If you could put Canada in a house, what’s a must-include feature?
We know that homes in Canada are influenced by certain architectural styles. From High Victorian to Chateau Style, there are some distinct features to Canadian houses across the country. It got us thinking…what would the most Canadian house include? Not high arches or oversized front porches, but the fun stuff?
These are some extra-over-the-top Canadian features we think you’d find in the most Canadian house.
A heated driveway
This one feels like a no-brainer. Even if you don’t live somewhere with an abundance of snow, we can all relate to those slippery morning walks to the car after some freezing rain. A heated driveway would eliminate the need to shovel or put down salt—think of how much time you’d save! Plus, it’s about as close to being NHL star Connor McDavid most of us will get.
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An apologetic doorbell
Canadians say sorry so much, numerous provinces have passed an Apology Act, which means a person’s apology can’t be used in court to establish fault or liability. Wouldn’t it be great if we could apologize before even stepping foot through the door?
An apologetic doorbell that trills out a quick “sorry!” when you ring it might kick the visit off on the right foot—and save you from having to say it when the person comes to the door!
A Caesar bar in the kitchen
If you’re a fan of the Caesar—a polarizing drink, no doubt—then you’d probably love a full-time, fully stocked Caesar bar with an abundance of vodka, clam juice, tomato juice, spices, tabasco sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, plus celery stalks, olives, and limes for garnish. It would be a wonderful ode to Walter Chell, the mixologist who created the Caesar in 1969 for the opening of a new Italian restaurant at the Calgary Inn. It took about three months for Chell to create the drink, drawing inspiration from spaghetti alle vongole, a pasta dish made with clams.
Did you know? Canadians consume more than 400 million Caesars each year.
And if you’re not much of a drinker, then maybe you’d be more interested in having Canada Dry on tap. They have plenty of flavours on top of this classic bubbly drink, like cranberry, raspberry lemonade, and blackberry, not to mention tonic water and club sodas.
Poutine pillows and blankets
Don’t worry, they just look like poutine. Imagine pillows in the shape of french fries and cheese curds, with a dark brown velvet blanket as the gravy. The original poutine apparently had a 50-50 ratio—50% fries, 50% cheese—so you’d have to make sure you have the correct number of pillows.
As for where poutine comes from, it depends on who you ask. Some will tell you it was in Drummondville, Quebec. Others will say it was Warwick, Quebec. There’s a popular rumour that it was first served in Le Lutin Qui Rit (The Laughing Elf) in Warwick in 1957 after a customer asked to mix fries with cheese curds in a paper bag. The owner did it, but claimed it to be “maudite poutine!” or slang for, “a damn mess!” Gravy was later added to the combo, and that’s how we got the poutine we know and love today.
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A Northern Lights interactive wall
The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, is one of the most stunning occurrences in nature, which is why it’s considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. There are many great places to see the Northern Lights across Canada, but nothing beats seeing them from the comfort of your own home.
What if you could have a wall in your home dedicated to showing you the Northern Lights, no matter where they are in the world? There would be comfortable chairs, dark lighting, and a wall that live streams the lights right into your home.
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A curling rock hot tub
Though Canada’s official sports may be hockey and lacrosse, there’s no denying curling is a national favourite. The first curling club was formed in Montreal, Quebec, in 1807 after Scottish newcomers brought the sport to Canada.
Even if you don’t play the sport yourself, a giant curling rock that’s been hollowed out and turned into a hot tub would be on everyone’s list. The juxtaposition of a cold sport and the hot water would be a perfect representation of how the temperatures change in Canada! Plus, the handle on top would make things easy to remove and replace the cover when not in use. Honestly, we don’t know why this hasn’t been thought of and produced before.
A Canadian colour scheme
No matter what features you have in your home, the colour scheme would have to scream Canadiana. The front door would be maple leaf red—and maybe it could change colours with the seasons! Inside would be accents of ice blue and pine green to represent the great outdoors, and of course there would be plaid wherever possible.
The Ryan Room
Reynolds and Gosling, of course! You could show off your Canadian pride with a room dedicated to the famous now-Hollywood Ryans. There could be a continuous loop of their movies playing on a screen, fun facts about them along the walls like a museum, and of course, life-size replicas of them to take pictures with! For bonus points, you can include décor inspired by other notable Canadian Ryans such as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers NHL team and Ryan Peake, guitarist and singer in the band every Canadian has an opinion on—Nickelback.
Syrup taps and a maple taffy station
Do you remember when you were a kid (or maybe even as an adult) going to a local sugar bush and having maple taffy in the snow? To many, it’s a rite of passage as a Canadian, but we don’t get to experience it nearly enough. The most Canadian house would have syrup taps in the backyard, along with a maple taffy station in the kitchen that you could use year-round for a deliciously sweet treat.
Did you know that Quebec is the world’s largest supplier of maple syrup? It produces 90% of Canada’s maple syrup and nearly 72% of maple syrup production worldwide!
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A scare-goose
The crows you don’t really need to worry about here in Canada…but the geese? Yeah, those you’ll want to keep away from your home! The most Canadian home would have a scare-goose on the front lawn, equipped with windchimes (which startle geese), light-emitting devices, and maybe even a fake owl or snake to keep them spooked.
A fence made out of hockey sticks
The very first hockey stick on record dates back to the mid 1830s, originally made by the Mi’kmaq in Nova Scotia. Originally, the sticks were carved from birch and hornbeam trees before using maple. These days, most NHL-calibre sticks are made from some combination of graphite, kevlar, and titanium.
Their durability could make a great outdoor attraction! You could separate you and your neighbours using hockey sticks—which is as friendly a way to do it as anything else. If you’re lucky, you could find some old NHL sticks that still have player names on them!
Group of Seven stained glass windows
Canada’s history is filled with arts and culture, so of course we’d have to bring in stained glass inspired by the Group of Seven. The iconic landscape painters believed art could be developed through direct contact with nature, and began the first major Canadian national art movement.
Let the works of Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, A. Y. Jackson, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J. E. H. MacDonald, and Frederick Varley, Later, A. J. Casson, Edwin Holgate, LeMoine FitzGerald, Tom Thomson, and Emily Carr bring light and beauty to your home!
What would you add to this list of most Canadian home features? Let us know!
