Words by Michelle Heslop. Photography by Jody Beck.
For a couple from Vancouver, creating a seamless indoor/outdoor connection with ample space for their family of five was at the heart of building their 6000-square-foot dream house overlooking Haro Strait. Designing a layout that would include adequate functional elements to keep clutter at bay while capturing the home’s waterfront views from all directions was the work of Vancouver interior designer, Alice D’Andrea of Alice D’Andrea Design. Harbour City Kitchens was tasked with the design’s comprehensive millwork requirements that included storage systems and organizational elements to keep high traffic areas streamlined and efficient.
“The family’s previous house was traditional with darker elements so the couple knew they wanted to seize more natural light for a bright, modern aesthetic in this home,” says D’Andrea, who oriented all primary workspaces in the kitchen with the views in mind. Folding glass doors span the ocean side of the house to promote a fluid transition between the interior and the outdoor kitchen.
“We worked closely with the clients to create a millwork plan that would consider their kitchen storage needs as well as build panels for the concealed appliances,” says Antony Scott, project manager at Harbour City Kitchens. Considering the home’s rugged West Coast setting, the homeowners wanted sequence-matched natural walnut for all the woodwork throughout the house.
Storage is plentiful in the integrated pantry wall where appliances are housed behind seamless vertical-grain matched walnut and a small appliance garage is situated near a convenient rollout coffee station. The cooktop was strategically situated on the island to allow ocean vistas to be enjoyed while cooking. The European hood fan is seamlessly recessed into a custom-built floating hood box. White Caesarstone quartz on all the worktops reflects natural light around the room.
Cabinet boxes are constructed of birch plywood while dovetail joinery was used in all of the maple drawers. “Most of the cabinets have drawers or interior rollout shelves built by our team, with inserts by Richelieu or Rev-A-Shelf,” says Scott who adds that a backsplash window looking out at the beach was added to brighten the countertop and bring life to the wall of matte grey cabinetry.
The finely crafted millwork adds wow factor to the home’s most functional elements to make it feel like more of a luxurious West Coast getaway than a permanent residence.
