In the heart of Vancouver’s historic Shaughnessy estate, a remarkable architectural addition is redefining the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living. Tasked with creating a secondary dwelling that would seamlessly blend with its verdant surroundings, Evoke International Design embarked on a project that blurs the line between house and garden, transforming a conventional space into an expansive, nature-infused sanctuary.
The Vision: Dissolving Walls, Embracing Nature
The owners, returning to Vancouver from Calgary, presented Evoke International Design with a unique brief: to create a space where the room’s identity as a container would dissolve. This ambitious vision was brought to life through the innovative use of floor-to-ceiling glazing, set flush with the ground. This design choice creates an illusion of continuity, where the interior floor plane appears to extend effortlessly into the lush planting outside, inviting the garden directly into the living experience.
Architectural Ingenuity: Crafting Seamless Transitions
Precision in Glass and Steel
Achieving such a seamless transition required meticulous planning and execution. Working alongside Linden Construction, Evoke incorporated sophisticated drainage systems and a subtly sloped bluestone terrace. These elements expertly divert rainwater, ensuring the integrity of the threshold while maintaining the illusion of an uninterrupted flow. Senior designer Mauricio Marcantonio made a deliberate choice to use steel frames over aluminum. While accepting a slight compromise in thermal performance, the steel offered incredibly slim sightlines, allowing the mullions to recede into mere drawn lines rather than intrusive structural elements, thus preserving the expansive views.
A Nod to History: Modernity Meets Heritage
The addition’s black metal frames serve a dual purpose: they provide a contemporary aesthetic while respectfully echoing the neighboring 1912 estate. Thomas Hooper’s original design for Lieutenant Governor Eric Hamber, a captivating blend of Tudor, Gothic Revival, and Arts and Crafts influences, features leaded casements with dark lines that divide light into a visible grid. The new glazing, with its honest grid of dark steel lines, performs a similar operation at a different scale. This thoughtful design ensures the addition, despite its modern detailing, registers as a harmonious relative to its historic counterpart.
Interior Serenity: A Canvas for Nature’s Hues
The interiors, a collaborative effort between Evoke, James McIntyre Interior Design, and the homeowners, embody a serene elegance. A palette of soft whites, warm grays, and rich oak floors provides a tranquil backdrop, allowing the vibrant colors of the garden to become the primary source of visual interest. Calacatta counters add a touch of refined luxury. A striking white sculptural staircase, artfully integrated into the existing structure, introduces an expressive gesture without overwhelming the restrained aesthetic. The space is further enriched by iconic furniture pieces from designers like Pierre Paulin, Joe Colombo, Vladimir Kagan, and Paul Evans, thoughtfully arranged against a Serra artwork above the living room fireplace.
The Garden’s Embrace: An Extension of Living
The exterior landscape, meticulously designed by Tasha Sangha at Paul Sangha Creative and executed by Fossil Landscape Construction, is an integral part of the home’s experience. Through the expansive glass, residents are treated to a living masterpiece. The design retains the mature canopy, layering a pastel understory beneath it. Pleached Portuguese laurels form a verdant green wall in the South Courtyard, complementing the bluestone. Wisteria gracefully trains over the perimeter, while a cast bronze torso by Al Stinson adds an artistic focal point within the landscape. As dusk falls, fixtures from Inverlight, Flos, and Bocci cast a gentle glow across the planting, preventing the glass from becoming a dark mirror and ensuring the garden remains a captivating extension of the interior experience long after sunset.
This Vancouver addition stands as a testament to thoughtful design, where architectural innovation and landscape artistry converge to create a truly unique living environment, blurring the lines between built form and natural beauty.
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