Interior Design Minimalist

Where to start ... with my recent relocation to the gastown neighborhood, it is the community of creative individuals that have drawn me in and helped me find my new love for Vancouver. Immediately from street scape PROVIDE HOME caught my eye. A sophisticated white interior complimented with local fir paneling and a unique custom line of fir furniture. A modern interior that features unique home accessories from some of my favorites: beautiful modern pottery from Rina Menardi to hand blown glass light fixtures from Niche Modern, to glass candle holders from Laurence Brabant, Paris, or the glass collection from Anna Torfs or Lawrence. For those who appreciate the art of Pottery, each of the pieces produced by Rina Menardi are sculptural pieces, seeing them in context with modern furniture will give you a good sense of how they compliment modern interiors, even the family at Inform Interiors showcases them in their B&B Italia room settings. I first came across the beautiful hand blown light fixtures in New York when I attended ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) and was in awe of their modern translation of the traditional exposed bulb, what a pleasant surprise to see that Provide Home introduced this New York design company to Vancouver by providing a couple of my favorite restaurants Chambar & Medina Cafe with their accent lighting.

In contrast to a previous negative comment about this retail space being "pretentious?" - it does take a sophisticated eye to appreciate good design. There are no knock offs or cheap representations here, only fine investment pieces that are all about quality. What I love about this neighborhood boutique is that the Owners Robert Quinnell and David Keeler feature a number of local designers and artists as well. Too often our local talents are missed, Provide Home provides a platform to showcase the local creative community. Check out the jewelry designed by Shereen de Rousseau or the resin vases of Martha Sturdy or the stationary designs of The Pink Door Company.

As an interior designer constantly sourcing unique product for clients, what a pleasant surprise to see this lovely modern interior become my lifestyle specialty boutique right here in Vancouver.

Provide Home carries a selection of unique home accessories that exclusive to their showroom - some of my favorites to add to my list above ADONDE, TICHELARR ceramics, DAFF FELT, CALEB SIEMEN, MAISON ET OBJET to EX VETO, ENO, MUUTO to JUDY ROSS textiles.

A great example of modern residential design is the LeBlanc House which was the recipient of a 2007 Special Jury Award from the Architectural Institute of British Columbia.

Client: Jean Claude LeBlanc
Architect: Peter Cardew, David Scott, Angie Jim
Structural: Rob Smith
Contractor: John Mason and Associates; Peter Montgomery, Highliner Construction
Groun Floor Area: 2,961 ft2
Completion: December 2006




This house is now on the market, a perfect home for the sophisticated Vancouverite who appreciates a modern minimalist interior with the influence of west coast materials. To read more about this property visit realtor Jason Soprovich's website.

I love this beautifully executed renovation by Vancouver based design team Peter Cardew Architects. The interior has a sophisticated restraint of materials combining polished concrete floors, natural stone and a signature of BC architects - the subtle layer of maple seen in flush panel millwork. Each interior space is filled with natural light filtering through full height glazing throughout the home.

Our local 18karat recently highlighted their collection Gemma Spring/Summer 2008 in this perfect setting, a refreshing combination of earthy natural accessories and vessels. One of my favorite sources of inspiration is to look through 18 Karat's award winning styling and imagery. Photographs below 18 Karat.

Geothermal building with a green roof - environmental details in addition to re-using, rebuilding and recreating an amazing interior space, Inform Interiors is a destination retail space and experience that every modern design enthusiast must see when visiting Vancouver.

Gastown is a cool and hip neighborhood filled with great little boutiques, restaurants and shops. None of the expected main stream big box stores ... rather a collection of unique retailers and eateries that set the tone of bringing upscale design to a the less obvious street scape. This little pocket of historic Vancouver offers a cutting edge to building character for the city. The cobblestone roads now meet a new wave of modern transformations which encompass the best of loft living and the design studios of creative minds behind recent face-lift exterior facades. Inform Interiors re-opened their showroom and will re-launch in spring'08 a new flagship B&B Italia and Boffi showroom in their previous location. (stay tuned - the Inform family is cleverly building local pedestrians and design lovers like me into modern addicts anxiously waiting for the big opening)





Images provided by Obakki
Architecture & Interiors by Mcfarlane Green + Biggar4
Historic Gastown is now the home to an A-list of must sees from a cool hip shop for modern mom and pops, visit Modern Kid which offers kid-friendly "easy on the eye" design for the modern novelist while fashion fronts like Obakki (tops as my favorite fashion retail interior for Vancouver) or Hunt & Gather bring a unique collection of one of a kind pieces made right in the store by costume designer atelier.




Images of Obakki above are through my eyes. Some of my favorite details include exposed concrete walls meeting seamlessly with polished concrete floors. The extension of corian meeting reclaimed fir to reverse beveled drywall details lit from behind to give a diffused wash of light to highlight the exposed brick walls. Love, love the architectural detailing. The interior reflects the quality and craftsmanship of the Obakki label right down to each detail.