This summer us Chicks had the opportunity to meet and work with the Klein Group – an awesome team of Real Estate experts who specialize in the Commercial, Residential and Marketing arms of the industry. Spearheaded by group Founder, Eugene Klein, a boutique North Vancouver mixed use development – The Vue – was brought to life; AGCTK was brought in to create the space that would invite potential buyers “home” through the design of a two-room Presentation Centre, as well as a top floor Display Suite. Swaying away from traditional show home design, our team approached the project with a clear Vision: “Welcoming the community home to their Westcoast eclectic space at The Vue; combining style and signifigance, The Vue offers an urban dwelling in the heart of nature. Ideal for new families, young business owners and forward-minded retirees, life at The Vue is all about the blend of details that offer a classic caliber with a design that invites the warmth of nature in”.
In the two-room Presentation Centre, the Chicks chose to create a living space, rather than a selling space – an area offering a design that would give the atmosphere of what “home” at The Vue looks like, and acting as an extention of the upstairs Show Suite. As we began on the Display Suite, we designed with a particular buyer in mind, yet offered classically comfortable elegance that is appealing all around. This suite at The Vue was designed for a young family who perhaps have grown up in North Vancouver, yet spent much of their young adulthood developing their personal sense of self and style in the urban core of Vancouver. Now, as they seek a space for their own family to grow, they are returning to their roots nestled in North Vancouver’s nature; while they are excited to return “home”, they want to remain on the pulse of what is happening in the city – The Vue offers them the ideal mix of both style and nature. This Show Suite layout was designed to offer a master bedroom, a nursery or small child’s room and a great room that would allow a family to live, play and entertain.
As we sourced the decor, larger furnishing pieces offered a classic quality and feel, while lighting and accessories created a hip vibe with fashion-forward undertones. We of course scoured our usual stops, ReFind (* just moved to Main + 30th and the new spot is a gem! *) and Space Lab for the vintage finds and unique pieces, Union Wood Co for some industrial elements (think: the rustic aluminum headboard) and struck it lucky at Fluff and CB2 for the traditional furnishing pieces. Stunning vintage Persian rugs were picked up at Rugs Canada (if you haven’t been, it is definitely a must-stop in your hunt for the perfect area or accent rug!). Fab finds from Target and even Craigslist finished off the space. Overall, the style is summed up as Westcoast, yet is enhanced with an eclectic, layered feel that combines eras and aesthetics to create a sense of personality and the warmth of home. Huge shout outs to the awesome dudes at Big O Construction and Welcome To East Van Moving for all the help! Photos courtesy of the lovely Shannyn Higgins.
FEATURED IN: Design Bureau (Chicago), Westcoast Homes & Design (Vancouver)
This client was a treat for our team, and a great way to cap off a design-filled Summer. She is fashion-forward, life-loving and inspired by eclectic cultural elements of decor… yet she somehow hadn’t changed the look of her (totally amazing) Yaletown conversion loft since she purchased it as the display suite a few years back. Ergo, she had been living with uber-minimalist style defined by a Barcelona chair, chrome arc lamp and Euro-inspired white leather couch. It was a fab look for some, but left this client’s inner stylista screaming for something much more.
The process began with selling all the above-mentioned modern elements to make room to address her need for hits of colour, texture and storage space to showcase treasured items. For lighting we decided to go bold, using a blend of gold and red oversized cage lights down the hall and a recycled large pendant over the bar; to ground the space we chose a super graphic black-and-white area rug and Moroccan inspired floor to ceiling drapery. To create a sense of comfort and an inviting entertaining space, a super deep grey-velvet dream of a couch (seriously, this is the raddest couch ever. I might just have to go buy one for home) was brought in from CB2 and used opposite two retro loungers; nestled amongst them we used a gold and travertine base glass-top coffee table to keep up the glam factor and tie in the glass waterfall nesting side tables. Art was kept minimal, using a trio of Robert Fougere prints hung with vintage brass hand clips, all scored at Space Lab. Tucked slightly out of view (but with a massive swing arm for accessibility when desired) we mounted her tv, anchored by two vintage school desks as her console unit (she’s a professor, so we couldn’t’ resist the schoolhouse reference). The area was then top lit by a custom designed multi-bulb pendant light. This fixture was created with a piece of hand-planed reclaimed yellow cedar, vintage shades of various sizes and coloured cords.
