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Coastal Vacation Home With Views Gets a Bright Revamp
A family cabin in British Columbia becomes a beachy summer getaway for the owners and their guests
This cabin from the 1940s was inherited from the grandparents of one of the current homeowners, a couple with grown children who use it as a summer getaway. It’s located in Roberts Creek, a town north of Vancouver along British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, a remote and mountainous region accessible only by air or boat. The homeowners enlisted designer Gwyntie van Tuyl Weswick of Emerge Design to transform the cabin from dark and gloomy to light and airy, taking full advantage of the seaside location.
Before: The cabin’s living area had good bones, including a handsome stone fireplace, but poor lighting made the space dark. “With the lack in natural light, heavy wood features, small windows and spaces, it was time to open a new chapter,” van Tuyl Weswick says.
After: Raising the roof created more vertical space, which also produced interesting ceiling angles. “Keeping the existing foundation and stone fireplace, we rejuvenated the cabin’s personality by raising the roofline and letting in copious amounts of natural light,” van Tuyl Weswick says. The area was further brightened with lighter-toned custom-stained cedar for the ceilings and some of the walls. Other walls were painted in Benjamin Moore’s Simply White.
Before: The dining room and living area had a view of the water but the excess of dark wood, the small windows and the enclosed kitchen didn’t take full advantage of the home’s unique location and access to natural light.
After: The dining area remains in the same location. The builders gave the space more light and expanded sea views by reconfiguring the exterior wall to include large windows and opening up the kitchen by removing a wall.
Emerge Design’s floor plan for the new layout shows the bedrooms and en suite bathrooms on opposite sides of the home.
The kitchen island’s waterfall granite counter with tones of cream, black and orange and flecks of gold was a lucky find. The homeowner discovered the Patagonia granite from Margranite and the space was designed around the colors in the unique stone. The horizontal cedar planks on the back of the island are from the original cabin.
Pendant lights: Tom Dixon
Pendant lights: Tom Dixon
A modern faucet with an antiqued brass finish from Cantu Bathrooms & Hardware in Vancouver is mounted on the granite island top. The countertop across the way is Cambria Newport marble-look quartz. The cabinets are constructed of MDF (medium-density fiberboard) painted in Street Chic and Black Iron from Benjamin Moore.
This clever section of the kitchen incorporates floating shelves and a unique wine rack that make the space breezy and functional.
Here’s a full view into the living area through a new peaked interior arch that was created to match the new roofline facing the water. The sea vista just beyond the new windows evokes the feeling of being on a ship.
The dining area is a mix of rustic and contemporary, with midcentury-modern-style chairs and a custom table made by a family member who used wood from the ceiling rafters of another cabin on the property. The unique light above the table was created by Canadian custom lighting company Propellor from copper pipes and old cedar shakes from the cabin before it was renovated.
The living room’s sofa, reupholstered in a grassy green velvet, adds a burst of color. “We all fell in love with this yummy green. It was such a breath of fresh air,” van Tuyl Weswick says. The eye-catching chandelier provides a further touch of glamour.
The home’s nature-inspired color palette is also evident in the living room rug’s rust and gray tones, as well as in the custom fabric throw pillows. The midcentury-style gray armchairs complement the colors of the sofa and pillows.
Rug: Weavers Art; armchair and ottoman: Rove Concepts
Rug: Weavers Art; armchair and ottoman: Rove Concepts
Two oak veneer nesting tables with metal legs add airy, midcentury style.
The master bedroom has floating nightstands and customized Pax system closets from Ikea. The wood ceiling beams are original.
The woodsy details, white walls, closet and feathered pendant make the bedroom feel like a nest. French doors open to an outdoor deck.
A mix of finishes, geometric floor tile and glossy subway tile on the wall keep things interesting in this bathroom. The skylight, surrounded by original wood beams, replaced one that had been leaking.
The guest bedroom’s design was built around the delicate floral wallpaper, which makes a headboard unnecessary. The handmade pendant lamps from Canadian textile company Amulette provide a boho touch. Called Cocoon, they’re handmade by Annie Legault, the company’s creator.
This bathroom that adjoins the guest room features blue, gray and beige colors reminiscent of a vintage distressed rug. The colors are picked up in the rust of the clawfoot tub and the copper vessel sink atop a deep blue vanity with a crisp white counter, in keeping with the cabin’s nature-inspired palette.
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More on Houzz
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Find a pro for your home project
Shop for furnishings and decor
Vacation House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who use the home for getaways
Location: Roberts Creek, British Columbia
Size: 1,200 square feet (111 square meters); two bedrooms, two bathrooms
Designer: Emerge Design
Along with new finishes and furnishings, the cabin got a breath of fresh air when the water-facing side of the house was reconstructed by the builders at Vernon Construction. The resulting A-frame design provides a 180-degree view of the water through new floor-to-ceiling windows. Inside, the Pacific Northwest is evident in the design team’s choice of reclaimed wood, new and reupholstered furniture, and a color palette of driftwood and stone tones with touches of green.
“The client has a unique, fun and bright personality, which we wanted to reflect throughout the colors and overall design of the home,” van Tuyl Weswick says.