5 minute read
Design Gradient
from GRAY No. 40
by GRAY
Vintage in the front, modern in the back: how a house with dual architectural identities remains cohesive in its design.
Written by Guy Saddy
Photographed by Ema Peter
A glazing wall dominates the rear of a Vancouver home renovated by designer Sean Pearson of RUFproject. Because the rear wall was removed, to prevent the roof from spreading apart, Pearson replaced the original collar ties with substantial horizontal fir beams, visible in the master bedroom’s cathedral ceiling.
In a time when even the idea of modesty has grown quaint, there’s something reassuringly anachronistic about Alex and Jyoti’s Vancouver home. Perched on a sloping lot, its early-20thcentury façade hidden from the street by a dense tangle of trees, the home seems transported from a different time. The couple bought the house in July 2015 because its quiet Spanish Banks neighborhood ticks some major boxes: it’s close to the ocean, and Jyoti’s parents live nearby, which makes it a perfect place to raise their three-year-old daughter. Celebrated local artist and designer Martha Sturdy once lived in the home, too, which added a dash of intrigue.
But to make their home what they wanted it to be, Alex and Jyoti knew that a substantial amount of work was needed, especially because they wanted to remake the actual house they’d bought rather than hew to the tear-down, build-up Vancouver norm. It was a directive that upheld an important element of sustainability. Renovation would equal less material waste and at the same time retain the home’s history by literally building on its past.
The dining room, situated between the living room and the kitchen/deck area, is a transition point, says Pearson, a hybrid of new and old elements. The original window and casings were retained but are now framed by a modern bookshelf of Pearson’s own design. “A wonderful thing about working with Alex and Jyoti is that it wasn’t about making things ‘big,’” he says. “It was about making things work harder.” The couple’s three-year-old daughter sits at a table from Rove Concepts, illuminated by a Lambert et Fils chandelier from LightForm.
A concrete-tiled backsplash by Villa Lagoon harmonizes well with the kitchen’s slate-colored heated porcelain tile floors by Stone Tile and its white oak cabinets and island, designed by RUFproject and executed by Vancouver’s inGrain Custom Millwork. A Lambert et Fils Suspension Dot pendant from LightForm hangs above the island; the stools are from Vancouver Special. The fridge and the stovetop, from a 1980sera renovation, were kept. “The clients are conservation-minded,” says Pearson. “If it’s not broken, why change it?”
—Sean Pearson, Designer
To that end, the homeowners tapped designer Sean Pearson of Vancouver-based RUFproject, whose wide-ranging CV encompasses everything from creating retail space for major brands such as Nike to more domestic projects. They had met Pearson through friends (he had also previously worked on a project for Jyoti’s parents) and admired his original, creative thinking process. The designer’s first task was the back of the house, which a typical 1980s reno had made uninspiring. But as he assessed the rear lot—which slopes down through a manicured garden featuring mature Japanese maples and a panorama of the North Shore mountains—he realized that he had an opportunity to do something unique. Presenting the couple with his idea to make the entire rear of the house glass, Pearson was met with immediate support, but an additional question loomed: “How do you mix modern and traditional in a way that allows you to live the way that people want to live today?”
Soon they’d generated an overarching design concept: the front of the house would remain intact, its traditional Arts and Crafts bones and period-specific details preserved. But walking from the front to the back of the home would also mean moving through eras: the rear of the house would be entirely modern. The transition is eased by the couple’s midcentury furniture pieces, which make the movement from traditional to contemporary space seem organic.
Next the owners chose their builder, Kenorah Design + Build. As with most renovations, the true scope of work became apparent only after the reno was underway: potentially dangerous knob-and-tube wiring had to be replaced, asbestos remediated, and structural defects addressed. “Not only was the house slanted, but it was functionally compromised,” says Alex. “You could drop a marble on the floor and it would roll from the front of the house to the back.” Yet the greatest challenge was installing the huge, triple-glazed glass panels on the rear façade. Made by Reynaers, a Belgian manufacturer, they weighed up to 900 pounds apiece and were supplied and installed by Atlas Meridian Glassworks (AMG) of North Vancouver. To support their weight and stabilize the rear of the house, a steel frame had to be installed, no small task given that the home lacks laneway access and the work had to be done by hand. Fortunately, as Pearson says, AMG staff are “not the kind of people who walk away from a project. They’ll say, ‘Okay, you need 10 guys to lift these panels? We’ll get 10 guys.’”
The renovation took almost two years from start to finish. The end result? A functional, eclectic home that refuses to be squeezed into any one historical period—or any particular architectural movement. And that, says Alex, is only natural. “We’re a mixed-race, mixed-religion couple. What could we possibly be dogmatic about?”
A Hay Dot quilt covers the master bed upstairs. Timorous Beasties’ Indie Wood wallpaper lines the stairwell leading up to the master suite, where a Random light by Bertjan Pot for Moooi illuminates vintage Danish furniture and classic modern pieces, including an Eames lounge chair from Herman Miller.
