The choice of colour combinations selected by Vancouver’s Studio Roslyn can come across as slightly peculiar — but that’s the idea.

Studio Roslyn, founded by Jessica MacDonald and Kate Snyder, has a reputation for interiors that are richly composed, confident and somewhat unusual. Their rooms do not feel decorated, but orchestrated. A colour appears where perhaps it should not, a material feels a little rougher than expected and an unusual pairing suddenly makes sense.

The studio’s choice of hues can raise eyebrows, which is intentional. MacDonald and Snyder love mixing muddy, earthy, heritage tones with fresher, more vibrant hues, creating rooms that feel balanced, but not predictable.

“We’re drawn to the tension between the two,” MacDonald says. “Heritage tones carry a sense of depth and familiarity, grounded in something already lived with, while brighter colours introduce immediacy, freshness and playfulness.”

This contrast helps explain why the studio’s projects feel both nostalgic and current. They have depth, without the heaviness.

A little friction goes a long way

The colour combinations are a mix of instinct and editing, MacDonald adds.

They aim for balance, but not necessarily symmetry or calm. A calm room can be beautiful, but it can also feel flat. A room with friction has life, she says.

The success of an unusual palette often depends on hierarchy.

“There’s usually a push and pull between the colours — one anchoring things, the other introducing a bit of friction or surprise,” she explains.

At It’s Okay, a Vancouver bar and restaurant, Studio Roslyn chose neon pink table edges to offset retro wood tones. At Vancouver beauty studio Umeglow, they used lipstick red, electric chartreuse and pale mint green to contrast warm and cool. The studio also keeps returning to yellow and blue palettes, which it describes as the quirkier sibling of the more familiar orange and blue combination.

“We tend to place bold colour in moments of close encounter, places you touch, open, or pass through slowly. Joinery, thresholds, shelving, furniture details, stair elements,” MacDonald says.

This may be useful advice for anyone curious about colour, but wary of going too far. You don’t have to paint an entire room oxblood red to introduce drama. You might place it inside a cabinet, along a shelf edge, in a tile detail or on a single piece of furniture. The colour becomes an encounter rather than a command.

Colour as composition

MacDonald says the studio is currently drawn to muted yellows, dusty lilacs, oxblood reds and earthy browns.

“They’re not necessarily new colours, but the combinations feel fresh again, depending on how they’re placed and weighted within a space.”

Colour is not just a surface choice. It has mass. It can anchor, lift, unsettle or soften a room. Studio Roslyn’s work treats colour as part of the architecture of feeling.

“We tend to think of colour less as surface decoration and more as part of the composition of a room,” MacDonald says.

Playful, not chaotic

The Studio Roslyn palette can seem peculiar, but not careless. The difference between playfulness and chaos is restraint.

“A bit of restraint goes a long way,” MacDonald says. “Even when there are multiple colours in play, there’s usually a shared logic — whether that’s tonal softness, material consistency or simply repetition across the project.”

That shared logic is what makes the work feel cohesive rather than busy. A colour may reappear in an unexpected place. A material may connect one room to another. A bright detail may be grounded by timber, stone or plaster.

The same thinking applies to materials. Studio Roslyn is drawn to things that age well and shift over time, including handmade ceramics, coloured natural stone, brushed aged metals and textured plasters. Breccia is a current favourite.

“We also like pairing more refined finishes with slightly rougher or more tactile ones. That contrast keeps interiors from feeling too polished and introduces a bit of looseness, which we always find important,” MacDonald says.

“This year has continued to shape the studio in a direction we’ve long been moving toward — working across both architecture and interiors as a single, connected process.”

One current residential project, Camassia House, has been particularly meaningful.

“As interior designers first, we naturally began from the inside out — starting with how the home is lived in day to day, and in particular, the kitchen as the nucleus of the home.”

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Fall is a great time to refresh your home, and paint is one of the most impactful ways to do that without spending a lot of money. In addition, autumn’s cooler temperatures and lower humidity create the ideal conditions for painting.

Inspiration awaits at the 44th annual Vancouver Fall Home Show , being held Oct. 15 to 18 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, West.

Colour can transform a space, and the hues you choose can evoke a calming or stimulating effect, says Trish Picariello, specification and design specialist at Cloverdale Paint .

