Bearspaw Ridge Home Gut

Starting from Scratch

MEET THE CLIENTS:

Lisa and her husband were a busy professional couple with three children aged 10, 13, and 17 who frequently loved to entertain family and friends. The home had once been owned by the Loverboy lead guitarist and had indeed had its heyday. With abundant oak panelling, sunshine ceilings, dusty pink carpet and a sunken conversation “pit” (trust me, you had to see it for yourself), it had one time been considered early 80’s luxurious. While this Bearspaw estate home had plenty of potential and more than enough space for this family of five, it was clear from the start that what it lacked was any modern amenities or good function and flow. It was dated and didn’t function for them. Full Stop. It would be a major undertaking – to be completed floor by floor while they remained living there. So what did we do? Read the project story to find out how we started from scratch to completely reimagine a tired and dated 6750+ sq ft residence into a modern family home.

SCOPE OF THE PROJECT:

This home was riddled with quirks and space planning issues the homeowners had every intention of fixing when they purchased this acreage home, and after 3 years of living there, they were ready to seek professional help to optimize the potential of this rambling space. We started on the 2nd floor. At the time, there were 5 bedrooms including the principal suite with it’s too small closet and dingy bathroom along with one additional bathroom, shared by the kids. A landing at the top of the stairs was a catch all for random kids’ items or the occasional inflatable bed when a guest slept over. It was clear that to create the contemporary and functional space the homeowners needed, some walls would need to be moved but we were confident we could develop a layout and design to make this home sing again (pun intended).

Other challenges in the home were a drafty and unwelcoming foyer, a large brick corner fireplace that didn’t work well, and several “sunken” rooms throughout, the most eccentric being what Lisa liked to call the “conversation pit” – a 8’w x 3’ deep sitting area reminiscent of a ball pit that had lost its cargo. A segmented workspace with a long narrow pantry and small nook created a dysfunctional and unappealing kitchen for Lisa, who loved to cook and entertain. Before even embarking on the prettier aspects of the renovation, we needed to remove that old fireplace and bringing the floor up to level.

After countless hours of obsessing over details, some strategic engineering and the help of an amazing team of talented tradespeople, the main floor was completed with a family room/TV lounge (sundeck access), plus an office with built-in cabinetry & a Murphy Bed with adjacent 3 piece bath and a fully decked out laundry room “with a view”.

In the basement we again took the walls down to the studs, rebuilding where necessary. We started by gutting the basement and dreamed up a space where Lisa and her family could have movie nights, entertain, sip a little (or a lot) of wine, play pool or access the hot tub from the fully waterproof locker room! The final design included a temperature-controlled wine cellar, recreation area, two extra bedrooms, double vanity guest bath and wet room with lockers next to the outdoor hot tub.

Upon completion, there is not a space we did not touch. We designed each space including custom cabinetry with the homeowners’ vision and needs in mind. We sourced and selected each finish and fixture right down to the paint, wallpaper, window treatments and all furnishings for the primary ensuite and bedroom, main floor and basement bar, theatre and games room.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:

Primary Suite

The entire primary suite was reconfigured. We opened up the existing bedroom, ensuite and closet; reframing walls and relocating entrances so they made sense for the reconceptualized layout. By expropriating the bedroom next to it and closing its access to the hallway, we were able to design a large bedroom with sitting area that featured a two-way fireplace between it and facing into the bathroom boasting a tv on either side.
In the ensuite, we added in a natural stone tile shower with ALL of the bells and whistles – steam, jets, two shower heads plus a hand-held shower wand and plumbed in music. We rounded out the spa experience with a towel warmer placed above the drop-down laundry chute, because who wants to get cold after a soak in the sleek drop-in Kohler massage & chromatherapy tub?
To keep the space feeling bright, the water closet was enclosed with privacy glass. We created separate dark maple his and hers vanities as well as a makeup desk decked out with pull outs for Lisa’s hair tools and organizers for anything else a girly-girl might want.
Finally, we designed a custom closet based on the homeowner’s wardrobe inventory and added elements for some very specific client requests – a coffee bar and beverage centre, built in hamper pull outs, enclosed cabinetry to keep the dust off suit jackets and dresses, built in ironing board and a dedicated space for carry on suitcases.

