Serenity Prevails in This House Surrounded by Nature on Canada’s West Coast

Nestled among the trees, this home enticed a young, creative couple to move from New York City to North Vancouver, British Columbia, where they decided to put down roots and raise their two children. The family liked the original proportions of the property and decided to expand the footprint minimally. The mid-century structure, however, didn’t fit their vision so they called on Olson Kundig to reinvent it. 

The team of Erica Colpitts Interior Design took care of the interiors, which were inspired by the peaceful surrounding landscape and rural British aesthetic to echo the homeowners’ fascination with the style. 

“The pure challenge of this home completely appealed to me,” she confesses. “My task was to meld Olson Kundig’s overall design with an ever so slightly soft and romantic interior.” Mission accomplished.  

An Apple Tree is the Focal Point for This Single-Story Glass House by ACDF Architecture

Architect Maxime-Alexis Frappier, lead designer of the Canadian firm ACDF Architecture, approaches each of his projects with precise rigor and careful attention. For his family’s own residence in Quebec’s Lanaudière region, he added a healthy dose of his childhood memories to the architectural concept. Frappier grew up in an orchard environment, and he wanted his children to experience some of that tradition. So he added an unusual focal point to the home: a young apple tree.

“It became a central pillar for connecting the architecture, the house, and the family,” the architect explains. “Whether through its flowers in the spring, its foliage in the summer, its fruits in the fall, or the snow that accumulates on its branches in winter, this tree participates in an extraordinary way in the creation of a living environment that is so stimulating.’’ The single-story glass house surrounds the apple tree, which was replanted in a courtyard at the center of the newly built home. Caring for the tree is a shared activity for the family, from pruning its branches to harvesting its fruit. 

But the tree is, of course, not the only striking feature of the residence by this talented architect. Set on a 6-acre forest plot, the architecture masterfully highlights the nature surrounding the home. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows let in abundant natural light and allow for sweeping views of surrounding trees. To emphasize those views, and the connection to the natural world, furniture was kept minimal with muted tones. Polished concrete flooring is also neutral. Ceilings incorporate wooden planks, with half-inch gaps between them to soften direct sunlight. 

Acting as both architect and client, Frappier crafted a home that is elegant but nonetheless comfortable. He built the home around the concept of discrete but integrated “wooden boxes.” (One houses garage and service areas, a second the children’s bedrooms and bathrooms, and the third the primary suite.) The result is a minimalist aesthetic, but there are intimate spots integrated into the design: a custom alcove was built for the family piano and the primary suite features a cozy lounge and a soaking tub. In this way, the house includes space for both connectivity and privacy. 

---

Take a Look Inside With This Video by ACDF Architecture  

---

This Industrial Loft Apartment in Vancouver is a Music Lover’s Dream

For a DJ drawn to complex, geometric patterns, the designers tasked with renovating his industrial loft in Vancouver, Canada knew they’d have to deliver the unexpected. “The client’s eclectic tastes and collections as well as his varied interest in music from acoustic to electronic were the foundation of the concept,” said Kelly Reynolds, principal of local firm Falken Reynolds. “We knew the space needed to provide both an expansive openness of a warehouse loft and a lot of visual stimulation,” adds principal Chad Falkenberg.

Set within a 1909 former supply warehouse made of sand-blasted brick and old-growth timber, the space first welcomed live-work tenants in 2004. That initial renovation, by Alda Pereira Design, provided the framework for the next. The kitchen’s steel-framed millwork, for example, is part of the 2004 design conversion and now features new shelving and tile to enhance functionality and add visual texture. Same with the open concept ensuite bath and shower, which was rebuilt and finished with tile in a bold black and white pattern.

“Hella Jongerius’ Diarama tiles from Mutina were a natural choice with the digital reference, but one that has a lot of subtle variation—there are 14 unique tiles that make up the pattern,” shares Reynolds. In the powder room, which features a deep green wallpaper from Jupiter 10, the team kept the original sink intact, designed by Marc Newson, offering a contrast to the darker walls.

Despite these modern updates, the industrial roots of the loft are apparent throughout, such as the original Douglas Fir ceiling and beams. To offset the wood tones from above, the designers selected a series of area rugs in warmer hues to create a sense of balance. Vibrant artwork and striking lighting fixtures round out the aesthetic. Not to mention a DJ station.

This Cannabis Dispensary by Superette and Emily Robin Design has Visitors Seeing Green

Although Canada is miles ahead of the U.S. when it comes to cannabis dispensaries, its provincial regulations prohibit recrea­tional products from being visible outside a store. Furthermore, inside, they must be out of reach to customers prior to purchasing. It’s a challenge that Superette, which operates seven outposts across the country, with two more on the boards, leans into by hiding in plain view as an everyday minimart. “Familiar retail environments are at the core of our inspiration,” Superette chief brand officer Drummond Munro points out. The newest Toronto location, called Annex, a collaboration between Superette’s in-house creative team and Emily Robin Design, is a case in point.