Moving into her kitchen area, we removed her previous dining table and opted to replace her traditional bar top with a large, dining-sized Ceasarstone top (from J&D Stoneworks); for seating, we used an assortment of vintage and new barstools to create a new “dining” space in which she could easily entertain. This change in spacial layout made room for the super fab custom shelving unit that has become the focal point for the space. The idea was sparked when we found a killer, oversize vintage metal filing cabinet at The Found and The Freed; we knew we wanted to use it in this project, but also wanted to utilize the super high ceilings for storage and decor. So – we brainstormed with the boys at Welcome To East Van and the concept for these shelves was born! With their creative minds and skilled hands, the shelf was fabricated in record time (thankfully – this was a quick turn around project!) and was for sure the showstopper for our client at the big reveal of her space. We added in her glassware and bottles to create a bar area, and used books, art and pottery lighting to finish off the design.
The rest of the space was topped off with a variety of travel-inspired colours for throw blankets, pillows and other textiles; we used a lot of non-fixted lighting in an array of sizes and eras (from ReFind) to create the final ambiance. Shot by Tracey Ayton, let us know what you think of the pics!
This project was a labour of both love and fury; all of us Chicks (and a few extra, very helpful hands) certainly left some blood, sweat and tears on the floor of this space! Our clients purchased the unit in close to it’s original 1910 condition and wanted to create a modern-meets-warm-eclectic family space in which they could grow and nurture their young family. During the course of the renovations and designing, we spent many hours with them discussing ideas, both for the little details and for the overall feel. Ultimately, we blended sleek, modern hard finishes with industrial and vintage soft finishes all set against gallery white walls to achieve the look.
To add some depth and character against the whitewash walls, we chose a gold-on-white cork print paper for the main entrance and opted for a bold graphic floral in warm tangerine and grey for the living room (papers both from Anne Starr). To complete the backdrop for the rest of our work, we moved onto the lighting: we of course went vintage for most of it (yay for ReFind and Space Lab) and added in a few more modern and architectural pieces from CB2. We played with a blend of new and vintage furnishings for the larger statement pieces – many vintage treasures were found at Filmgo, Union Wood Co and The Found and The Freed, while fab new finds were scouted out from CB2, EQ3 and we even repurposed and refinished some of the clients’ own items to fit the feel. Creative selections for storage, like using the vintage swimming pool locker as toy storage in the living room, really set the stage for the feel we were trying to create. We chose to include many textiles (throws, soft pillows and flowy curtains) to soften the stark walls and industrial elements, and that also allowed the space to be functional for a family with a curious and active toddler… lots of soft places to fall and snuggle! This family also wanted to be able to use their space to relax, read and reflect – we decided to use their extensive library as a decor feature, rather than tucking all the books away; a simple yet statement way to display them is colour blocked, as shown on the vintage green shelving in the living room.
We also (once again) looked to our creative roster of craftsmen to include a few custom pieces for these clients: the desk in the office was handmade by Clint Moroz of Space Lab (originally an old school maple table found on craigslist, it was planed and stained and used atop custom welded legs to achieve the end result); the stellar reclaimed wood/ industrial piping shelves in the kitchen really stand out against the all-white tile and cabinetry, and were designed and created by the rad boys at Welcome To East Van.
In the end, we had a blast collaborating, creating and completing this space… check out the images (courtesy of Tracey Ayton Photography) and let us know what you think!
The Chicks heart this space and these clients! The owners of this lovely little condo are recent transplants from The Windy City, Chicago, and are the cutest newlyweds we’ve met. They granted us a lot of creative freedom when working to create a place for them to call home and were open to the idea of bold wall coverings (and, in this space, ceiling coverings!) and vintage elements to conquer the cookie-cutter shell they started with. We brought in the craftsmanship of Union Wood Co and DTO Welding & Fabrication to construct a custom shelving unit for the washroom that would add personality, stylish extra storage and, of course, a little rustic charm. With a plethora of super fab wallpapers from Anne Starr and Layers & Layers, we covered most of the wallspace; we opted for white-on-white patterns for the living room, bedroom and washroom ceiling, while playing with bold graphics in the office nook and washroom walls. Throw in wicked vintage finds from ReFind, Space Lab and Filmgo Sales and.. viola – you’ve got a true certified Chick space! Photos are courtesy of Tracey Ayton Photography.
