“
We want the house to
be as we remember it when
we were 12 years old.”
106
Ken Sooley, homeowner
added onto the house,” notes
Sharon. Their first choice for
new interior paint colours
had a disappointing “Pioneer
Village feel,” Sharon noted. They
repainted the house in the
colours it wears today.
A trip back to Newfoundland
in 2000 inspired Ken to
found CapeRace. The
company provides tourist
accommodations in historic
Newfoundland houses, including
the E. J. Sooley house, as well as
“cultural and culinary adventures.”
Ken’s experience restoring the
family home, as well as other
traditional houses for CapeRace,
taught him important lessons.
“Don’t throw anything out, as you
don’t appreciate what you have
until you are finished,” he advises.
Remnants of original linoleum,
old window glass and vintage
light bulbs found new life in the
E. J. Sooley house, as did the
pine wood found under the
house. Jerry used it to rebuild
the home’s porch, the ‘linney’.
Ken cautions that restoration is a
“calculated risk. We budget for
the worst.”
“Although the kitchen sink is
original, it is quirky,” Sharon notes.
The kitchen has a vintage 1940s
stove, but a modern refrigerator.
“Other than the beds and a new
sofa and chair, all of the ‘hard’
furniture is the furniture used
by our grandparents, acquired
over their lifetime. It ranges from
the 1920s to the 1960s.” The
linens, curtains, pots, pans, and
tableware are all new, but with a
retro design.
“When we first fixed up the
house and came to stay, we had
several people comment on how
good it was to see a light on at
night in the old house again. The
house holds a special place in
my heart,” Sharon states.
Space by CapeRace Cultural
Adventures, www.caperace.com;
Photography by Donna Griffith,
www.donnagriffith.com