Our clients at Casa Cascade were not new to renovations – this was their third. Having cycled through several design trends, their past experiences made them very aware of what they liked and disliked. Though initially resistant to the extensive use of wood (“It’s going to look like a scene out of the 70’s!) or the use of gold, brass, or bronze tones (“Gold is so 80’s!”) the clients ultimately warmed up to our ideas. The decision that resulted in a contemporary but cozy family home.

The main goal was to improve the quality of space by reconsidering the function and updating materials. The cherry wood cabinets, iron railings, faux Greek columns, and speckled granite floors were far past their prime. The first step was to clean up the floor plan. Unnecessary bump outs, angled walls, undersized spaces (kitchen, sunroom) and oversized circulation and “open to below” spaces were reconfigured. The result allows for better flow, less visual disruptions, and improved sightlines (the owners do have 4 young kids, after all.) The kitchen was expanded to better suit the size of the home. The sunroom at the rear was also expanded with floor to ceiling windows and bi-fold doors that pour a tremendous amount of natural light in to the house.

In each project, we have at least 3 special “moments” – the main stair was definitely one of those special moments. We were faced with a stair which – quite frankly – was a bit of an eyesore, but ripping it out wasn’t in the budget… so we had to get creative. Looking at the stair from the top floor all the way down to the basement, I was intrigued by the ribbon like shape it created… but the current decorative iron guard did nothing to reinforce it. Taking in that view, I knew exactly what needed to be done. Most design concepts take a few versions to get right, but this was clear from the start. The design was modelled in 3D, communicated to an expert millworker, and constructed just as envisioned (ok, it took a little more effort than that, but we’re really happy with how this one came out.)

What do you think? Does this house look like a scene out of the 70’s or 80’s? We like to think not…