Ok, so way back in the day in May, we gave you a Sneak Peek into this space… it was a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom original condition condo that The Chicks were hired to renovate and stage for sale for the ever-fabulous Dana Propp. As we told you then, the success of this “entertainer’s dream” suite was largely in part due to local artist (and dear friend) Zoe Pawlak, Fluff Rentals and our fave boys to shop with: ReFind and Space Lab. We opted for a lighter, brighter and more feminine approach to this space than with previous projects, and chose wicked pieces that would accentuate the natural light and size of the unit. Thanks to Tracey Ayton, the space was captured beautifully – we certainly were ready to host a super fab party here after it was all said and done!
Wow, as the old saying goes, “time flies when you’re having fun”… and that’s exactly how this Summer has been for The Chicks! We’ve been (gleefully) up to our eyeballs in fabulous projects – happily shopping and designing our butts off. However, it’s made us truant in blogging! We have a few fab Catch Up Features to share with you, a photo log of what we’ve been up to for the past few months! We hope you love the spaces, and keep tuned for more to come.
This space was a dream job for us because the the young, professional bachelor who was moving into the home was very liberal in his design preferences and granted our team almost complete creative freedom in designing a home that suited his social lifestyle. Being a new development, we had a great blank slate to work with; however, the very linear and modern shell meant that we had to find super key pieces to inject the personality and layered feel our client was looking for. We started with striking wallpaper from Anne Starr Agencies to set a darker, more masculine mood within the space; we then found our statement pieces (such as the seriously pre-loved work-table-turned-dining-table) and custom lighting from Space Lab. We scoured estate and garage sales for the vintage Persian rug to counterbalance the light wood floors, and add in a little traditional glamour. The rest was about seating for an entertaining space and one-off cool finds to fill in the blanks. We had a ton of fun here and hope you enjoy the shots, courtesy of Tracey Ayton Photography.
I was recently approached by the lovely Megan Buchanan, of Cedar + Gray, to showcase my home as a feature property on Houzz. Super stoked to open my home to her, and of course extremely flattered at the suggestion, I realized that I had a few fun things I wanted to get done to my space before Megan (and her camera) arrived. So in true Chicks fashion, the girls got to work, put our creative minds together, and came up with some fresh and fun ways to add that “little extra” to the house. Our fave finishing touch is the stair risers – I had originally painted them a bright apple green to match the surrounding wallpaper, but it had quickly begun to look dull and the one colour paint wasn’t wearing the year of scuff marks very well. I didn’t want to simply sand it down and return the risers to the original wood, so we used scraps of old wallpaper to recover and “fab up” the stairs! Not quite done, I hit up my usual go-to spot for cool treasures, Space Lab, and found vintage brass numbers that were originally door markers on the VGH Nurse’s residences; I repurposed them, numbered the stairs and ended up with a colourful and interactive staircase. Check out Megan’s full Houzz feature, and if you want to try this out for yourself, here’s our DIY photo guide.
step 1: remove baseboards or trim on the risersstep 2: number the trim pieces and get your tools organizedstep 3: select your wallpaper, measure the risers and cut the paper (we used a half inch overage for shrinkage)step 4: apply paste to backside of wallpaper strips, lightly fold in half and let set for 10 minutesstep 5: apply wallpaper to the risers and smooth out the bubblesstep 6: repeat on each riser with the desired wallpaperstep 7: once the paper paper has fully dried, use a sharp edge blade to trim off excessstep 8: reapply trim pieces and nail in the numbers (we used vintage brass numbers, but house numbers from any hardware store will do!) Voila – your super fab stairs are done and sure to impress your guests.
