Well Edited Space - Trail Appliances

Homes
& Design
Homes
& Design
Furniture
Well
Edited
Space
Family Matters
Neal McLennan and
his wife, Amanda
Ross, serve up
breakfast around an
Ikea Docksta table
and Urban chairs to
kids Lola (left) and
Greer. The newly
renovated kitchen
offers the bright
space they were
hoping for.
After years of writing about
renos, Western Living’s food &
travel editor Neal McLennan
goes through one of his own.
Photographs by e vaa n k H e r aj
Styling by ja n i n e L ov e
60 | W e s t e r n l i v i n g . c a
o c t o b e r 2 0 13
W e s t e r nl i v i ng . ca
o c t o b e r 2 0 13 | 61
Homes
& Design
Before The old kitchen
was deconstructed and sold
on Craigslist: a perfect fit
for its new family, but not the
right style for this one.
It was a nice kitchen.
It came with the house my wife, Amanda Ross, and I purchased in a leafy
pocket of Vancouver, and the previous owners—empty-nesters in their 50s—
had spent a considerable sum turning it into a dark-hued ode to all things
classical and craftsman. The colour of the solid wood cabinets was reminiscent
of German chocolate cake, the honey oak floor of oven-roasted turkey breast.
Custom stained-glass inserts had been commissioned for each of the six abovecounter cabinets, giving the entire room a solemnity not normally reserved for
a place where cupcakes are made. It wasn’t us.
We did our best to update the house—the clotted-cream-coloured walls
were promptly transformed with Benjamin Moore’s crisp Oxford White—but
the kitchen was still flanked by dark wood. Those stained-glass inserts were
swapped out for opaque glass panels, and shiny modern pulls were added to all
drawers and cabinets. We lived with it for a few years, as a new kitchen seemed
indulgent when the one we had was perfectly suitable, even as we yearned for a
palette that would shine with lighter tones. But when one day our daughter and
resident baker, Greer, 14, mentioned university in her not too distant future, we
suddenly asked ourselves, “What on earth are we waiting for?” Why not renovate so the whole family can enjoy it for as long as possible?
The next step was the tough one. When you work at a design magazine,
you trade daily in great new design products and ideas—a buffet of furnitureand-fixtures porn that bombards an already-overwhelming reno wishlist to a
point that threatens to paralyze you. Where to start? When we saw Ikea’s new
Sofielund kitchen panels, which evoke a warm walnut effect with grey tones,
we knew we’d found
our perfect Tooth
jumping-off
point.
Hounds
Chest
Luckily, we had a few trusted confidants ready to help us navigate the process. Amanda’s father, William H. Ross, a long-standing architect in Edmonton, had penned some reno plans for the kitchen not long after we had moved
in. The job of updating the blueprints fell to Amanda’s sister, Jocelyn, who
practises architecture at their father’s firm. She was immediately pressed into
62 | W e s t e r n l i v i n g . c a
o c t o b e r 2 0 13
Cooks
Illustrated
Neal is an avid cook
and Amanda and
the girls—Greer especially—are bakers,
so the new design
needed to be high
functioning. Ikea’s
new Sofielund cabinets in warm grey
created the modern
look they craved,
while touches like
Ikea’s customizable
Rationell drawer
inserts keep the
space organized. A
Dacor stainless-steel
microwave drawer
(top right) saved on
valuable counter
space.
W E S T E R NL I V I NG . CA
O C T O B E R 2 0 13 | 63
Homes
& Design
Cake Boss
A double Fulgor
Milano wall-oven
means Greer can
now up her baking
efforts (creamcheese-iced brownies are a specialty)
with help from a
Flamingo KitchenAid Stand Mixer.
Let’s Get
Mechanical
I was happy for Amanda to take
on the design as long as I had
free rein over appliances.
service with our laundry list of wants—chief among them an open-concept
kitchen, which meant some walls needed to come down. she was joined on the
ground by a cabal of experts, including contractor chris lilly of lillypad inc.,
designer Janine love and ikea installation services, who would ensure that it
wouldn’t be me and an allen key trying to assemble the cabinetry.
once we committed to moving the wall, the rest of the decisions seemed
less daunting. the new space would be painted in the same benjamin Moore
oxford White and would be laid out to form an extra-long galley kitchen on one
side of a load-bearing wall with a custom bar on the other. With the dimensions set, it was simply a matter of dropping the appliances and cabinets (the
sofielund line is customizable, right down to integrating the fridge and dishwasher) into place.
