Holiday decorating in Gastown

Vancouver's interior design firm Falken Reynolds started 'Decorate Gastown' 3 years ago as a way to say thank you to shop owners for their part in making Gastown such a great neighbourhood to live and work. The shops pay only for the cost of materials and a team of volunteers brings each concept to life. The ideas they came up with are FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!

A 24" birch bark and copper wreath shoppers could win, for the Bulthaup kitchen showroom

Repurposing fluorescent light fixtures left behind by the previous tenant at Complex Geometries, creating a Light Stick Tree

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Lajeunesse Residence

Here is another doozy by _naturehumaine. We were hired by a young couple to do a complete renovation of a house built by the clients grandfather, now housing its third generation of the same family. Their request was that we created something modern and bright. Due to the noisy street at the front of the house, the main living spaces were placed at the back facing north creating the challenge of bringing direct sunlight into these spaces. A double height light-well topped with a skylight, aids in bringing light to the centre of the house. On the ground floor, a wall of translucent sliding panels protects the living spaces from unwanted gazes from the street as well as acting as a vestibule in winter. A plywood handrail wraps around the stair and folds at the base becoming a long bench for the dining table. A simple pallet unifies the custom furniture around the house; folded steel plates, white wooden shelves, and russian plywood. I love the colour scheme - particularly the hints of yellow added throughout the ground floor. 

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Stacked House

I LOVE this home designed by Montréal architects _naturehumaine. I read the description to my husband while chuckling - it's exactly what we wanted to do when we tear down our house and rebuild. This project was done in collaboration with the client who wished to build his own home. The site is located in a back alley of Montréal’s Plateau neighbourhood and the design reflects the patchwork of extensions and renovations typically found in Plateau alleyways. The constraints of the site called for a house that was built upwards versus outwards. Four boxes clad in different materials are stacked one on top of the other. A void carved out of the center of the house, provides daylight, ventilation, and private outdoor space. (Check out another of their projects here).

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McCarthy Hinder

I love featuring fellow Canadians on the blog, so I'm stoked to introduce you to some cool spaces created by Vancouver interior designers Tanja Hinder and Carrie McCarthy.

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The exhibitionist

Stark minimalism in black and white. Glass walls like a gold fish bowl. Everything on show. Reflective surfaces bouncing light. Hard, lean, buffed. The perfect exhibitionist. But wait there is a softer side. Concealed lighting throws rough bricks into relief. Solid planks warm walls. Could you? Would you? Are you a secret exhibitionist. Bold living by Montreal interior designer Anne Sophie Goneau.

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