Before and Afters
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Houzz Tour: Home Returns to Its Modern Roots
A previous renovation had covered up this Canadian home’s original style. A designer fixes that and lightens up rooms
This home in North Vancouver, British Columbia, had crisp, clean lines and modern style. But a previous renovation that brought in traditional millwork-like chair rails and two-tone sponge painting had muddied up its style and darkened the interior. The homeowners hired designer Lori Steeves to make the interiors match the original architecture and to brighten up the rooms. Lots of white punctuated by carefully edited dashes of pattern and color now suits the home’s architecture and the personalities of its stylish owners.
After: This is the view from the front entry area. A trio of globe string lights occupies the space beneath the room’s high ceilings, adding a sculptural element. Steeves added a triangular bulkhead beneath the vaulted ceiling to anchor the range’s vent hood. “If that stainless steel chimney had gone all the way up to the peak of the vaulted ceiling, it would have drawn the eye up to the wrong place,” she says. Instead, the eye rests on the quartz range backsplash.
“The house has wonderful windows that face the street side of the house,” Steeves says. “I thought of what a nice feeling it would be for my clients to walk up and see this room as they were coming home every day.” The front yard has a hedge that keeps the view private.
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“The house has wonderful windows that face the street side of the house,” Steeves says. “I thought of what a nice feeling it would be for my clients to walk up and see this room as they were coming home every day.” The front yard has a hedge that keeps the view private.
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Before: The chair rail, two-tone scheme and sponge painting added by previous homeowners were dated and didn’t suit the home’s modern architecture.
“This home’s layout is wide but shallow,” Steeves says. “Across from the dining table there was an awkward spot where there was a jog in the wall.”
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“This home’s layout is wide but shallow,” Steeves says. “Across from the dining table there was an awkward spot where there was a jog in the wall.”
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After: “My clients are minimalists and didn’t need or want a big storage piece here,” Steeves says. Instead, she placed a sofa table that can function as a sideboard or workstation. The homeowners pull a dining chair over when they want to use their laptops here.
The statement artwork is by Vancouver artist Miriam Aroeste. The client had admired her work when Steeves posted it on social media.
The pieces on the wall to the left are little eggshell-like pods. “This was a big blank wall we needed to put something on, but we didn’t want to take away from the painting,” Steeves says. “We needed something sculptural that would not compete with it.” Knowing her client was into fashion and loved patterns, she composed the pods in the shape of a paisley.
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The statement artwork is by Vancouver artist Miriam Aroeste. The client had admired her work when Steeves posted it on social media.
The pieces on the wall to the left are little eggshell-like pods. “This was a big blank wall we needed to put something on, but we didn’t want to take away from the painting,” Steeves says. “We needed something sculptural that would not compete with it.” Knowing her client was into fashion and loved patterns, she composed the pods in the shape of a paisley.
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Before: The kitchen layout was functional and worked well for the couple. The makeover in this room was mostly cosmetic.
After: One small tweak Steeves made to the layout was scooting the range to the left a few inches to create some counter space between it and the side door. She replaced the traditional cabinets with streamlined modern cabinets.
The most dramatic part of the kitchen makeover was replacing the countertops and backsplash with slabs of quartz that have a prominent veining pattern.
This is the view from the kitchen, past the entry door on the right, up a few steps to the living room and out to the side yard beyond. Glass railings keep the view clear.
The flooring is a high-end laminate that looks like 9-inch-wide whitewashed wood planks. “My clients had hardwoods before and liked them, but their two golden retrievers had damaged them. This flooring is water-resistant and harder than vinyl, so it will stand up to the dogs’ claws,” the designer says.
The flooring is a high-end laminate that looks like 9-inch-wide whitewashed wood planks. “My clients had hardwoods before and liked them, but their two golden retrievers had damaged them. This flooring is water-resistant and harder than vinyl, so it will stand up to the dogs’ claws,” the designer says.
Before: Even though the living room has fantastic windows that let in lots of natural light, the wall color darkened the room.
After: Steeves lightened things up by painting the walls and trim white and choosing light-colored furniture. She added darker metallic glints for contrast.
She also tailored the room to the couple’s lifestyle. “This table is a hollow metal drum. I chose it because it is very light, and the husband wanted to be able to move it easily so he could play with the dogs on the floor,” Steeves says.
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She also tailored the room to the couple’s lifestyle. “This table is a hollow metal drum. I chose it because it is very light, and the husband wanted to be able to move it easily so he could play with the dogs on the floor,” Steeves says.
