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WHEN THE OWNERS of this North Saanich, B.C., property started planning their retirement dream home, they wanted to combine the rustic solitude of a remote island villa with the convenience of urban living-all with an eye to the kind of accessibility that would make it possible for them to potentially live there until the end of their days. It wasn’t easy, or inexpensive, but seven years later the couple is happily ensconced in a custom-built seaside cottage that succeeds on all three counts.
"The concept was to have a no-step house. We think that having all of the main living space on the ground floor, including the master suite, will add another four years to our ability to use this house," says the homeowner, echoing a concern shared by a generation of baby boomers.
Nestled into a rocky cove on a wedge-shaped lot overlooking Saanich Inlet, the home offers a modern twist on the shingle-style beach houses of New England a century ago. "We wanted to get the Gulf Island experience but continue to enjoy the amenities of living in Greater Victoria," he explains. Classic exterior features-pitched roof, second-floor gables, stone chimney, multi-panelled windows and an abundance of bold white trim-create the look and feel of a character home in the Hamptons.
However, Victoria designer Bruce Wilkin, who teamed up with designer Rus Collins for the work, says the project involved a fusion of design elements that add functionality to the home’s quaint aesthetic. "We took the West Coast concept of inside-outside living and incorporated it into the style," Wilkin says. "We wanted it to be usable as a contemporary house but also to seem completely authentic and hand-made."
Except for office space and two spare bedrooms upstairs, all the amenities of daily living are within easy reach on the 3,000-square-foot main floor. The spacious foyer spills into a wide-open living space with ocean views stretching more than 20 metres from the living room fireplace to the kitchen sink.
Sliding glass doors open onto an expansive terrace of Pennsylvania bluestone, with a fire pit, a barbecue and an all-weather wicker-and-glass patio set for outdoor entertaining. A gently sloping stone pathway meanders away from the terrace, through a soothing landscape of flowerbeds and ornamental plantings meant to reflect the couple’s low-key lifestyle and taste for understatement. "We tried to use a quiet palette and celebrate a lot of the existing landscape," says landscape designer Sarah Carver, co-owner of Haven Garden Design.
Carver was fortunate to start with a blank slate: the homeowners’ lot, two-thirds of an acre just south of Deep Cove, came with a run-down, 1950s-era cottage they donated to the North Saanich fire department for fire practice. Save for a cluster of about a dozen arbutus trees crowded onto the property’s northwest corner and a decades-old mulberry tree by the patio that the previous owners wanted to preserve, she had free rein. "We used a lot of purples, light blues, light yellows and greys to try and pick up the rusty colour of the arbutus bark," says Carver, who spent six years working for a high-end residential landscape architecture firm before starting her own firm with her mother, Cynthia Carver, in 2007. Flowering perennials in soft pastel shades (hardy fuchsia, hebes, hydrangeas, clematis and California lilacs) rub leafy shoulders with rhododendrons, sarcococcas, rock roses and shade-loving hostas to create a tranquil mood that changes with the seasons and
the sunsets.
"You’ll notice there’s lots of evergreens because we really wanted to maintain the structure of the garden so there’s something interesting happening all year round," Carver says. "We didn’t really want the flashy show of annuals." The perennial nature of the landscape is a symbol of what this home stands for: the joy of year-round, lifelong comfort and enjoyment. wl
SOURCES
Pages 32-33 Designers, Bruce Wilkin, Bruce Wilkin Design, 250-598-0355, brucewilkin.ca; Rus Collins, Zebra Design and Interiors Group, 250 360-2144, zebragroup.ca. Landscape Designer, Sarah Carver, Haven Garden Design, 604-417-7676, havendesign.ca.