More difficult were the countertops—we’d been living with a mottled granite,
which was short on style but long on durability and genius in its ability to hide
spills and crumbs. but we both knew we wanted stark white to achieve a more
contemporary palette, so we opted for staron instead, a nonporous material
often used in medical facilities since it helps prevent bacteria, mould and moisture from penetrating the surface. Ultimately, we needed to be able to easily
buff out any beet juice (or, more likely, red wine) stains, and still have that sleek,
airy look so sorely lacking in our old cave of a kitchen. the new counters frame
64 | W e s t e r n l i v i n g . c a
o c t o b e r 2 0 13
To keep things cool we went
with the Fhiaba—because, do
you know anyone with an Italian
fridge? Now you do, and to be
honest the rarity of the Fhiaba—
it’s like the Maserati of appliances back in Italy—was a huge
draw. That and the fact that it
lights me like I’m Cary Grant
every time I open the door.
But to get cooking, the
Milanese company Fulgor does
only two things—ovens and
cooktops—and I love how they
blend power (the centre burner
is almost induction-like in its
ability to boil a pot of water
fast) with the sleekest, most
beautifully minimal design
I’ve seen yet. The Faber hood
fan stands out for its dramatic
columnar design that now competes with the tiled backsplash
for the limelight. With little
counter space to spare, we considered forgoing a microwave,
but Dacor’s stainless-steel-panelled microwave-in-a-drawer
handily solves the problem and
adds unexpected style to boot.
And to clean up, I wanted
a solid, reliable workhorse
that didn’t look like a solid,
reliable workhorse. Germany’s
Blomberg dishwasher has been
around for 130 years, which
means Teutonic efficiency at its
best.—Neal McLennan
Homes
& Design
Bar Service By
closing off an entrance to the kitchen,
Neal could add a
bar (he’s also our
resident wine and
spirits expert) with
Ikea Abstrakt White
cabinetry, Staron
counters and tiles
made of solid teak.
And for
something a
little different...
a deep double sink, garburator and a clever faucet from valley acrylic’s Pure
Water series that runs healthy, clean water thanks to its 100-percent stainless
steel construction.
one of the hardest parts was deciding on the perfect table and chairs. our old
space had a white lacquer bar-height dining table from crate and barrel that
looked great but was never used since backless bar stools aren’t all that comfortable. We loved the marble-topped saarinen with its pedestal base—a classic—
but if we bought a knock-off we’d feel like pirates and if we bought a real one
everyone would assume we’d bought a knockoff. We still hadn’t decided by the
time we needed to get our kitchen ready for its unveiling, so we hastily subbed
in ikea’s Docksta pedestal table and Urban chairs for a quick photo-finish fix.
in the end we liked its simplicity so much (and the kids loved being able to spill
without so much as a wince from their parents) that we decided to keep it.
at times, the reno was a grind—anyone who tells you losing your kitchen
for two months is easy either doesn’t have kids or has a second home to flee to
when the first hammer falls. but like childbirth (from what i hear), all the pain
is long forgotten. breezy definitely describes the new open space, but, more
importantly, it describes us, our lives, our interaction after work while making
dinner, while watching Adventure Time. it’s just wood and steel and not much
more, but for us, those turned out to be the building blocks for family time for a
few more years.
66 | W e s t e r n l i v i n g . c a
o c t o b e r 2 0 13
I think of tiles the way most
women think of shoes, so when
it came time to source them for
our kitchen, I did the equivalent
of going to the Paris couture
shows and found the very latest
tiles on the runway. First up, I
wanted a contemporary pattern
behind Neal’s bar—something
classic and stately, but also fun
for Western Living’s resident
mixologist. AnTeak Spindle
Mosaic tiles are actually solid
teak tiles that form a fun, ontrend pattern that promises to
endure over time. In the kitchen,
I cast about for classic white
reinvented. Enter Lounge Mix
tiles, which evoke a fun, groovy
’70s vibe with their wavy 3D
relief but still manage to look
clean and thoroughly modern.
—Amanda Ross
SEE SOURCES
Sources
cocktails, live music, rawbar
– that’s how we roll
THE EXHIBITIONISTS
PAGES 54 - 59 Studio Job for
Moooi clock, Porro Inlay Credenza, Livingspace, Vancouver,
livingspace.com. Feletti Houndstooth chest, Glisten Sabine
sofa, Mint Interiors, Vancouver,
mintinteriors.ca. Desiree Filo
Chair, Bloom Furniture Studio,
Vancouver, bloomfurniturestudio
.com. Established and Sons
Stack drawers, Inform Interiors,
Vancouver, informinteriors.com.
the lobby lounge
Join us in our new, enhanced Lobby Lounge and RawBar - Vancouver’s destination for nightly live
music, hand crafted cocktails and fne seafood and sushi. The perfect place from noon ‘til night and
the place to see and be seen! Live entertainment dazzles the crowd seven days a week offering a
great way to wrap up a busy day with cocktails and contemporary Vancouver live music.