At the heart of Cloverdale Paint’s colour trends palette is an overarching theme for colour, with cool tones replaced by warmer ones. According to Picariello, the 2026 colour selections reveal a collective move toward comfort and stability in a world going through chaos.

Cloverdale Paint’s Colour of the Year 2026 is Day Spa.

“Day Spa is the most beautiful blue, it is deep but not bold, not bossy but relaxed,” says Picariello. “Day Spa is best used for a living room feature wall, because it doesn’t overwhelm the room. It is calm yet commanding, serene yet indulgent.”

Day Spa is also ideal for creating tranquil nooks, serene bedrooms, or mindful workspaces, as it inspires a sense of grounding, comfort, and peace.

Bright or stark whites and silver-grey are now decidedly warmer and organic.

“In times of chaos, whites and off-whites offer an ease in our surroundings, with calm whites that adapt well to both natural and artificial lighting,” says Picariello. “Think refined esthetics with imperfect whites, inspired whites instead of the cool whites.”

Colour is also dictated by the season.

“The fall evokes thoughts of reds, greens, oranges and navy,” says Picariello.

“However, we are seeing new interpretations of these colours; more yellow in our greens, more terracotta in our reds, blues that are more saturated but softer, and more blue undertones in greens.”

The other “hot blue” is Atmospheric Pressure.

“This blue It reads as fresh and beautiful, much like the air and sky on a gorgeous day,” says Picariello. ”There is a trend continuing toward clearer blues that speak freshness.”

Whether you want to add a touch of personality to your bedroom, create bold statements in every room in your home, design a bedroom for your baby, Picariello is always ready to talk about inspirational palettes for everyone, from the very colour-timid to the outrageously colour-bold.

When it comes to children’s rooms, she says: “Colour is one of the most influential yet often underestimated elements in children’s interior design. While it certainly shapes the look of a space, its impact goes far beyond esthetics. The colours chosen for a child’s room help set the mood, influencing everything from creativity and concentration to relaxation and restful sleep.”

So, what colours does Picariello suggest for your child’s room? Soft blues and greens, and warm neutrals. In the end, Picariello says: “There are no rules stating you can’t use a dark colour palette in every area of your home, so go for it if you want to!”

It’s entirely possible to turn a bland living room into an impressive retreat and a boring kitchen into a luxurious gathering place with a few coats of dark paint. Catch Trish Picariello at the Vancouver Fall Home Show on Oct. 16, at 5:30 p.m., where she will talk about everything paint.

The Vancouver Fall Home Show runs from Oct. 15 to 18 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, West. Find the Main Stage and Cooking Stage schedule, a rundown of features and workshops, plus show hours and tickets at vancouverfallhomeshow.com.

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In recent years, there’s been heightened discussion about healthy food choices and the ingredients in the food we consume. Now HGTV star Sarah Baeumler wants to bring that conversation into the home.

“We’ve started this conversation around food selections, which is incredible,” Baeumler says. “But there’s so much still not being discussed about the materials that we’re bringing into our homes, where we spend so much of our time.”

The interior design expert will make that a focus of her presentations at this fall’s home show, during which she’ll explore some of the best natural materials to incorporate into your space. In her own home, Baeumler is a big fan of wool rugs, marble countertops and linen sheets.

“Linen bed sheets changed our life,” she says. “Knowing what you’re sleeping on and putting your head on and inhaling every single night is really important.”

Baeumler says lighting can also play an important role in creating a healthier space. She wants people to better understand the role natural light plays in our circadian rhythm, and how light temperature can support our rhythms throughout the day.

“I hope we are seeing the end of the idea of designing with a million pot lights in our homes,” says Baeumler, who wants to move the conversation toward lamps, sconces and decorative light fixtures to create a calmer environment.

Colours for cosy season

When it comes to fall colour trends, Baeumler says attendees can expect to see plenty of warm hues at this year’s show, including deep browns, maroons and olives.

“These are much more grounded colours, which is great to see,” she says, adding that aged wood and metals with a natural patina—including unlacquered brass—will also be prominent. Together, earthy palettes and natural materials can help create that cosy atmosphere many Canadians crave as the weather cools and the days grow shorter.

Baeumler isn’t necessarily one to redecorate with every changing season, though. For her, it’s about making subtle changes. “I’m not a ‘change it for the theme’ person, I’m a ‘change it for how it feels’.”

