining room.

Tomorrow’s breakfast menu (it was yummy!!)

Up the new stairway to guest rooms on the second floor…

Seating area on the second floor.

Each suite has its own unique identity and colour scheme. The colour schemes are based on five throws from Susan’s store, Moving Designz. Graeme told us that people will often request a particular room because they like the colours in the room. He said that if for some reason they need to upgrade guests to another room, some of them don’t want to change rooms!! (Pics of Room 1 and Room 5 are from Number One Grafton Street.)

Room 1 – Yellow

This bright & cheery guest room is on the main floor, across the hall from the dining room.

 

Room 2 – Brown

The brown walls are warm and cozy, and light blue is the perfect accent. I absolutely LOVE everything about this room, and wish we could have slept here for more than just two nights!! The mattress and pillows are scrumptious!!

 

Room 3 – Green

I think this is one of the smaller guest rooms, but trust me, it’s just as beautiful as the larger rooms.

  
Room 4 – Blue

This is the biggest guest suite and includes a kitchenette and a clawfoot tub.

     

 
Room 5 – Red

Love the angled ceiling in this cheerful guest room.

If you ever find yourself in Charlottetown, make sure you stay at Number One Grafton Street. The house, the beautifully appointed rooms, the delicious food, and the charming hosts will make you want to move in and never leave!! Staying there was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

Another highlight was meeting Susan for the first time :-) We got together for dinner on Saturday, and then she took us for a tour of Charlottetown that ended at her condo. We had a great time getting to know each other — lots of laughs and good times :-)

That’s Susan, aka Rock Star ;-)

If you want to see more of the amazing transformation of Number One Grafton Street, check out Susan’s blog:

• Kitchen makeover
• Attic makeover (Graeme & Judy’s living quarters)
• Main floor makeover
• Room 1 makeover
• Room 2 & Room 3 makeover
• Complete renovation recap

And check out Number One Grafton Street for more information on this wonderful B&B.

I think this is a pretty great metamorphosis, so I’m linking up to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch. Be sure to head over to BNOTP to check out lots of other design transformations.