Inspirations

Mysterious Objekts: An 1840s Farmhouse (and Antiques Shop) in Ontario

Joining the parthenon of our favorite homes-as-antiques-shops (see: Nomibis; Les Pénates Reims) is Objekts, housed in an 1840s farmhouse in Breslau, Ontario.

“On a cold February morning in 2021, I went to buy antiques in this farmhouse,” says proprietor—and homeowner—Atta Gaffar. “I am a software engineer by profession, but antiques have been my passion for the last 10 years. I fell in love with the plaster walls peeking behind the ripping wallpaper and the cathedral ceiling of the stone building.” By the time he pulled out of the driveway, he says, “I was calling my realtor for advise on buying this property.”

Atta and his wife, Alia Javaid, decided to buy the farmhouse’s five buildings—barn, stone barn, house, summer kitchen, and root cellar—as their home as well as a space to display and sell antiques. “It could not have been a better decision because it enormously helped us and our four daughters during the pandemic,” Atta says. “Later that year, I lost my full-time job. I focused on the farmhouse and antiques business for a year to support our family.”

Each of the structures is open—by appointment—for browsing Atta’s old, sometimes odd, sometimes “mysterious” finds in atmospheric surrounds. “All the buildings are full of treasures,” he says.

Join us for a peek inside.

Photography via @objekts.ca.

the farmhouse’s moody interiors lend themselves to atta&#8217 9
Above: The farmhouse’s moody interiors lend themselves to Atta’s finds. “I have always been drawn to mysterious objects,” he says.

“i love to find objects in their authentic condition,” 10
Above: “I love to find objects in their authentic condition,” Atta adds. “I try to stay away from anything that is restored. I have learned to appreciate patina, rips, and repairs that come with a piece.”
the farmhouse kitchen. “how did it become this?” atta  11
Above: The farmhouse kitchen. “How did it become this?” Atta writes of the farmhouse kitchen on the @objekts.ca Instagram (where you can also see the space before, with unremarkable yellow cabinetry). “Clean up, remove doors, paint, and display your collection. Spent less than $200.”
now, the kitchen has perfectly imperfect peeling bottle green walls. 12
Above: Now, the kitchen has perfectly imperfect peeling bottle-green walls.
see more mysteriously layered walls in trend alert: the excavated look, 15 way 13
Above: See more mysteriously layered walls in Trend Alert: The Excavated Look, 15 Ways.
stern portraits look on in a living area. 14
Above: Stern portraits look on in a living area.
the home is a space for ever rotating finds, many of them browsable and for sal 15
Above: The home is a space for ever-rotating finds, many of them browsable and for sale.
the strange and somewhat macabre sometimes appears at objekts: “old 16
Above: The strange and somewhat macabre sometimes appears at Objekts: “Old broken dolls are one of my favorites,” says Atta. Also on offer? Used Victorian toothbrushes, eerie models and forms, and chipped sculptures.
“recently, i found a victorian child coffin that i thought would be 17
Above: “Recently, I found a Victorian child coffin that I thought would be a good addition to the Halloween section on my website,” Atta says. “I am still very creeped out and hoping it sells as soon as possible so I do not ever have to see it again.”
another building, the stone barn, has original stone walls and high wooden beam 18
Above: Another building, the stone barn, has original stone walls and high wooden beams.
objekts also specializes in “european antiques, art, and textile.&a 19
Above: Objekts also specializes in “European antiques, art, and textile.”
one of many moody vignettes throughout the farmhouse. 20
Above: One of many moody vignettes throughout the farmhouse.

Objekts is located at 1536 Spitzig Rd, Breslau, Ontario, Canada. Head to the website for contact info to make an appointment.

And for more homes-as-shops across the world, see: