Article by Michelle Heslop. Photos by William Shepherd and Jody Beck.
For this professional couple with a passion for all things outdoors, renovating their 1800-square-foot Broadmead rancher was all about creating a luminous, open-plan sanctuary reflective of their love of contemporary design. With ARYZE Developments at the construction helm and Jenny Martin Designs, as their interior design firm, the couple sold all of their existing furniture and were ready to start anew. Excited to immediately style their new home, it was recommended by Ross Taylor at Gabriel Ross to take their time and really get a feel for their space before jumping into pressure purchasing.
Favouring a contemporary style with modernist silhouettes, the couple credit Gabriel Ross and Chester Fields for helping them select signature pieces to get the look they wanted. The goal was to appoint quality furnishings that reflect the client’s aesthetic without overfilling the compact space with visually heavy pieces. When furnishing an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, it was suggested that the distinct rooms be seen as a whole and that the couple create harmony between the multifunctional spaces with clean-lined, modern furnishings and accessories.
“We started by working with the client’s budget, their style preferences and existing colour scheme,” says William Shepherd of Chester Fields. Shepherd explains that the intention was to “create a design that leads you through the home in a harmonic and slightly dramatic journey of timeless furniture.” To offset the predominantly muted palette, nature-inspired, natural hues were appointed to keep the modern space warm and inviting.
Designed by Neils Bendtsen, and sold exclusively in Victoria at Chester Fields, the couple chose the Vancouver-made, Drop-in Bensen sectional sofa for its modular design and timeless appeal. Fitting beautifully into their newly renovated space, with enough breathable space surrounding it, the couple chose a cozy organic hue from a myriad of colour choices available.
Italian-made, both the Radius dining table and Torii dining chairs, were designed by Neils Bendtsen at Bensen. Using traditional exposed mortise-and-tenon joinery construction for the legs, the Torii chair is delicate in appearance but strong in construction and expresses the honest intent of the chair. Boasting a sleek silhouette and ensuring durability and strength, the arched back is cleverly joined to each back leg with two long steel dowels and epoxy glue.
As frequent entertainers, both the Bensen dining table and chairs were ideal choices to accommodate sizeable dinner parties, allowing enough mingling space between the sofa and the kitchen. The rich tones of the American walnut table anchor the dining area and the soft, high-end leather tempers the weighty wood surfaces. The lean form and clean lines of the table and chairs keep the feel visually light and speak to the modernist appeal. Built to last, the Radius table is finished with an advanced low build water-based polyurethane that gives the wood a natural open-grain appearance while still providing maximum durability and longevity.
Designed by Jehs & Laub, the Italian made, multi-bulb Crown pendant chandelier from Nemo Italianaluce adds texture and a touch of bling to the open floor plan. The glossy polished finish of the modular structure with die-casted aluminium and sandblasted glass diffusers retains the contemporary vibe of the home. Versatile in any space, the chandelier is available in 7 sizes and 4 finishes: glossy polished, white and matte black or gold.
Complementing the pendant chandelier, the subtle and sleek 14.1 series, Bocci lights hang delicately over the island. Made in Vancouver by Omer Arbel, the cast glass spheres with a frosted cylindrical void houses either a low-voltage xenon or LED lamp. Allowing the beautiful surrounding millwork to take centre stage, the glass spheres are unassuming by day but transform the open space with ambient light in the evening.
Simple and elegant, the Italian made Thin Stool by Lapalma, maintains the light, airy feel of the open living space and provides a warm contrast to the pale palette in the kitchen. Echoing the American walnut of the dining table and chairs, the Thin Stool’s slightly curved plywood on the swivel seat provides an organic feel while the sandblasted stainless steel legs reflect the light from the patio.