PATIO: Ratana Trading outdoor resin chairs, Ratana Trading outdoor resin table, The Wickertree, Duncan, 250-748-1100; Vancouver, 604-530-0818, thewickertree.com; ratana.com. Clay plant pot (on left): GardenWorks, Victoria, 250-595-4200; North Vancouver, 604-988-8082, gardenworks.ca. Bluestone Tumbled Flagstone, Adera Natural Stone Supply, Vancouver, 604-436-0204, aderastone.com
Page 34 Living Room: Mission Sconces, custom designed and built by Waterglass Studios, Victoria, 250-384-1515, waterglassstudios.com. Ann Sacks CR Studio 4 collection tiles in Lemon Pesto (around fireplace), Empire Kitchens, Calgary, 403-252-2458, empirekitchenandbath.com. Geoff Searle vases (on left), White Rock Gallery, White Rock, B.C., 604-538-4452. Wayne Ngan vases (on right), Omega Gallery and Custom Framing, Vancouver, 604-732-6778. Cabinetry, custom designed and built by Bruce Wilkin and Rus Collins, see above. Knole chairs, sofa, love seat, designed in collaboration with Bruce Wilkin and Rus Collins, custom built by Gabriel Ross Furniture, Gabriel Ross, Victoria, 250-384-2554, gabrielross.ca. Pillow, Country Furniture, Vancouver, 604-738-6411; Calgary, 403-515-0011, countryfurniture.net. Looolo Textiles organic wool/ramie blend throw, Giovane, Vancouver, 604-695-5501; Domicile, Calgary, 403-262-9780, domicileinteriors.com. Flowers in vase (on coffee table), Whole Foods, Vancouver, 778-370-4210, wholefoodsmarket.com
Coffee table, custom designed in collaboration with Bruce Wilkin and Rus Collins, custom built by Anthony’s Fine Furniture, Sooke, B.C., 250-642-5968, anthonysfinefurniture.com. Thai gilt bronze Buddha, Vanity Fair Antiques & Collectible Mall, Victoria, 250-380-7274. Fabrica rug, custom designed by Bruce Wilkin and Rus Collins, Gabriel Ross, Victoria, 250-384-2554, gabrielross.ca; Burritt Bros. Carpets, Vancouver, 604-879-8432; Floors by Touchtone Carpets, Edmonton, 780-414-0862, touchtonecarpets.com fabrica.com. Oak hardwood flooring, Island Mouldings, Sidney, B.C., 250-655-9184. Moorcroft vintage lamp (on end table), Knightsbridge Gift Shop, Victoria, 250-385-6020; Atkinson’s, Vancouver, 604-736-3378, atkinsonsofvancouver.com; Heirloom Antiques, Calgary, 403-301-4822, antiquescalgary.com; Mildred’s Collectibles and Antiques, Edmonton, 780-438-0368; Players Collectibles, Moose Jaw, 306-693-7111, playerscollectibles.com; moorcroft.com. End table, custom built by Anthony’s Fine Furniture, Sooke, B.C., 250-642-5968, anthonysfinefurniture.com. Farrow & Ball Dorset Cream wall paint, Bespoke Design, Victoria, 250-298-1105, bespokedesign.ca; Farrow & Ball, West Vancouver, 604-922-3282; Calgary, 403-920-1985, farrow-ball.com.
Page 36 Kitchen: Granite counter, Matrix Marble and Stone, Duncan, B.C., 250-746-7257, matrixmarble.com. Blanco Stellar series Equal Double Bowl Stainless Steel Sink, blancocanada.com, Andrew Sheret/Splashes, Victoria, 250-386-8311; Vancouver, 604-874-8101; The Ensuite, Calgary, 403-214-1503; Edmonton, 780-454-9551; Classic Interiors, Regina, 306-347-7266; Centennial, Saskatoon, 306-665-5366; Kitchen Craft, Winnipeg, 204-831-6609, kitchencraft.com. Grohe Ladylux Café stainless steel faucet, grohe.ca, Victoria Speciality Hardware, Victoria, 250-598-2966, victoriaspecialityhardware.com; Ripples Kitchen and Bath, Vancouver, 604-879-6999, rippleskitchenandbath.com; Bathrooms By Design, Calgary, 403-250-9590, bathroomsbydesign.ca; Kitchen & Bath Classics, Edmonton, 780-454-0481, kitchenandbathclassics.ca; Magnificent Kitchens, Regina, 306-525-2030; The Plumb Shoppe, Saskatoon, 306-249-4000, theplumbshoppe.com; Gateway Kitchen & Bath Centre, Winnipeg, 204-989-6140, gatewaycab.ca. Insinkerator Cold Only Faucet, Andrew Sheret/Splashes, 250-386-8311; Vancouver, 604-874-8101; Totem Building Supplies, Calgary, 403-247-6503; Edmonton, 780-438-0006, totem.ca; Rona Home Centre, Saskatoon, 306-933-1903; Winnipeg, 204-774-7389; Regina, 204-489-3701, rona.ca; insinkerator.ca, Cabinets, custom, Bruce Wilkin and Rus Collins, see page 32. Richelieu cabinet knobs, drawer pulls in oil rubbed bronze, Victoria Speciality Hardware, Victoria, 250-598-2966, victoriaspecialityhardware.com; Richelieu, Vancouver, 604-273-3108; Calgary, 403-203-2099; Edmonton, 780-4554101; Saskatoon, 302-242-4105; Winnipeg, 204-694-1016; Regina, 306-721-0202; richelieu.com. Bosch dishwasher, bosch-home.ca, Sears Canada, stores across the West, 1-800-747-0644, sears.com. Belgian viscose rug, Tivoli Gallery, Sidney, B.C., 250-656-1455.