For fall, that could mean bringing in heavier throw blankets, swapping your bedding for a warmer duvet or changing your lighting.

“Even swapping out a bulb that is 4,000 kelvins down to 2,000 kelvins will give a warmer light to your space and make it feel cosier,” she says. Candles, table lamps and soft light sources offer a similar effect.

A main-stage headliner for the second consecutive year, Baeumler can’t wait to be back in B.C. She and her husband Bryan Baeumler lived in Vancouver in the early 2000s and recently spent the summer in Port Alberni filming the first Canadian season of Home Town Takeover , set to air this fall.

“We just have this soft spot for the West Coast,” she says. “We feel very connected to the people out there and their way of life.”

Baeumler sees Vancouver, with its enthusiasm for health and wellness, as the perfect city to start a broader conversation about healthy homes.

“I want people to think about how our homes really support our health and well-being,” she says. “I know it’s a little different, but let’s see how it lands and at least start the conversation.”

HGTV’s Sarah Baeumler will headline the Main Stage with interactive Q&A sessions on Oct. 15 and 16. The Vancouver Fall Home Show runs from Oct. 15 to 18 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, West. Find the Main Stage and Cooking Stage schedule, a rundown of features and workshops, plus show hours and tickets at vancouverfallhomeshow.com.

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Coquitlam’s Westwood Plateau, with its large lots and upscale homes, has long attracted wealthy professionals with growing families. The area’s exclusive Rockridge Estates neighbourhood goes a bit further — and higher, as it sits at a slightly raised elevation — with its luxury, custom-built homes and natural privacy thanks to mature trees and lush greenbelts.

This Rockcress Place property is also a step above, sprawling over a more than 15,000-square-foot lot with hot tub and outdoor fireplace, and nearly 8,000-square-feet of indoor living space featuring eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms.

The backyard, with expansive patio and deck space, is nearly surrounded by tall trees and lots of bushes and hedges on an irrigation system.

The three-car garage and wide driveway can accommodate parking for six vehicles.

A newer tile roof, along with other upgrades, were added within the last few years. “That was a big cost and undertaking for that size roof,” says listing agent Carolyn Pogue of Royal LePage Sterling Realty and Pogue Real Estate Group.

What’s inside

The main floor family room’s double doors open onto a 500-square-foot deck that leads down a flight of steps to the backyard. The sunken living room’s 21-foot ceilings and tall windows to match make it feel quite grand, says Pogue.

Premium quartersawn solid wood flooring covering the main and second floors has recently been sanded and stained.

The commercial-grade kitchen features appliances by Wolf, Sub-Zero and Miele. “A door beside the fridge opens into a massive walk-through pantry, which is a nice feature,” says Pogue. There’s also a dining room as well as a separate eating area.

Custom cabinetry by Downsview Kitchens has been installed throughout the home, including extensively in the office, “Making for good storage organization, and you’re never short of space,” says Pogue.

The island’s countertop is stained solid wood, with a small area below for wine storage, while the rest of the countertops are stone.

A curved wood staircase winds up to four more bedrooms, most with en suite, plus a large flex space. The primary bedroom’s en suite features a step-up tub, walk-in shower and oversized vanity with duo sinks. There’re also a fireplace and a deck that extends off the primary bedroom. Most bathroom fixtures are by Kohler.

A huge playroom in the basement area, which has a separate entrance, allows plenty of space for kid games, or can be used for a bedroom, office or extra storage.

A theatre room with six chairs in tiered row seating features Surround Sound with additional soundproofing and heavier doors to reduce sound leak, says Pogue.

There’s also a wet bar for entertaining.

The home is warmed via radiant heat and three gas fireplaces, and cooled by AC.

In the neighbourhood

“Even though it’s in Coquitlam, you get the sought-after catchment of Heritage Woods Secondary and Dr. Charles Best Secondary for French Immersion,” says Pogue. “You’re close to everything while feeling nestled in nature.”

Many other top-rated schools — elementary, secondary and Montessori — are a short drive away, as is Douglas College Coquitlam Campus.

Both Westwood Plateau Golf & Country Club and GreenTee Country Club are a six-minute drive away.