The concept centers on a leafy-green palette and an aesthetic inspired by Italian delis of yesteryear. From the street-facing glass storefront, all that can be seen are shamrock-and-white checkered floor tiles, soda fountain–style stools, and a retro wall-mounted telephone—only regulars know the latter is the “Munchie Phone,” a direct line to Rose and Sons, a nearby actual deli. The two back walls are lined with what looks like cans of imported tomatoes and olive oil but are really custom props branded with Superette labels. They are just some of the whimsical points of discovery in the 810-square-foot space. “Design falls quickly off the priority list,” Emily Robin Sauer explains of dispensaries that often get overwhelmed by the regulations, resulting in utilitarian, pharmacylike settings. “But with this client, we’re given the freedom to bring joy and levity to someone’s day. And that’s design at its best, when people can feel your work.”

Farther into the store, out of passerby view, is where Superette’s host of THC-infused goodies can be found and purchased. Amid spearmint-painted walls is a custom menu board as well as a wall of glossy built-ins lined with pre-roll options and a counter display of additional products underneath vitrines in both glass and acrylic. Among the selections are such curios as vegetable-shape candles in deli-paper wrapping. Adds Superette creative director Alex Cirka: “We love to play with people’s perceptions.”

Revery Architecture Reconsiders the Air Duct in an Installation for the London Design Biennale 2021

2021 Best of Year winner for ARchInstallation

As the effects of climate change grow ever more apparent, the mechanical systems that keep buildings usable have never been more essential—or, with the CO2 emissions caused by their use, more dangerous. Representing Canada at the London Design Biennale 2021, the Vancouver-based firm created the cheekily titled, 100-square-foot installation at Somerset House, which invited reconsideration of that humble MEP functionary, the air duct. Design principal Venelin Kokalov devised a pair of oversize conduits that traversed the space, stopping visitors in their tracks and forcing them to contemplate, navigate, and even duck beneath the pipes. “Facing the first duct, visitors couldn’t see what was coming ahead, symbolizing an uncertain future,” Kokalov explains. Instead of carbon-intensive steel, the ducts were made of gold-mirrored wood, the finish chosen for two reasons. “Seeing their reflection, viewers were invited into the artwork, like an insider,” Kokalov continues, “plus gold represents wealth,” the architect hoping that invited thoughts about where we, as a society, spend money: on giant heating and cooling systems or something else? Factoring in inclusivity too, counterweighted door panels allowed wheelchair users to navigate freely around the low-slung work.

revery architecture: venelin kokalov; mark melnichuk; kimberley glauber.

10 Questions With… Karim Habib

Fluent in Arabic, English, French, German, and Italian, South Korea–based, Lebanese-born Canadian designer Karim Habib exudes an understated international flair—and so do his unmistakable automotive creations. Habib, the head of the Kia Design Center, is renowned for his exceptional ability to reflect brand identity in his designs, including the nascent Korean brand’s buzzy new electric EV6.

His most recent role was as executive design director at Infiniti Motor Company, overseeing the design of the brand’s latest concept vehicles. The designer worked previously with the BMW Group, where he was a protégé of designer Chris Bangle, who himself was an acolyte of Frank Gehry. Habib studied Mechanical Engineering at McGill University in Canada, as well as Transportation Design at the Art Center College of Design in California. Here, we discuss his career along with what’s new and next.

Interior Design: Tell us about your upbringing.

Karim Habib: I was born in Lebanon, but my family left when the civil war started. We landed in Canada in 1981. That’s been my home ever since. I completed my engineering degree in Canada, and I studied car design in Switzerland and in the U.S. I lived in Germany for about 20 years, followed by two years in Japan, and now two years in South Korea.

ID: What’s your educational background?

KH: I knew I wanted to be a designer from very early on, but not necessarily a car designer. I was drawing objects: chairs, furniture, cars. I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to make design a profession, so I pursued mechanical engineering and studied design after that.

ID: What were your early design influences?

KH: Italian furniture design and industrial design were always very inspiring to me. My poster car was the Lamborghini Countach, like many kids my age who are now adults, it was such a mold-breaker. It was designed by the legendary Marcello Gandini who was known for producing wedge-shaped vehicles that defined the 1960s and 1970s and went on to become a residential architect and interior designer. I was also influenced by another seminal Italian of the era, Maserati designer Pietro Frua. This admiration was bolstered by his time later spent practicing design in Italy producing the BMW concept vehicle.

ID: How did you get your start in the automotive design industry?

KH: As I was studying car design, I had a couple of professors who worked at BMW Designworks in California. They had a unique way of thinking, and I loved working with them. Through them, I met former BMW Group chief of design Chris Bangle, who gave the commencement speech at my graduation. He offered for me to come work in Germany. 

ID: What have been the major moments in your career?

