Subtle Beachy-Rustic Style for a Vancouver Cottage
A living room refresh adds a vaulted ceiling, a new banquette, more storage and a calming color palette
Before. The room had dated dark paneling, a brick fireplace surround, a terra-cotta tile hearth and a low ceiling. The style did not suit the homeowners, who liked light blue-grays and casual coastal style.
Scope of work. The renovation was a long time in the making. A few years ago, the couple met with Steeves for a two-hour $750 consultation. “I told them back then that they could spend their limited budget on a purely cosmetic makeover right away or save up for a few years for a big renovation that would involve not only me but also an architect or a design-build firm to complete the engineering,” she says. They appreciated her suggestions and the detailed notes she provided and decided to wait.
“You never know if you’ll ever hear back from clients after something like that, but when they called me back two years later they were in the middle of incorporating my suggestions,” she says.
These included raising the ceiling and adding tongue-and-groove paneling to it, building a new fireplace surround with custom millwork and crafting built-in cabinets with glass doors on top and paneled doors on the bottom. At the point when Steeves returned to help with furnishings and finishes, the ceiling had been raised and the millwork was being built in a shop.
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Scope of work. The renovation was a long time in the making. A few years ago, the couple met with Steeves for a two-hour $750 consultation. “I told them back then that they could spend their limited budget on a purely cosmetic makeover right away or save up for a few years for a big renovation that would involve not only me but also an architect or a design-build firm to complete the engineering,” she says. They appreciated her suggestions and the detailed notes she provided and decided to wait.
“You never know if you’ll ever hear back from clients after something like that, but when they called me back two years later they were in the middle of incorporating my suggestions,” she says.
These included raising the ceiling and adding tongue-and-groove paneling to it, building a new fireplace surround with custom millwork and crafting built-in cabinets with glass doors on top and paneled doors on the bottom. At the point when Steeves returned to help with furnishings and finishes, the ceiling had been raised and the millwork was being built in a shop.
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The style. The intention of the style was to invoke a casual beachy-rustic vibe without being particularly beach-themed.
Entry. To get a sense of the compact cottage, note that this is the front door and a new landing area that was part of the renovations. You then step immediately into the living room from this tiny space. So the living room is a high-traffic area, as you have to walk right through the middle of it to get anywhere else in the house. This was an influential factor in the design.
Entry. To get a sense of the compact cottage, note that this is the front door and a new landing area that was part of the renovations. You then step immediately into the living room from this tiny space. So the living room is a high-traffic area, as you have to walk right through the middle of it to get anywhere else in the house. This was an influential factor in the design.
Dining area. The cottage had an eat-in kitchen with a small kitchen table, but the family wanted a spot where they could host more guests. Steeves’ suggestion of a banquette helped them tuck a dining area into this sunny corner. Wainscoting on one side provides a back that’s more durable than drywall would have been.
Wall color: Wickham Gray; trim color: Cloud White, both by Benjamin Moore
Wall color: Wickham Gray; trim color: Cloud White, both by Benjamin Moore
Gallery wall. To personalize the space, Steeves designed this gallery wall. “One of the homeowners had a special collection of seashells her grandmother had collected around the world,” she says. So she incorporated the grandmother’s sand dollars and a piece of coral in shadowboxes, along with framed family photos taken at various beaches.
Steeves mocks up gallery walls in AutoCAD and presents arrangements to her clients. Here are her tips for a gallery wall.
Steeves mocks up gallery walls in AutoCAD and presents arrangements to her clients. Here are her tips for a gallery wall.
- The easiest way to go with frames is to keep them all one color. This lends a uniform look, and you don’t have to worry about the balance of colors and material when composing.
- Choose the frame sizes first and then size or crop the photos to fit into the frames.
- Start with a strong horizontal line in the middle, and then compose the images above and below it.
- Select frames where you can swap out the photos as your family grows or as you want to bring new memories to the wall.
Banquette. “This family needed all the extra storage they could get,” Steeves says. The banquette has large drawers underneath it. Because the table must be moved to gain full access, they use them for things they don’t need very often, like fancy linens, large serving platters and seasonal items.
Flooring. The family was able to save their original floors and had them sanded. Steeves recommended leaving them natural for a rustic look rather than staining them.
Flooring. The family was able to save their original floors and had them sanded. Steeves recommended leaving them natural for a rustic look rather than staining them.
Window treatments. Steeves used the same fabric on the drapes and the Roman shade over the banquette window. “I love this fabric so much. It is embroidered linen, and the pattern reminds me of fishing ropes and knotted nets,” she says. “It’s a good example of subtly referencing the beach without making it a theme.” The fabric was a splurge; Steeves saved budget dollars on other things like finding a ready-made dining table rather than going with a custom option.
Must-have. The client had grown up with this chaise in her parents’ house, and it’s one of her favorite things. “She knew she absolutely had to have that chaise under that window because it’s her favorite reading spot,” Steeves says. This is where she taught her boys how to read, and now they read to her when they sit on it. The velvet upholstery helped set the tone in terms of the color palette throughout the room, but they went with less traditional patterns and styles with the rest of the furnishings.