Bathroom: Mirror frame, vanity, custom, Anthony’s Fine Furniture, Sooke, B.C., 250-642-5968, anthonysfinefurniture.com. Farrow & Ball Dorset New White wall paint, Bespoke Design, Victoria, 250-298-1105, bespokedesign.ca; Farrow & Ball, West Vancouver, 604-922-3282; Calgary, 403-920-1985, farrow-ball.com. Hubbardton Forge 03 Mahogany finish sconces with Opal glass, McLaren Lighting, Victoria, 250-475-2561; Norburn Lighting, Vancouver, 604-299-0666; Carrington Lighting, Calgary, 403-264-5483, carringtonlighting.com; Daville Lighting, Edmonton, 780-438-3600, davillelighting.com; Luminesque Lighting, Regina, 306-721-2111, lighting.sasktelwebhosting.com; Unique Lighting, Saskatoon, 306-934-1945; Robinson Lighting, Winnipeg, 204-784-0150, rlrbc.com. Cheviot Oval Fluted Drop-in Basin Sink, Victoria Speciality Hardware, Victoria, 250-598-2966; Kitchen & Bath Classics, Vancouver, 604-873-0004; Calgary, 403-250-7470; Edmonton, 780-452-0340; Regina, 306-565-2284; Saskatoon, 306-933-2237; Winnipeg, 204-788-0550, wolseleyinc.ca; cheviotproducts.com. Natphil faucet, natphil.com, Victoria Speciality Hardware, Victoria, 250-598-2966; Coordinated Kitchen & Bath, Vancouver, 604-985-9128; Art of Hardware, Calgary, 403-244-4960; Edmonton, 780-441-9944;The Plumb Shoppe, Saskatoon, 306-249-4000; W C Potts, Winnipeg, 204-774-2626. Onyx countertop, C&S Contractors, Vancouver, 604-435-4431, ceramstone.com/contractors.html. Onyx soap dish, Bernstein & Gold, Victoria, 250-384-7899, bernsteinandgold.com.
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Landscape designer Sarah Carver’s tips for creating a West Coast garden.
Focus on unique features. Carver chose a grove of arbutus trees as her starting point, creating a palette based on the native tree’s rust-coloured bark: oranges, purples and contrasting shades of chartreuse and bright green.
Use local materials. Blast rock from a nearby site was brought in to craft the walls, risers, borders and boulders in the garden.
Work with the existing topography. The undulating edge of the ocean bank at the end of the property was repeated in the organic shapes of the patios and gardens. Carver took a light hand to the grading of the site, working with undulations and grade changes rather than flattening them.
Emphasize view corridors. Even though there’s a relaxed feel to Carver’s garden design, there’s structure in the "framed views": niches in the garden that look terrific from the inside looking out.
Pay attention to microclimates. In this home, the sunniest patch was given over to the rose and herb gardens, where rhododendrons and hostas were placed along the forest edge. Plantings can also blur the borders of the property, taking advantage of borrowed landscapes.
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