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Western Living For your clients to move from Toronto to
rural Kelowna, they must have wanted to change their lives.
Rosemary Carbonara They did want to escape the hustle and bustle, yes. The requirement, designwise, was to bring the outdoors in-to blur the lines. Hence the barn boards (brought up from Virginia) on some of the walls, which call up the farms and orchards still operating in the Okanagan. And the pebbles in the aggregate of the bathroom walls. We included lots to remind them of the external world.
WL How did they imagine living in this space?
RC They were going to live and work here. He owns a giftware company and she’s a textile designer. So we really had worked to elevate the rituals in everyday life-cooking, bathing-because they’d be spending so much time there.
WL So the house had to pull double duty. Is that why so many of the spaces can transform?
RC Right. In the living room we built a sliding wall to hide the TV. It’s a hollow-core Masonite that’s lacquered, so it’s light enough to be constantly moved about. Sometimes you want to be a couch potato, but who wants to stare at a TV when you’re entertaining? You slide the panel over and reveal art objects instead.
WL And the guest bedroom turns into a secondary workspace.
RC I never like mixing work and sleep. So we designed door panels to hide the desk. You should never have to look at work while dozing off.
WL In fact, you’re directing our gaze quite a bit in this house.
RC We really were focusing on the views because the place literally fits into the side of a cliff-I mean, the driveway is practically at a 90-degree angle. The living room and kitchen are designed around the out-of-doors. We cantilevered a patio from there; huge sliding doors open up and your entertaining space doubles. Mechanized canopies had to go in because Kelowna gets such strong sun.
WL The master bedroom has stellar views from the third floor. How did you conceive that space?
RC It was all oriented around those windows. So we placed the bed in such a way that you’re facing Okanagan Lake while lying down.
WL Tell me about the walk-in closet behind that bed.
RC I actually don’t like walk-ins; they become a mess, they’re shut away, and they use up too much space. For this room, we had more of an open-concept closet; it didn’t make sense to close it off from a compositional point of view.
WL It’s a major closet, anyway.
RC Most of the house has custom millwork, but when it came to that closet, which is almost hidden, we didn’t want to break the bank. So we used Ikea cabinets and sandwiched custom pieces between them. Then we worked it all in with drywall, so the end effect looks built-in.
WL All in all, the house does a lot of work-it shape-shifts to allow for various uses. Even the radiant concrete floors must be convenient.
RC I really feel a space should be flexible. It doesn’t have to service only one need. And those concrete floors were definitely practical: they have four dogs and two cats.
SOURCES
Designers, Rosemary Carbonara, Ro Design Studio Inc., rodesign.ca; George Taxidis, Ro Design Studio Inc., rodesign.ca. Builders, Dan Pretty, Dan Pretty Homes, 604-766-3789; Ian Paine Construction Ltd., 250-764-4833.
LIVING ROOM Small pottery bowl, Gailan Ngan, 604-253-6005, gailanngan.com. Benjamin Moore Paint Acrylic OC-21 Winter White, OC-45 Swiss Coffee, 2108-50 Silver Fox, 2116-10 Nightshade, 2134-30 Iron Mountain, benjaminmoore.com; Pacific Paint & Wallpaper, Victoria, 250-381-5254, pacificpaint.benmoorepaints.com; Kerrisdale Decorating Centre, Vancouver, 604-264-1074; West Hillhurst Paint & Design, Calgary, 403-270-9696; ColourSpec Paint & Decorating Centre, Edmonton, 780-454-5830, paintededmonton.com; Windsor Plywood, Winnipeg, 204-786-5555; Regina’s House of Colour, Regina, 306-757-5055; Eastside Paint & Wallpaper, Saskatoon, 306-477-5555. WS54 widescreen gas fireplace, Town and Country, townandcountryfireplaces.net
Custom Bluestone sandstone tile, Saltillo Imports, saltillo-tiles.com. Tolomeo Micro wall mounted side lights by Artemide, Gabriel Ross inc., Victoria, 250-384-2554, gabrielross.ca; Luminosa Light Design, Vancouver, 604-754-0829, luminosalight.com; LightForm Inc., Calgary, 403-508-9980, lightform.ca; Vivid Concepts, Edmonton, 780-488-0797, vividconcepts.ca; Isted Technical Sales, Winnipeg, 204-779-5747; Regina, 306-586-0783, istedtechnical.com. Custom millwork for dining table, side tables, Gary Glanz, 250-860-1803.