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Before: “Corner fireplaces are the bane of my existence,” Steeves says with a laugh. “They are usually awkwardly placed, making it tricky to lay out furniture.” That challenge had led the homeowners to place their sofa in front of the room’s wonderful windows.
After: Steeves had the fireplace surround refaced with large-format porcelain tiles that resemble something between concrete and natural stone. She also pushed the entire angled surround out into the room a few inches. Look to the previous photo to see how the existing fireplace surround stuck out from the angled wall behind it.
The homeowners can enjoy the view of the fireplace from two new swivel chairs, or turn them around to look out the windows. The sofa provides a nice view as well.
The homeowners can enjoy the view of the fireplace from two new swivel chairs, or turn them around to look out the windows. The sofa provides a nice view as well.
Three photographs that previously were scattered around the house inspired the color palette. “I asked them if we could put them up as a triptych to use as a jumping-off point in the living room,” Steeves says. She plucked grays and purples from the pieces and used them as accent colors. Two of the throw pillows are shimmery velvet in a crocodile pattern — another nod to her client’s love of fashion.
The colors of the triptych also informed the choice of this beautiful area rug. Its composition resembles an abstract painting.
The colors of the triptych also informed the choice of this beautiful area rug. Its composition resembles an abstract painting.
“This was to serve as their main living space, so we wanted a sofa that was formal enough for a living room but comfortable enough for a family room,” Steeves says. She selected a streamlined sectional that floats over the floor on feet. “The cushions and back are feather-wrapped, so it is very comfortable,” she says.
Before: The homeowners’ bedroom was drab and dated.
After: Steeves pulled off a careful compromise between her clients’ individual styles. For the wife it was the floral throw pillow and the white cork and foil wallcovering on the headboard wall. For him it was a tailored look, concrete pendant shades and geometric-pattern throw pillows. The nightstands suit them both — he likes the clean lines and she likes the mirrored finish and the surprise of pink-velvet-lined drawers inside. Simple white drapes soften the windows.
Both homeowners are fans of photographs of downtown Vancouver. These were taken by local artist Heather Johnston.
Before: Both of the home’s full bathrooms were dated and compact. The couple decided to designate one as his and one as hers. He uses this en suite bathroom.
After: Steeves went with a modern white scheme. Floating the vanity makes the room feel airier. She added hints of contrast through wood-pattern porcelain floor tiles and a Roman shade in the same geometric fabric she used for the bedroom throw pillows.
Before: The house has two small additional bedrooms. He uses one for his office, which was not part of the renovations. Because their bedroom had only one small closet, the third bedroom had become the wife’s overflow spot for clothing.
After: Steeves transformed that bedroom into a dressing room for the wife. “Using a small bedroom as a dressing room is trending among my clients who have small closets,” she says.
Because this is a room of her own, the client felt free to go pink and floral in here, opting for a bold wallpaper from Schumacher. The secretary desk is a piece the couple already had. Steeves also added wardrobes to the room, not visible in this photo. “It’s just a really fun and playful room,” she says.
Because this is a room of her own, the client felt free to go pink and floral in here, opting for a bold wallpaper from Schumacher. The secretary desk is a piece the couple already had. Steeves also added wardrobes to the room, not visible in this photo. “It’s just a really fun and playful room,” she says.
Before: This bathroom is near the wife’s dressing room, so it made sense for her to take it over. Hollywood lights, a deep red wall color and an overmount sink were some of its more dated features.
After: Steeves sourced a lovely cherry blossom wallcovering in silver and white. She custom designed the vanity, complete with a quartz countertop, undermount sink and a shelf for extra towels on the bottom. A round mirror adds some curves to the streamlined space.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Size: 1,200 square feet (111 square meters)
Designer: Lori Steeves of Simply Home Decorating
Before: “This house is located on a beautiful lot in the woods about halfway up a mountain,” Steeves says. “But all of those trees and the north-facing windows made the house dark, and the colors on the walls made it even darker.” Vaulted ceilings were a major architectural asset, but the paint job wasn’t making the most of them.
Steeves begins the design process by assigning her clients homework. In this case, the wife was all-in on the process and the husband stepped aside. “I have my clients start by making a Houzz ideabook with photos they like,” Steeves says. In this case, a photo of a modern dining room with a statement piece of art and a trio of string lights that her client liked served as a jumping-off point. “She is very fashionable, has great taste and had a vision of a bright, modern space,” Steeves says.
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