197: Moirland

Moirland is a 2,635-square-foot renovation by architect Brian O’Brian that treats an interior overhaul as a full architectural intervention, allowing new parts to recast the character and legibility of the building. This contemporary residential renovation in Ontario demonstrates how thoughtful design can transform a traditional farmhouse into a coherent, dynamic home.

Located on more than 88 acres near Peterborough, Ontario, the project began in 2020 when clients who had admired O’Brian’s Schoolhouse project sought his guidance while still searching for a property. After deciding they did not want to wait for a ground-up build, they purchased an old brick farmhouse with a 1980s addition, a drive shed, a barn, and an 1800s settler’s cabin. The house offered little in the way of inspiration, with a dry exterior and an interior that was cold, poorly organized, and emotionally distant.

The design began with a Work Guidance Meeting that opened a shared sense of possibility. From this, the renovation found its foothold in a complete rethinking of circulation. The original front door has become a porch framed by a steel canopy, while the new entry at the rear initiates a route without dead ends, one that is circuitous in both plan and section. Light, movement, and a new millwork vocabulary tie the spaces together, punctuated by moments such as a bubble skylight, recalibrated level changes, and a steel staircase that cuts through the first storey and funnels natural light like a portal.

The result is a home whose parts speak multiple languages with clarity, offering the clients a place that feels coherent, open, and newly alive.