Page 36 GUEST BEDROOM: Handmade pure beeswax candles, Kevin Spetifore, 250-558-5528, spetifore@gmail.com.
Page 37 DINING AREA Custom dining table, Gary Ganz. Oesterlund Nobel 2060-01 and Nobel 2062-01 light fixtures by Vibia, Gabriel Ross, Victoria, 866-207-1111, gabrielross.ca; LightForm Inc., Vancouver, 604-688-7022; Calgary, 403-508-9980; Edmonton, 780-413-9898, lightform.ca.
BATHROOM Duravit Happy D. bathtub, duravit.com; Cantu Bathrooms, Victoria, 250-382-1252, cantubathrooms.com; Ripples Kitchen and Bath, Vancouver, 604-879-6999, rippleskitchenandbath.com; C & C Interiors Ltd., Calgary, 403-287-3090, ccinteriors.ca; B.A. Robinson, Edmonton, 780-484-2044, barobinson.com; Wolseley Kitchen and Bath Classics, Winnipeg, 204-788-0550; Regina, 360-565-2284, wolseleyinc.ca.
BEDROOM Larsen Wintertree "snow" wallpaper, Anne Starr Agencies, Vancouver, 604-254-3336 (trade only); DWA Interior Furnishing Ltd., Calgary, 403-245-4014, dwainteriors.com; larsenfabrics.com. Orchid, Flower Market, Vernon, BC, 250-558-1816, flowermarketinvernon.com. Torre & Tagus water flask, Provide, 604-632-0095, providehome.com. Delta Light GO 4Q lights, Galileo Lighting & Design Solutions, Vancouver, 604-568-7191, gladsinc.com. Custom Millwork for bed and shelves, Gary Ganz.
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Everything in its Place
Rosemary Carbonara on efficient storage.
Make your millwork do double duty.
Coffee tables can house storage bins underneath; cabinets under your kitchen island can be fitted with wheels, for emergency counter space; work areas can be hidden by sliding doors when not in use.
Don’t give up on space that looks useless.
Beds can be designed to house drawers underneath, to store sweaters or books; occasional tables can hold storage bins.
Storage should be attractive.
Take units off the floor and fasten them to the wall. The floating design cancels the heavy look that shelves often have-and, what’s more, it’ll help you keep the floor clean.
Find narrow solutions.
If your mudroom doesn’t have the 25 inches needed for a standard closet, do an open scheme with hooks up high and cubbies for shoes down low. You’ll only need 12 inches.
Opt for drawers over static shelving.
Kitchen drawers let you access the goodies that always get lost at the back of deep pantries.
Summer in the City
Planning an Okanagan escape like this couple? Hit these hot events.
By Stacey McLachlan
> Center of Gravity’s beachfront concert series sounds like a summery dream come true, but if you’re not a music fan, stop by to observe the event’s extreme sport shenanigans instead-jet ski races, anyone?-from the beer garden sanctuary.
July 30 to August 1, City Park, Kelowna, centerofgravity.ca
> BYO ice cream as top athletes sweat through August’s heat at the 28th annual Apple Triathlon. The qualifier for the Beijing World Championships sees participants swim, bike and run through the city of Kelowna. August 21 to 22, Kelowna waterfront, appletriathlon.com
> Get up close and personal with the grapes that make B.C.’s best wines during the 27th annual Okanagan Fall Wine Festival. Drink, learn, eat and drink some more during the only harvest-adjacent wine festival in North America. September 30 to October 9, various locations throughout the Okanagan Valley, owfs.com
> Staying for a few days? The Best Western Inn Kelowna gets bonus points for being one of the greenest in the valley-since 2002, they’ve heated the hotel’s swimming pool, hot tubs and guest rooms using the 102 solar panels installed on the roof. 2402 Hwy 97 N, Kelowna, 888-860-1212, bestwesterninnkelowna.com
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