@FairmontPacifc
/FairmontPacifcRim | 604 695 5502
1038 Canada Place, Vancouver | fairmont.com/pacifcrim
Experience BC’s Perfect Pairings
A Fine Dining Evening Like No Other
Friday, October 11, 2013
Bottega Farm Inn & Studio, Kelowna
6:00 PM
Join our team of celebrated local chefs
and winemakers for a feast of specially
created Perfect Pairings.
Tickets $99 | Available at winebc.com or phone 1-800-656-0713
92 | W e s t e r n l i v i n g . c a
o c t o b e r 2 0 13
WELL EDITED SPACE
PAGES 60-66 Architecture,
Project architect Jocelyn Ross,
William H. Ross Architect Ltd.,
williamrossarchitect.com. Design,
Janine Love Design, Vancouver,
janinelovedesign.com. Construction, Chris Lilly, Lillypad Properties
Inc, lillypad.ca. Blomberg 24”
fully integrated dishwasher with
top controls and five programs,
Faber 15” stainless steel wall
range hood with 600 cfm and
4 speed touch controls, Fhiaba
36” fully integrated refrigerator
with bottom-mount freezer, ice
maker, and anti-bacterial stainless steel interior, Fulgor Milano
36” five-burner stainless steel
gas cooktop with classic Largo
design, Fulgor Milano 36” stainless steel dual multifunction
convection double wall oven
with 12 cooking functions, selfclean function and four knobs/
six-touch controls, Dacor 24”
stainless steel Discovery belowcounter microwave-in-a-drawer,
KitchenAid countertop appliances, Trail Appliances, across the
West, trailappliances.com. AnTeak
recycled wood tile backsplash
tile, Vibe White Lounge Mix
backsplash tile, World Mosaic,
Vancouver, worldmosaictile.com.
Valley Acrylic PURE Water Series Faucet, Valley Acrylic Solid
SS Blade Series garburator,
Valley Acrylic Handmade Series
sink, Valley Acrylic, valleyacrylic
Sources
Classic Ikon
How a knife feels is just as important as
how well it slices. The beautifully
engineered WÜSTHOF Classic Ikon
knives feature a unique “sweet spot”
under the first rivet of the double bolstered
handle for superb balance and heft. To top it
off, each knife features WÜSTHOF’s PETech
edge technology, which means you'll have an
edge that lasts at least 20% longer and
provides at least a 20% sharper cut.
Made in Germany. Lifetime Warranty.
To learn more, check out our website or come visit
us at one of our 15 BC and AB locations. Our staff
would love to talk to you about our wide selection of
kitchen knives, how to keep them in good working
order, and how we’ll stand behind them so they will
serve you well for many years to come.
Shop in store or online at
BAKERREJUVENATION.COM 302-1625 OAK BAY AVENUE PH 250.382.0392
94 | W e s t e r n l i v i n g . c a
o c t o b e r 2 0 13
.com; Save More Plumbing and
Lighting, Vancouver and Surrey,
savemoreplumbing.com.
Sofielund cabinetry, white
Abstrakt bar cabinetry, Staron
counters, Docksta table and
Urban chairs, cream plant pot,
Ikea across the West, ikea.ca.
Benjamin Moore paint, Kerrisdale
Decorating Centre, Vancouver,
604-264-9255. Krups Silver Art
2-Slice toaster, The Bay, across
the West, thebay.com. Art, Neil
Farber painting, Richard Heller Gallery, Santa Monica, 310-453-9191,
richardhellergallery.com. Vase,
HomeSense, across the West, homesense.ca. Woven Silver Tray,
Williams-Sonoma, Vancouver,
williams-sonoma.ca. Puffer fish,
Stepback, Vancouver, stepback.
ca. White cake stand, Quince
Fine Florals, quincefineflorals.
com. Ralph Lauren Glen Plaid
old-fashioned glasses, Brougham
Interiors, Vancouver, brougham
interiors.com. GusModern sofa,
Stylegarage, Vancouver, style
garage.com. Designers Guild
Padua amethyst wool felt pillow
and Padua Magenta blanket,
The Cross, Vancouver, thecross
design.com. Jonathan Adler bird
vase, Provide, Vancouver, provide
home.com. Torre and Tagus
Pica Double Wall glasses, Torre
and Tagus cake stand, Torre and
Tagus, Richmond, B.C., torretagus
.com. Emerson ceiling fan,
Lumen’s, online, lumens.com.
All-Clad Stainless Steel French
skillet, LeSportsac bag, The Bay,
across the West, thebay.com.
Liberty of London for Target
pillows, Target, across the West,
target.ca. Artwork (white frame
in back), David Salle, Mary Boone
Gallery, New York, maryboone
gallery.com. Tea Towel, Tate Gallery London, tate.org.uk. Flower
photograph, Clinton Hussey,
Vancouver, clintonhussey.com.
For a complete list of sources from
this issue, visit westernliving.ca