– Angela Kwan lyrics, Lia Crowe pictures
in a quiet street Just beyond the end of Oak Bay Street, a newly appointed heritage house stands tall amid the wild drifts of autumn leaves, its dark, rainy gray contrasting with orange and red. Lush expanses of salvia plant still in violets extend from one side of the gardens to the other between rhododendrons and sprawling ferns.
Except for a thin strip of lawn parallel to the sidewalk, the front yard is reserved for a lush, lush rain garden, stretching over a cobbled bridge that leads to the house’s curved porch.
First built in 1911, the two-and-a-half storey house is an attractive example of the Dutch Colonial Revival style. The gambrel roof is reminiscent of the traditional silhouettes of barns, with the bell flare at the eaves adding character, but there’s also a sense of contemporary comfort, a balance between old and new that was very intended.
“We felt like the inside had to respect the heritage on the outside, and at the end of the day, we really needed it to respect the house,” says Charlotte Bowman, homeowner, who made a really massive makeover to the house several years ago.
Joining talent at Zebra Group, Charlotte hired owner and lead designer Rus Collins to overhaul the entire interior. It is also the reason why the house is now a heritage place.
“The house was a legal non-conforming duplex, but 40 or more years ago a third suite was added in the attic,” he explains. “I suggested to Charlotte that we apply to Oak Bay Council to enter into a Heritage Revival Agreement to allow us to legalize the third set, and in return Charlotte would formally designate the house as Heritage.”
It was a huge project, and hearing from Charlotte and Martin Whitehead – Zebra’s head of construction – the enormity of the work soon became apparent.
“It was stripped of the buttons,” Martin says. “The exterior was 80 percent intact, but a lot of additions were made over the years. The overall design has morphed into a mix of architectural styles over the decades, and some elements just didn’t hold up well.”
“Once we stripped it down, we could see what was in here, and we put it back in the 1911 design,” he adds.
explains Lauren Turner, who leads the interior design department at Zebra. “We wanted the space to be airy and to open up each space as much as architecturally possible.”
To this end, early-20th-century-style features—like the glass-enclosed library just off the front entrance, two tiled fireplaces and built-in windows and benches—were balanced by the open-plan living room and expansive kitchen.
A neutral palette of white and gray runs through the house plus a continuous wide oak floor, creating an easy flow across the main floor. White subway tile creates a harmonious backdrop across the kitchen and two bathrooms of stunning open shelving with faux slant pipe brackets.
There’s also a fine selection of textures that prevents the novelty of the renovation from overpowering its character, with the gorgeous black soapstone countertop being perhaps my favorite.
While the kitchen is as open and spacious as any modern design, it also maintains a timeless and early century feel, and it’s hard to say why at first. But looking around, I was shocked.
The refrigerator, freezer, and dishwasher are hidden behind paneled cabinet doors and drawers, leaving only one appliance visible: a gorgeous Lacanne oven, enameled in a deep, calm blue that instantly brings to mind a massive French kitchen.
“I love him!” Charlotte says, smiling. “It’s so cool. I knew I wanted an enamel-colored stove.”
As we continue the tour, it becomes abundantly clear how much Charlotte put into the design, from the Lacanche fireplace to the thick quilted pillows in the window seats, which she got through Etsy, the dazzling array of reclaimed and antique lighting fixtures, and swinging bookshelves that serve as doors to the master suite. , to the most impressive of them all: the tiles surrounding the living room fireplace.
Reflecting only shards of the sun overlooking the living room, the tiles are a soft bluish green that shifts according to the light, and each one is handcrafted.
“My friend is a potter and help me make tiles for each of the fireplace,” Charlotte explains, laughing at my broad expression.
“It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have such an emotional attachment to the house, but it was worth it,” she says of the entire renovation process. “This is the house in which I was born, and in which my daughter was born.”
Now completely rebuilt from floor to ceiling, the house is ready to welcome future generations, not just the Charlotte family. In addition to doing the heritage designation, Charlotte has worked with the City Council to legalize the second and third floor suites, renovate them with as much care as the main floor, and take a small but significant step in an effort to provide safe and affordable rental housing to the community.
We’re able to go upstairs with Charlotte’s tenant for a quick tour of the attic suite, and exit the stairs through stained-glass windows, like stepping into a New York loft. Angled ceilings, low half-moon windows and exposed bricks for the chimney – the space is cozy, bright and feels like tucked away in the clouds.
On our way back down we went to the back of the house to see the scenery, and I was shocked when Charlotte told me that there was nothing on the property except for the two oaks on the road.
Bordered by Killarney strawberry trees dotted with their gorgeous red fruits, a boudinier cranberry tree still with clusters of purple berries and many other plants, the backyard is a verdant paradise, further testimony to the vast amount of work that has transformed this property into a wonderful home.
Back at the front entrance, sunlight shines through the door’s antique leaded window, scattering rainbow fragments on the walls. Charlotte goes for the wide nook built into the front window, and with a view of the garden behind, it’s the perfect place to spend a relaxing afternoon (or nap).
“It’s my favorite place,” she says with a smile. “I sit here all the time. Lauren really hit her out of the park with this.”
Suppliers
Residential Design: Zebra Design (Ross Collins)
Interior Design: Zebra Interiors (Lauren Turner)
Construction and Interior Finishing: Zebra Construction (Martin Whitehead)
Heritage Advisor: John Dam & Associates Building Conservation Engineering (John Dam)
Interior Drywall: Final Drywall Inc.
Board: CanTex Board
Cabinetry and joinery: RG West Coast Woodwork
Ceiling beams: zebra construction
Flooring: Island Center
Tiling: Island Flooring Center
Doors: caliber doors
Artwork: Tofino Gallery of Contemporary Art (Lea McDermid)
Windows: Vintage Woodworks Inc.
Lighting: Waterglass Studios; Scott Landon antiques
Plumbing Fixtures: Oceanview Mechanical
Countertop: Vancouver Island Soapstone and
Colonial Countertops
Fireplace Stove / Stonework: Handmade Tiles
By Owner (Charlotte Bowman)
Hardware: Trail hardware
Landscaping: Rusnak Gallant Ltd
External siding: zebra construction
Home Automation: Electric Black Box
The story is provided by Boulevard Magazine, a Black Press Media publication
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