Page 36 - Canadian House & Home - xxx 2010

LIVING
BUILD IN FUNCTION
Turn functional items into attractive design
elements. To give the full-size fridge a sleek,
European look, McCormack had it encased
in a walnut frame so it would blend with the
rest of the cabinetry. Tucked into a space
between the kitchen and living room (part
of what used to be the dining room), the
small office is both practical and handsome.
Open shelving keeps it airy. Kelly, who built
the desk with a friend, left the edge of the
redwood top raw for an rustic look.
Redwood, Urban Tree Salvage; Eames
chair, eBay; plant, Ikea.

Radiant-heat
flooring keeps it
warm underfoot

BEFORE
GO NATURAL
When working with a contemporary
aesthetic, use an organic palette to inject
warmth. Here, the kitchen and dining area
showcase the couple’s affinity for natural
materials: the hardware-free walnut
cabinetry, soapstone counters and oversized
slate floor tiles all have a rich or textural
quality that enlivens the space. While it’s
common to outfit an island with a cooktop or
sink, the pair bucked this trend. “It’s built to
be strictly a work surface,” says McCormack,
to accommodate Kelly’s cooking as well as
act as a hub during entertaining. It’s also FOCUS ON WOOD
To let the kitchen’s rich walnut cabinetry
chock full of storage and appointed with two
stools. Having the back door open right out take centre stage, the couple chose a low-
key back-painted glass for the backsplash
onto the expansive deck creates a great
integration between indoors and out. instead of tiles, which they felt would have
drawn attention away from the cabinetry’s
Counters, N & G Soapstone Countertops;
slate floor tile, Stone Tile International; organic patterning and crisp lines, explains
designer Harvey Wise. Painted a foggy
in-floor heating, SBN Mechanical; Grohe
faucet, Taps; pitcher, The Door Store; bowl taupe, the backsplash complements the
space’s warm wood and grey stone tones.
(on island), Hollace Cluny; Le Creuset pot
(on stove), toaster, Williams-Sonoma. All millwork designed by McCormack
Architects and built by Alex Bak, Space
Furniture; glasses, napkins, pitcher, shaker,
Angus & Company; colour for back-painted
glass, Ashwood (OC-47), Benjamin Moore.
34 H&H FEBRUARY 2010 SEE SOURCE GUIDE

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