Love it Or List It Vancouver: Michele & Brent

Michele and Brent’s home should have been more than adequate in size – but their children weren’t planning on going anywhere soon so this would-be empty nest had grown quite snug for five adults! The whole family loves to cook but they were crammed into a tiny, dark corner kitchen… Fortunately, Jillian and the Love it Team saw the potential in the long sun-lit back half of the house – the only down-side to this renovation: there’s no way anyone is going to move out anytime soon!

We needed to remove the structural walls from the middle of this long space but this called for some heavy equipment: a 30’ steel beam was installed to support the house above. With this in place (no small feat!) this entire space became filled with light and the views to the lush backyard visible from every corner of the room – the sweat and tears to put up the beam were well worth it!

We situated the new stainless steel apron-front sink (a modern take on the traditional equivalent) on the view to the backyard – making dishwashing almost enjoyable!

We relished in the opportunity to try out the simple yet effective use of glass-backed cabinets in front of windows that provide elegant storage while maintaining the views to the lovely garden.

A stunning new light fixture for the kitchen/dining area was supplied by Pine Lighting – accenting the height of the vaulted ceiling and drawing the eye up, it provides focus to this voluminous space.

The family had not used this back half of the house in part because it had been quite cold in the winter months. To solve this, we had a zero-clearance Valor gas fireplace installed– a very stylish solution to the problem! This new feature also helps define this end of the new open area: we had it finished in Venetian plaster (a very old technique using marble dust), giving it a subtle elegance that draws your eye to it without it being over-powering.

With the kitchen opened up, feeling quite grand and spacious, the family room corner needed to feel cozy for post-dinner family gatherings. We took advantage of the dropped ceiling, delineating this area further with a coffered detail so that it feels separate from the rest of the grand room.

A custom sectional in a soft grey by Window Works gives the family enough room to cozy up in. Another seating area by the French doors is great spot to thumb through the pages of a new cookbook.

The bathroom used to break up the space and no one used the tub so we moved it and turned it into a jewel of a powder room.  World Mosaic Tile  supplied us with stunning water-jet glass mosaic tile and we used this to highlight the end wall.

Just because a room is small, doesn’t mean you can’t give it due attention: with the mosaic tile, the Kohler faucet in a brushed modern gold and topping it all off with a vintage-inspired chandelier – this room (though windowless) still feels bright and warm, giving you a good reason to freshen up before dinner!

The impetus behind this whole renovation was to let the light shine through – the space was there, it just needed to breathe. With touches of gold throughout the décor, this theme of sunlight is carried through to every corner. What was an abandoned part of the house is now the heart and sole of the home filled with light and views to the garden.

A big thank you as always to Janis Nicolay for the gorgeous photos!!

Visit the W Network for more on this Love It Or List It episode! To watch the full episode, click here and for more before and after photos, as well as a full resource list please click here!!!

Francesca Albertazzi