Front elevation of the finished two-storey home from an angle, board-and-batten gables over white siding, a covered porch with woven chairs and a wide paver walkway meeting the drive.

ALDERWOOD

Peace Restored

Open two-tone kitchen with white oak upper cabinets, navy base cabinets, a quartzite-topped island and amber leather counter stools under a dome pendant.

Client Goals & Needs:It began with a house that had run out of room for the way this family lives. The homeowner wanted a house that could hold everything, with room for the whole family, for cooking together, and for having people over, where every square foot earned its keep and nothing had to sit out.

Project Type:Second-Storey Addition

Square Footage:1,400 sq. ft.

Location:Alderwood

Services rendered:

Architectural design
Interior design
Construction

Front of the finished two-storey home straight on, white siding under a board-and-batten gable, a teal front door between lantern sconces and a covered porch with woven chairs above the paver walk. — Front exterior

Front elevation from the driveway side, board-and-batten gables over white siding, the covered porch with its woven chairs, and the paver walk curving out to the drive. — Front exterior

Kitchen seen from the family room side, the quartzite-topped island and amber leather stools under a dome pendant, navy base cabinets, white oak uppers and a panelled navy refrigerator wall. — Kitchen

Wide view across the quartzite waterfall island to the navy base cabinetry, the white oak upper cabinets, a veined stone slab backsplash and a stainless pro range. — Kitchen

Range wall in full, with a white plaster hood, a bookmatched stone slab backsplash, a brass pot filler, white oak cabinetry and a stainless pro range. — Kitchen

Kitchen counter run with a cooktop and pro range beneath a brass pot filler, white oak upper cabinets and black casement windows over the sink. — Kitchen

Island end in navy cabinetry with a built-in microwave, brass bar pulls and the mitred stone counter edge above the white oak floor. — Kitchen

Two amber leather counter stools tucked to the navy island, a brass bar pull on the cabinet door and the veined stone backsplash with its brass pot filler behind. — Kitchen

Bathroom with a reeded walnut double vanity, a stone counter, brass tapware and a frameless glass shower clad in green herringbone tile. — Bathroom

Reeded walnut double vanity straight on, with twin brass faucets, a stone counter and a full-width mirror under a linear brass light. — Bathroom

Curbless walk-in shower clad in dark green herringbone tile behind a frameless glass panel, with the walnut vanity beyond. — Bathroom

Drop-in soaking tub built into a stone-clad deck with a brass filler, beside recessed white linen shelving under the sloped ceiling. — Bathroom

Bathroom with a single oak vanity, an oval brass mirror and a tub set into a stone-tiled alcove behind a glass panel, under a transom window. — Bathroom

Tub and shower alcove lined in large-format stone-look tile, with a chrome rainfall head, a hand shower on a riser and a glass screen. — Bathroom

Wood-look tile shower behind frameless glass, with a chrome rainfall head, a round valve and a recessed niche, the green wall beyond. — Ensuite

Ensuite vanity with a chrome faucet and a frameless mirror reflecting the wood-look tile shower, beside a reeded wood tall cabinet. — Ensuite

Powder room seen from the stair side, so the deep green panelled staircase and the floral-papered walnut vanity read in one frame. — Powder room

Powder room with a white toilet set against the dark floral wallpaper of birds and blossoms, over a charcoal herringbone tile floor. — Powder room

Dining room seen past the kitchen island, with a live-edge wood table, upholstered chairs, framed art and a lit white oak display niche beyond. — Dining room

Dining room straight on, with a wood table between two black casement windows, a linear pendant and a lit oak display niche on the side wall. — Dining room

Lit white oak display shelf in the dining room niche, holding a pale stone elephant and a slim dark figurine. — Dining room

Family room open to the kitchen, with a putty sectional under a gallery wall of framed photographs, a wall-hung television over a carved wood cabinet and nesting tables on a patterned rug. — Family room

Bedroom with a wall of white built-in wardrobes, a walnut dresser run under a wide window and a built-in oak niche in the low headboard wall. — Bedroom

Bedroom with a low white oak console holding a lift-up television, a knee-hole desk with an upholstered stool and tall built-in wardrobes. — Bedroom

Covered rear porch with woven lounge seating, a dark-bladed ceiling fan, a horizontal slat privacy screen and a view over the lawn. — Covered patio

Covered porch from the garden side, its composite deck holding woven sofas and chairs beneath the painted soffit and slat screen. — Covered patio

Backyard seen from the lawn, with the covered porch and raised composite deck, planted borders, a stone path and a hot tub on its pad. — Backyard

A dog resting on a patterned area rug in the living room, beside a green upholstered swivel chair, a carved wood cabinet and a lamp-lit side table. — Living room

Three people standing together at the quartzite island beneath the dome pendant, with the white oak and navy kitchen cabinetry behind them. — At the island

The finished two-storey home from the same street vantage after the second-storey addition, Peace Restored project.

Winter street view of the original one-storey house before the second-storey addition, Peace Restored project.

Before

After

Design inspiration

The whole plan grew from one idea, a home for everything. We designed around how this family actually lives, the busy weeks that need order and the open weekends that invite a crowd. Storage was built into the bones of the house rather than added on top, so the calm feels structural.

Staircase with deep green panelled walls, a natural oak handrail, and crisp white risers.

The result

A second-storey addition gave the family the room it had been missing, and the kitchen became the centre of the home. A quartzite countertop runs the length of the island, anchored by an oversized light that pulls the whole main floor together. Everything has a place, so the counters stay clear and the days stay unhurried. The family asked for one word for the finished home. Peaceful.

The finer details

Island end with a mitred stone edge, an integrated microwave drawer and a brass bar pull on the navy cabinetry.

Amber leather counter stools tucked under the mitred stone island edge, with navy cabinetry and a brass pull behind.

Lit white oak display shelves in the dining room niche, holding a carved stone elephant and a slender black figurine.