The Chicks are super stoked to share a little sneak preview of our latest interior design project… this space was a major overhaul to say the least! We stripped it down bare and started to recreate; this time we were inspired by an airy glamour, using a blend of off-whites and gold tones we set our backdrop and finished it off with true Chick style: vintage accessories from ReFind and Space Lab, and a little help from the stunning Zoe Pawlak. With glowing thanks to the always-fabulous Tracey Ayton, the space was captured for us to share with you – if you’d rather check it out for yourself (or even call it your own!) this one is on the market! Check out Dana Propp’s listing for all the details. We can’t wait to share more with you soon!
It has been a fun adventure recently working with young, professional men on their living spaces; not your typical, style-challenged bachelors, these guys are looking for a traditional-meets-cool feel in which they can spend their time and entertain their friends. We kept true-chick style with special finds, custom pieces and playful accessories, but toned it down to make a more masculinely classic aesthetic. Take a peek and, as always, we invite your feedback! *photos courtesy of Vincent KH Lee Photography*
I imagine that every designer has that one project, that one space that defines their style. It stands out for them amongst all the rest and fills up a special spot in their heart reserved for their favourite. For me, our latest project – a complete custom overhaul at Onni’s The Social – is just that. We had the complete pleasure of working with an incredible client; she hired us to work with her in transforming her (ultra fabulous) brand new penthouse into a customized, inviting and well-loved-and-lived-in-feeling space to call home. She was open and creative and excited for our vision… truly a dream to work with. We were super stoked to get started, as our “blank canvas” was high ceilings, floor to ceiling windows and without question the best patio spaces and views in the city (three patios to be exact, including a private rooftop entertaining space bigger than most people’s home!).
The challenge at hand was to create a “home” out of a stark, brand new and albeit generically-finished condo; we took it on with gusto. While we always rely heavily on the relationships we build with our sources to design a space, this project pushed the meaning of that to the limit. Through our need to create custom pieces and finishes, we began a collaboration with Clint Moroz of Space Lab; we always knew that he is a definite go-to for cool treasures for decor, but we quickly learned that he also has a creative mind and skilled hand for designing and implementing custom furniture and fixtures. It began with the floors: the dark wood floors that covered the suite were simply not working for our client – scratches showed and the flat dark colour lacked warmth and personality. Together with our client we discussed the possibility of having the floors distressed to create atmosphere and eliminate the concern of marks showing; with her (and our!) blind trust, Clint hand-distressed the entire unit with an organic and completely natural looking “wear path”… paired against impeccable wallpaper from Anne Starr Agency and unique cork wallcoverings in the kitchen and bar area, the end result was the ultimate backdrop for the decor.
We wanted to keep the warmly industrial feel throughout the space and carefully selected furniture that would suit the size of the space and vision; we commissioned Clint to design and build reclaimed wood benches for the dining room and master bedroom, as well as the dining table (which might be the best table I’ve ever seen!), a traincar style sliding door to replace the standard door to the ensuite washroom and a variety of side tables also made of reclaimed wood. From there we chose an incredible sofa (anyone recall the post we did on the Maxwell from Restoration Hardware awhile back?) and hit up Antique Market Warehouse for industrial storage units for the living room and art room. To appropriately ground the space but not cover too much of those fabulous floors, we imported a stunning Moroccan wedding blanket as an area rug for the master bedroom and, with the help of Keith Donegani of Burritt Bro’s Carpets, chose a beautiful living room rug that offers a subtly abstract Tibetan flag pattern in greyscale. Before we got too involved in the furniture pieces, we worked our way through the space with unique lighting; of course our first stop was to visit Bart at ReFind for a good number of special find vintage lights (where we also happened to pick up a super cool vintage abstract art piece for the entranceway), with a few lighting pieces from Vancouver Special, Antique Market Warehouse and Industrial Revolution. The remaining lights were from Space Lab, including the gramophone guestroom light, the suspension system for the dining room chandeliers and (my personal fave) the custom light system in the walk-in closet for the master bedroom.