Kitchen

The real star of the show on the main floor is the chef’s kitchen. The homeowners craved a space where they could have a pack of kids run in and out without being underfoot and where friends and family could visit while helping the primary cook prep for large gatherings. In response, we put special focus on crafting a high functioning kitchen with dedicated zones and workstations to reflect how the clients would use their space.

We designed a layout that included 7 dedicated zones that would allow each person in the home to use the kitchen as needed. Keeping things thoughtfully arranged within each of these zones was especially critical so that everything needed to accomplish a task was within arm’s reach.
In this kitchen, we chose to have both dry goods and cold storage/refrigeration along one wall. It is the closest access to the garage and has a drop zone on the islands to make putting away groceries a breeze.
The pull-out wall pantries are an efficient use of space and they allow users to see exactly what they have (umm…ever lost anything at the back of your corner pantry?). This kitchen included a “magic corner” pantry and four pull outs paired with two 24” refrigeration columns and an 18” freezer column to create a well-stocked chef’s delight.
It’s not unusual to have a breakfast bar, but this family needed a space that served a more multi-purpose function due to the sheer number of kids and guests in and out on a daily basis. The space I designed for the clients included a snack/drink bar with a refrigerated drawer for cold beverages and food as well as a coffee bar and cup warming drawer for caffeine-craving adults.
With 475 sq ft to utilize, it’s no surprise that there’s plenty of room for prep but configuring space for this all-important task still needed to be intentional. The main workstation is the cook-top island. Positioned smartly across from the refrigerator and double wall oven, it’s tricked out with built-ins to accommodate all of the homeowners needs. And with the raised eating bar on the end for friends and family alike, the chef is never left out of the conversation.
The cooking zone includes the Gaggenau double oven with steam, warming drawer, Wolf induction cooktop with downdraft vent, microwave drawer and refrigerator. Deep drawers with storage for pots and pans under the cooktop along with a pot filler in the island keeps unnecessary steps to a minimum while flanking pullouts for knives, spices and oils keep frequently used items on hand and orderly. Next to the wall ovens, a pullout for pans adds to easy organization.
The large main kitchen sink was primarily designed for clean up of pots, pans and bakeware while the smaller island in the second island was created for rinsing snack and dish ware before placing in the double dish-drawer directly adjacent. Next to each sink is a trash receptacle and underneath, I made sure to include a pullout for storing cleaning supplies such as sponges, soap, cleaning supplies, and garbage bags.
To create an effective space for entertaining, the chef should be able to converse with his/her guests even while cooking. Hello eating bar that also happens to do double duty as a homework space when the kids have questions or need supervision.
We designed the eating bar on the same end of the kitchen as the homeowner’s organization centre. Rather than serving as an office (which had its own home), we built in filing drawers for school papers and sports schedules. Need a recipe? No problem, concealed shelves on the wall above contained ample space for cookbooks or you could simply look one up on the pop-up screen hidden within the prep island.

Basement Theatre and Bar

There was already an unutilized sunken area in the nether regions of the basement which we chose to recess even further to create the bottom tier of a stunning state-of-the-art multi-level theatre room. We added a drop-down projection system and retractable 96″ movie screen for a true theatre experience. Just add popcorn!
Wiring, speakers and any tech that required concealing were stylishly hidden with a linen ceiling and swirled Villa Nova fabric panels overlayed on banks of softly lit stainless steel.
With the tech taken care of, we decked out the 3-tier theatre with oh so comfy reclining leather seats with cup holders. Need more than a cup holder? No problem! With an illuminated snack bar directly behind the theatre seating, everyone has a place to perch their plate of chicken wings when the game is on.
Looking out towards the theatre, we brought a VERY HARD WORKING BAR to life. With a long, narrow space to accommodate multiple tasks, we managed to eke out just enough space for both a dishwasher drawer and microwave drawer for handy snacking and clean up!
With double beverage fridges and large wine cellar nearby, guests can enjoy sitting at the fully illuminated white glass bar that mimics the snack bar. And don’t think we forgot the pretty! Every surface was carefully considered and selected right down to the undulating waves repeated in both the Artistic Tile backsplash and wood panel cabinet gables that added a bit of fun and visual interest to this warm modern family hang out!!

TOTAL TIME:

3 years

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