KH: Luckily, I’ve had a few. One that shaped me as a designer was getting to do the Concept CS for BMW. It started a new phase for BMW design. I lived in Italy for about a year to create the concept, and I worked with some traditional Italian suppliers, modelers, and engineers who had been in Torino since the 1970s or earlier. Their presence and influence were incredible. It really changed my thinking about cars.

ID: Tell us about your latest project.

KH: The Kia EV6 ushers in a new era in terms of design, but also brand and technology. It’s really a turning point for us. EV6 represents what we aspire to be. It’s dynamic and fun to drive, but at the same time it’s packed with our best technology in an easy-to-use interior. It’s very roomy, with the flat-floor, lean dashboard, and space where you can slide from left to right. With the floating console, you can place things instinctively. EV6 is quality and refinement, but at the same time it’s just fun and easy—which is Kia to me.

ID: What were you trying to achieve with its interior design specifically?

KH: EV6 has a driver-centric feel to it. It’s one of our most dynamic cars, and there is a bit of jet-fighter cockpit to it. The driver is not isolated from the passengers and the rest of the car, starting with the floating dashboard and floating center console. There is open space that instinctively makes it easier to communicate with passengers. At first, we didn’t realize how good the flat floor is, and now we fight for every millimeter for it to be as flat as possible. The flat floor doesn’t decide for you how you want to sit. In that sense, it is a shift to something more natural and instinctive for us.

ID: Was the EV6 affected by the pandemic at all?

KH: The pandemic has affected what we are designing because we are thinking differently about shared space, and anti-bacterial and anti-viral surfaces. The pandemic has also influenced how we see the future of car sharing, and we’ve developed ideas for a world that lives with pandemics. As for our work process, we do a lot more from home. We found out that it works exceptionally well for certain things. Oculus-type goggles enable us to have reviews with our studios in South Korea, the U.S., Europe, and China. We all put on the goggles at the same time and review the same model virtually.

ID: What do you have up next professionally?

KH: We are going to show more of that over the next few years. As designers, we are rebuilding the brand. The products mirror and amplify the brand image, the architecture of our dealerships, and our points of sale. The presence of design in every visual touchpoint strengthens the brand.

ID: What are you looking forward to in life?

KH: Balance between my health and my family’s well-being, and the joy I have at work.

Perkins&Will Takes Home a Best of Year Award for Nemesis Coffee in Vancouver, Canada

2021 Best of Year winner for Hospitality – Coffee Counter

Comprising 10 petals of CNC-cut laminated timber clad in cherry-hued composite-aluminum shingles, this pavilion, an existing structure by Perkins&Will, is round in plan. After leasing it, Nemesis Coffee contacted the firm to design the 2,000-square-foot interior. The space “always wanted to be a coffee house,” senior associate Rufina Wu suggests. But the fit-out required finesse. “With our strongly sculptural building, the inside had to reference the architecture—and complement it.” Hence the feature ceiling element in which fins of white fabric stretch from a central oculus out toward the perimeter. LED strips spill soft light through the diffusing textile vanes for an effect that’s organic and calming while also echoing the exterior petals. The muted materials palette—glass, stainless steel, pale woods—creates a warm environment even on the city’s grayest days. Faced with pandemic supply-chain hiccups, the firm relied on a hometown fabricator for the curved birch-plywood paneling and a circular high table, its center planted with a tree. A stainless-steel bar slices through the middle of the plan, dividing the seating from the kitchen and service areas. Above, a continuous glass divider modulates from clear (for display cases) to reflective (concealing restrooms). “It reveals exactly what should be revealed,” Wu says, “and hides the rest.”

Perkins&Will: Ryan Bragg; Yehia Madkour; Rufina Wu; Mira Yung; Fargol Moshiri; Joanne Wong; Mahdiar Ghaffarian

A Toronto Eyewear Store by Reflect Architecture Pays Homage to ‘80s Glam

Eyewear from Sim Bains’ All Eyes on Me boutiques in Ontario’s Oakville and Milton neighborhoods has been spotted on the faces of fashionable Canadians for years now. So Bains knew that when opening a shop in his native Toronto, he needed to up his game. He enlisted the locals at Reflect Architecture, who took a look at his extensive line of Cartier eyewear and hit upon the idea of designing the boutique around the box itself.

“We had a rich history to indulge in,” says principal Trevor Wallace. “As global boutique fashion houses look to street wear for inspiration, there is a dynamic narrative coming forward to unite unique aspects of the cultural spectrum through design and fashion.” This meant red velvet walls as dramatic as the interior of a ring box juxtaposed against vintage grey stone, and center rows of table displays arranged like a runway. While waiting for exams in the crisp white lab in back, guests can sip espresso or cognac on Tom Dixon’s groovy seating. Wallace’s most treasured detail, he says, “is the matte, blasted fade on the top-lit mirrors inspired by the excess of the 1980s.” After all, just a touch of too much always looks good.