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Must-have. The client had grown up with this chaise in her parents’ house, and it’s one of her favorite things. “She knew she absolutely had to have that chaise under that window because it’s her favorite reading spot,” Steeves says. This is where she taught her boys how to read, and now they read to her when they sit on it. The velvet upholstery helped set the tone in terms of the color palette throughout the room, but they went with less traditional patterns and styles with the rest of the furnishings.
Browse cotton and linen drapes in the Houzz Shop
Fireplace. The new surround is a gray-blue ceramic tile from Ann Sacks, and the new hearth is quartz. The new millwork contains a surprise.
Bifold doors slide on a track into the cabinet to reveal the TV, and close for a more sophisticated look when the TV is off.
Sofa area. Across from the TV is a sofa that fits the whole family. There were several factors involved in choosing the sofa. One, the doorways in the house are all narrow so Steeves had to find one that would fit through them. Two, she knew the family needed a bench seat cushion.
“That way four people can sit on it without anyone having to sit in a crack between cushions,” she says. And three, it is light colored but she chose an indoor-outdoor fabric that stands up to wear and tear, cleans up with ease and resists fading.
For throw pillows she played off the grandmother’s coral and the raised velvet pattern on her chaise. She also used stripes in subtle coastal tones.
Also this photo gives a sense of how small the entry is — you can catch a peek of it to the left of the sofa.
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“That way four people can sit on it without anyone having to sit in a crack between cushions,” she says. And three, it is light colored but she chose an indoor-outdoor fabric that stands up to wear and tear, cleans up with ease and resists fading.
For throw pillows she played off the grandmother’s coral and the raised velvet pattern on her chaise. She also used stripes in subtle coastal tones.
Also this photo gives a sense of how small the entry is — you can catch a peek of it to the left of the sofa.
Find glass lamps in the Houzz Shop
Tables and shelves. The side tables are a weathered gray wood. “I just love the shape of these tables,” Steeves says. “They remind me of something you might find in the water, like logs or big buoys.” The homeowner fell in love with the lamp while she was at the showroom looking at the sofa. “Of course it turned out this one seemed to be the last one available in the world,” Steeves says. She would have liked to have had the symmetry of a pair flanking the sofa. “But it looks great with just one, and it makes a reference to sea glass.”
More of the grandmother’s coral shows up in new shadowboxes in the shelves.
Coffee table. Steeves chose the rug and coffee table in response to the heavy foot traffic in the room. The coffee table is round, and the ottoman slides beneath it for easy storage. It is ash with a weathered gray finish. A local Vancouver company custom-made it to her specifications.
Rug. The rug is a basketweave pattern composed of carpet tiles. Steeves chose tiles because they can stand up to high traffic and you can pull out individual tiles and scrub them down with a mild detergent. She ordered extra carpet tiles just in case they need to replace any in the future, and she also notes that if a traffic path becomes worn into the rug, they can rearrange them to balance out the wear and tear.
Armchair. Rattan nods to tropical locales. Steeves had the original white cushion reupholstered in a more practical gray that works well with the color palette.
Rug. The rug is a basketweave pattern composed of carpet tiles. Steeves chose tiles because they can stand up to high traffic and you can pull out individual tiles and scrub them down with a mild detergent. She ordered extra carpet tiles just in case they need to replace any in the future, and she also notes that if a traffic path becomes worn into the rug, they can rearrange them to balance out the wear and tear.
Armchair. Rattan nods to tropical locales. Steeves had the original white cushion reupholstered in a more practical gray that works well with the color palette.
More storage. Built-in cabinets with glass doors gave the homeowners a dust-free display space to show off their favorite things. Solid cabinet doors conceal games and photo albums below.
Takeaways
So Your Style Is: Coastal
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- To get started on a gallery wall composition, use a strong horizontal line through the middle and stick with matching frames to tie different pieces together
- A banquette can be a great space saver and storage provider.
- Playing off textures and colors is a great way to reference the beach without going overboard on the theme.
- When choosing a rug for a high-traffic area, consider carpet tiles and order a few extras that you’ll be able to use as replacements.
- Likewise, check out outdoor fabric options for indoor furniture that needs to stand up to a lot of wear and tear.
So Your Style Is: Coastal
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Living Room at a Glance
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Size: 266 square feet (25 square meters)
Designer: Lori Steeves (interior design) and The Andrews Architects (architecture)
This family of four loved their cottage in the Kitsilano neighborhood of Vancouver, British Columbia. It had great schools, plenty of charm and walkability to shops and restaurants. Plus, their house was only 14 blocks from the beach.
But they were bursting at the seams. Two tall parents and their two preteen boys who were growing taller each day needed to make better use of their space.
By opening up the ceiling to the existing vaulted roofline, fitting in a banquette for a dining area and adding storage, the owners made the living room now function better for the way they live. And the subtle beachy-rustic style that interior designer Lori Steeves gave them suits not only the area but also their love of beaches in general.