Heritage Restoration
Salvage, Newfoundland, Canada | Completed 2023

Photographer: Julian Parkinson

Canadian Interiors Best of Canada Award Winner - Residence, 2024

Burden’s Point is a sensitive renovation of two historic homes—the Burden and Dunn Houses—and an accompanying shed in Salvage, Newfoundland. Accessed only by boat or foot, the seasonal residence sits on a peninsula between the town centre and the North Atlantic Ocean, within a historic fishing village of just 100 people. Because of the houses’ location and history, it was essential to both client and architect that the design remain rooted in the local context while minimizing its visual impact on the surrounding community.

Built in 1912 and 1914, the Burden and Dunn Houses have long formed part of Salvage’s historic landscape. Significant portions of both houses were renovated and reworked, with exterior interventions introduced sparingly. Rather than introducing conspicuous new forms, the project gently reinterprets the local vernacular while preserving the simple rectangular volumes and gabled roofs that have defined the houses for more than a century. From afar, they appear much as they always have.

Upon closer inspection, nuanced architectural interventions begin to reveal themselves. White exterior siding was replaced, while galvanized steel roofs—a durable response to the harsh environment—were introduced in place of tar asphalt shingles. Across both elevations, windows are traditionally scaled and spaced. The sole exception is a large window on the Burden House’s north-facing elevation. This new window, offering expansive views of the surrounding landscape and ocean, is shielded from the town centre.

At a finer scale, projecting window boxes frame windows on both structures. While such detailing is not historic, it preserves traditional elevations while casting long shadows across the exterior surfaces. Exterior lighting is similarly used as a light-touch method for establishing a sense of drama. Loosely inspired by the work of Newfoundland-born painter Christopher Pratt, these details reveal themselves gradually rather than all at once.

Lined primarily with white shiplap, the interiors of both houses explore the common ground between crisp, contemporary design and the simplicity and honesty inherent to traditional Newfoundland homebuilding. The Burden House, electrified after a century off-grid, reused interior framing and cladding wherever possible, while floors were patched and painted. The more damaged Dunn House required extensive interior renovations, with interior cladding replaced.

Plans were informed by the orientation and circulation of historic Newfoundland homes, with living, dining, and cooking spaces located on the ground-levels. The Burden House contains a large kitchen and dining space, whereas the smaller Dunn House contains a TV and recreation area with a galley-style kitchen and dining area. Both kitchens are constructed of Baltic Birch plywood and butcher block to reference the type of materials and fabrication methods available locally. Furniture was similarly selected for its ability to convey the simplicity and spareness inherent to life in northern coastal communities.

To realize the residence’s purpose as an escape from the elements, colour blocking emerged as an important device for delineating spaces and evoking comfort. This is most notable in the Dunn House’s two bedrooms, where orange and green are spread across floors, ceilings, walls, beds, and lamps to great effect. The immersive use of colour creates a sense of warmth and comfort, ultimately functioning as a contemporary stand-in for the wallpaper found in traditional Newfoundland homes. This experience is furthered by the bedside lamps and built-in platform beds, both of which are inspired by the contained berths of a ship.