FEATURED IN: Design Bureau (Chicago), Westcoast Homes & Design (Vancouver)

 

This client was a treat for our team, and a great way to cap off a design-filled Summer. She is fashion-forward, life-loving and inspired by eclectic cultural elements of decor… yet she somehow hadn’t changed the look of her (totally amazing) Yaletown conversion loft since she purchased it as the display suite a few years back. Ergo, she had been living with uber-minimalist style defined by a Barcelona chair, chrome arc lamp and Euro-inspired white leather couch. It was a fab look for some, but left this client’s inner stylista screaming for something much more.

The process began with selling all the above-mentioned modern elements to make room to address her need for hits of colour, texture and storage space to showcase treasured items. For lighting we decided to go bold, using a blend of gold and red oversized cage lights down the hall and a recycled large pendant over the bar; to ground the space we chose a super graphic black-and-white area rug and Moroccan inspired floor to ceiling drapery. To create a sense of comfort and an inviting entertaining space, a super deep grey-velvet dream of a couch (seriously, this is the raddest couch ever. I might just have to go buy one for home) was brought in from CB2 and used opposite two retro loungers; nestled amongst them we used a gold and travertine base glass-top coffee table to keep up the glam factor and tie in the glass waterfall nesting side tables. Art was kept minimal, using a trio of Robert Fougere prints hung with vintage brass hand clips, all scored at Space Lab. Tucked slightly out of view (but with a massive swing arm for accessibility when desired) we mounted her tv, anchored by two vintage school desks as her console unit (she’s a professor, so we couldn’t’ resist the schoolhouse reference). The area was then top lit by a custom designed multi-bulb pendant light. This fixture was created with a piece of hand-planed reclaimed yellow cedar, vintage shades of various sizes and coloured cords.

Moving into her kitchen area, we removed her previous dining table and opted to replace her traditional bar top with a large, dining-sized Ceasarstone top (from J&D Stoneworks); for seating, we used an assortment of vintage and new barstools to create a new “dining” space in which she could easily entertain. This change in spacial layout made room for the super fab custom shelving unit that has become the focal point for the space. The idea was sparked when we found a killer, oversize vintage metal filing cabinet at The Found and The Freed; we knew we wanted to use it in this project, but also wanted to utilize the super high ceilings for storage and decor. So – we brainstormed with the boys at Welcome To East Van and the concept for these shelves was born! With their creative minds and skilled hands, the shelf was fabricated in record time (thankfully – this was a quick turn around project!) and was for sure the showstopper for our client at the big reveal of her space. We added in her glassware and bottles to create a bar area, and used books, art and pottery lighting to finish off the design.

The rest of the space was topped off with a variety of travel-inspired colours for throw blankets, pillows and other textiles; we used a lot of non-fixted lighting in an array of sizes and eras  (from ReFind) to create the final ambiance. Shot by Tracey Ayton, let us know what you think of the pics!