This project is a true reflection of both my clients needs and desires coupled with my design process and aesthetic. A true tribute to the west coast and our surrounding beauty. We wanted to bring the feel of a typical west coast rural home into the setting of a modern condo in the urban environment. The ability to install a woodstove made this desire possible. There is something so grounding about a wood burning fire that enables one to escape the "noise" of an urban life. This feature also served a key ethical design constraint, as we wanted remove all gas features from the existing space (fireplace and cooktop), as it is imperative that all homes break their dependence on fossil fuels and move to a more sustainable fuel source, especially in centres that have readily available renewable source of electricity or in rare occasions wood burning (carbon neutral) option. All of the wood features in the project are created with local Douglas Fir sourced from a sustainably managed community forest on Cortes Island B.C. The Salt & Pepper Granite was sourced from and Independent quarry on Hardy Island on the Sunshine Coast B.C. The large concrete wall was preexisting, but covered with drywall. Both the client and myself saw this as a great opportunity as a feature and a tribute to the construction of the 1970's building, so all the draywall was removed to expose this great feature. Rather than removing all of the preexisting surface nailed Oak flooring, we decided to refinish it and fix the damaged boards. This was done not for a cost saving measure, but rather as an way to consume as little material as possible for the project while also creating as little waste as possible.

Every aspect and component of this project was deeply considered for both its environmental and social impact. If we could find a local sollution, that was the first option, but if not then we would look further abroad and examine both the product and the companies practices to see that they were both suitable to our environmental and social standards. We were able to source almost everything from both Canada and the United states with exception to the appliances which were sourced from Germany due to their high environmental standards, and the wood stove which came from Belgium as it was the cleanest burning wood stove on the market.

Through this strict design process, we were able to have a finished product that is true and honest to both the design objectives and the beautiful landscape in which it resides.

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CONTRACTOR:    Gregg Enterprises

STAGING:            Flow Smart Living + Interiors

PHOTOGRAPHY:   Bright Photography