The inspiration for the guestroom was the lengthly travels of our client – she has a special affection for her Asian dressing screen so we decided to incorporate it as the headboard in that room; paired with the Trestle Bed and matching side tables from Nood and vintage bedside lamps from Sellution, we used personal art gathered on and inspired by travels to bring the walls to life. When we approached the office, we used the juxtaposition of industrial and ultra modern, of course mixed with a little vintage, to set the tone. The worn in metal and wood bookshelf to hold our client’s library kept the feel of the overall vision, but we paired it with a bold, red, super glossy desk from Design House… add in vintage chairs and Robert Fougere art, and our client had a great study for when she can work from home. In designing the master suite, we wanted to create a feminine, artistic space of solace; we began with two formidable pieces of art from the ever-fabulous Zoe Pawlak; the pair created a definite sense of grandeur due to their size and placement, yet evoked a sense of serenity which was ideal for this room. We chose a natural linen and softwood bedframe from Restoration Hardware to compliment both the art and Moroccan rug, and finished off the space with a chair we recovered which has been in our client’s family for many years.
The final space left was the oh-so-fun trio of patios; for the master suite/ office adjoining patio, we selected retro-inspired hanging chairs to offer an outdoor private space to curl up with a book, and left the two main decks for entertaining. On the lower level patio, just off the dining room, we opted for a casual, bar-height eating nook and a lounge area of super fun and modern glossy deck chairs from IKEA mixed with bold side tables for summertime drinks from Nood. The impressive, private rooftop patio was designed with elegant yet comfortable entertaining in mind; a large outdoor sectional, teak loungers and a double-sized dining table created an ideal space to enjoy the unbelievable views.
When it was time to say goodbye to the space as we wrapped the project, I definitely felt a twinge of sadness – I left just a bit of myself with this one; this was absolutely a pleasure to create and I hope you have the chance to enjoy the pictures (courtesy of Jamie Mann and Vincent KH Lee). For sure this was our diamond with an (intentional) bit of rough.
View of the open concept dining/ living roomDining room chandelier duo: lights from Antique Market Warehouse, custom pulley system from Space LabView of dining roomCustom dining table over hand-distressed floors, both from Space LabCustom dining bench from Space LabView of living room into dining room; couch from Restoration Hardware, art by ZoePawlakLiving room; industrial cabinets from Antique Market WarehouseIce cube lights from Nood, art by Zoe PawlakOriginal wartime trunk converted to a coffee table from Space LabAbstract area rug from Burritt Bro's CarpetsView of living room into dining room and kitchen/ bar areaBar area with custom cork surround; stools from Urban BarnView into kitchenReclaimed wood cabinet for cookbooks and liqour from Sellution; art by Zoe PawlakView from kitchen down through entrance hallwayCustom cork wall in kitchen; art by Zoe Pawlak
Vintage abstract art piece from ReFindGuest bedroomCustom gramophone light fixture from Space LabVintage Asian dressing screen converted to a headboardArt inspired by and collected on world travelsTrestle nightstand and bed from Nood, vintage side lights from SellutionOffice; desk from Design House, vintage chair, wallpaper from Anne StarrOffice ceiling fixture, vintage, from ReFindVintage lounge chair from ReFind, throw from Nood, industrial shelving for booksLibrary and travel pieces, client's ownReclaimed fir reading table from Space Lab, light from Maynard'sPrints by Robert Fougere, from Space LabMain washroom; Marimekko paper from Anne StarrMain washroom lightingMaster bedroomBedframe from Restoration Hardware, art by Zoe PawlakMaster bedroom; reclaimed wood bench from Space Lab, art by Zoe PawlakMoroccan wedding blanket as area rug, detail shot of recovered family heirloom chair fabricCustom lighting system for closet from Space LabView into master ensuite; custom traincar door and reclaimed wood dressing mirror from Space LabVintage and custom hardware on traincar doorMaster ensuite; Marimekko shower curtain from Design House
Art by Zoe PawlakIndustrial cabinet for art supplies from Antique Market WarehousePrivate rooftop patio and gardensRooftop entertaining spacesOutdoor living room, with West and East harbour and city viewsOutdoor dining roomLower level patio eating nookLower level patio lounge areaMaster suite private outdoor reading space
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