​Project contributed to by Victoria Leask in Lead Designer role while employed at Michelle Berwick Design
Project Valleyview
As the main gathering place for family and friends, this home is designed to support the everyday routine and easily transitions to host a 20 person dinner party - inside or out.
Although grand in scale, this home is warm and inviting thanks to natural elements, oversized lighting fixtures, natural light and furniture scales.
As one of my first custom home projects, this home - and family within - will forever hold a special place in my heart. This project was an interior designer’s dream and I am forever grateful to have been apart of bringing it to life.
10,000 Square Foot Custom Home in a fresh California inspired style.
What truly makes this home a work of art are the details within the design and build. The overall architectural style needed to be subdued as to not compete with the scale of the overall home. ​ For all the baseboards and casings, we opted for a drywall return in a flat profile. Our natural oak 8 foot doors, flooring and staircases were the architectural focal point we wanted to highlight. All ventilation is seamlessly integrated within the drywall, flooring and tile. You’ll notice the mix of metals throughout the home; brass and black hardware mixed throughout creates a balance of contrast and soft natural elements. Black windows and exterior doors were a no brainer when creating this modern home to highlight the beautiful ravine and resort style backyard.
Flowing from the foyer into the heart of the home; the main living area awaits an open concept kitchen, dining and family room. It was very important to break up these spaces to avoid it feeling overly vast. We achieved this by using a detailed hardwood panel ceiling one shade lighter than the flooring throughout. Adding this natural texture to the ceiling helps create a visual break for the eye. A white ceiling otherwise would create that vastness we were wanting to avoid. This is the main gathering place of the home and is meant to feel warm and inviting.
Oversize statement lighting is a must to distinguish spacial and functional areas within the open entertaining area. These oversized fixtures anchor the custom white oak dining table which extends to allow for seating up to 22 guests. Perfect for large family dinners. Overall, this family wanted their home to be the main gathering space for their family an friends but did not want a traditional formal dining room. We wanted to keep everything very tone-on-tone to achieve this casual and inviting feeling. This dining area leads directly to an outdoor living space, so these chairs are a great play on indoor-outdoor living without feeling too casual. Behind the dining areas is the state of the art kitchen broken up into three functioning rooms; the main kitchen, walkthrough pantry and prep kitchen.
The main view into the family room from the dining and kitchen is this oversized gas fireplace clad in a beautiful organic limestone which continues into the 25 foot ceiling. The 9 foot windows flood the room with natural light creating a design element - or art feature all on their own. Hiding the TV from the main view into the room elevated the overall feel of the main living area, however, the media wall is truly a focal point. We created this face frame style built in anchoring the TV using Cambria quartz as the frame and white oak for the touch to open drawers and feature stripe element.
Stepping out of the main home, we step into the cabana connected by an outside corridor as well as through the basement. The cabana is the entertaining hub of the home connecting you to the pool deck through accordion style patio doors. This space contains a changing room, full bath with outdoor shower, laundry room for pool towels, full entertainers kitchen, beautifully designed custom furniture, oversized lighting, and covered screened in lanai ready to host a 22 person dinner party.
The primary suite is the smallest of the bedrooms but the design makes a big impact! Plaster effect wallpaper adds a subtle texture to the headboard wall and the inset wood panel ceiling configured in a diamond pattern creates a sophisticated warmth. Custom white oak cabinetry flanks either side of the bed anchoring the floating nightstands with drop chain gold and white pendants. This room truly exudes modern comfort. The primary ensuite doubles as a personal spa featuring a steam shower with body jets, heated floors throughout and jetted soaker tub. The design began with the intricate marble mosaic floor tile throughout the bathroom. This tile carries warm tones and iridescent flakes lending to the subtle feminine design. We paired this beautiful floor tile with a warm toned marble subway in a traditional stack for the shower walls and ceiling. To carry through the arch motif from the oak millwork in the bedroom, we opted to create an arched shower ceiling lending to the subtle feminine design. Overall this ensuite is an in home retreat to begin and end your day.
Project Credits
Builder: Napier Valley Construction and Design
Architecture: Ian Robertson Design Inc.
Photography: Mike Chajecki & Drew Hadley
Styling: Michelle Berwick Design
Custom Furniture: Rustic House Interiors
Millwork: Wheelers Studio, Hartley Built, Downsview Kitchens
Victoria Leask in Lead Designer role while employed at Michelle Berwick Design