Many parks, including the Minnekhada and Belcarra Regional Parks, are within 15 minutes’ drive. Town Centre Park, with its abundant sport, recreation and cultural amenities as well as Lafarge Lake, is a seven-minute drive away. Grocery stores, shops and restaurants, as well as Coquitlam Centre Station with SkyTrain and buses, are within an eight-minute drive. Pogue says there’s also transit that services the Rockridge Estates neighbourhood. Eagle Ridge Hospital is less than 10 minutes’ drive away.

“The space this home offers, very prestigious neighbourhood, lots of greenery, close to amenities within a few minutes drive, and really good school catchment appeals to families that want that kind of luxurious, grand feeling in their home,” says Pogue.

Location:1535 Rockcress Place, Coquitlam

Listed for: $2,999,999

Year built: 2001

Type: Eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms

Size: 7,925 square feet

Realtor: Listed by Carolyn Pogue, Royal LePage Sterling Realty and Pogue Real Estate Group

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Whether you’re planning a major renovation, a seasonal refresh or simply looking for ideas to make your home work better, you’ll find plenty of worthwhile tips at the 2026 Vancouver Fall Home Show.

The event, which returns to the Vancouver Convention Centre from Oct. 15 to 18, will feature more than 200 exhibitors and bring together industry experts, products and resources across home improvement and design, fashion, wellness and food.

The overarching theme of this year’s show, says coordinator Madelyne Lemieux, is the creation of spaces that help us live better.

“Whether that means renovating, improving energy efficiency, enhancing wellness or updating your decor, the show is focused on helping people build homes that support their lifestyle,” she says.

Here are seven must-see highlights:

Presentations on the Sleep Country Main Stage

HGTV fan-favourite Sarah Baeumler will headline the main stage with interactive Q&A sessions on Oct. 15 and 16. In keeping with this year’s theme, the interior design expert will share practical advice for homeowners on how to make their spaces feel calmer, healthier and more personal.

“I’m going to talk about what it’s like to design for real life — for family routines, busy schedules and the messiness of everyday life — while designing with the idea of a calmer routine in mind,” she says.

Also returning to the main stage are sleep expert Neil Harding, who will share advice on sleep health, and My House Design/Build Team’s Graeme Huguet, who will offer advice on making design and renovation projects more approachable and achievable.

The Healthy Home

One of the most anticipated highlights of this year’s show is the Healthy Home feature, inspired by Sarah Baeumler. A series of curated room vignettes will showcase simple strategies for improving sleep, reducing stress and creating a home that supports overall well-being.

“We’re going to talk about things like lighting choices, colour choices, air quality and materials in the home,” she says. “And even just daily organization and routines.”

The YMCA Health and Recreation Zone

The YMCA Health and Recreation Zone will put the focus on “movement, mindfulness and overall well-being,” Lemieux says. The interactive space will give visitors a chance to take part in demonstrations and pick up practical tips for incorporating healthy habits into their lives.

Smash + Tess

Fashion lovers can check out loungewear, dresses, knitwear and seasonal pieces at the show’s first-ever Smash + Tess pop-up. The B.C.-based, woman-owned clothing brand will also host a fashion show on the main stage on Oct. 17, “reflecting the idea that how we live extends beyond our homes,” Lemieux says.

The Cooking Stage

The Cooking Stage will bring back Chef Bruno Feldeisen from The Great Canadian Baking Show, alongside former Top Chef Canada contestants Deseree “Dez” Lo, Haan Palcu-Chang and Billy Nguyen. Through live demonstrations, attendees will discover new techniques, food trends and recipes to create at home.

On Oct. 16 and 17, the chefs will take part in challenges, and a few lucky attendees will be selected as VIP taste testers.

The Market District

This year, the Market District will feature the show bar within the market for the first time, allowing visitors to sip while shopping local products. For those looking to incorporate more art into their home, the Art Market will offer a variety of styles, from contemporary and abstract art to mixed media and resin creations, making it a “great place to discover unique pieces to add character to your home,” Lemieux says.

The Passport Program

The newly introduced Passport Program offers visitors a chance to win prizes while exploring the show. Attendees can pick up a passport stamp card at the entrance, visit participating exhibitors to collect stamps and submit the completed card for a chance to win up to 10 prizes valued at more than $250 each. “It’s an exciting way to increase your chances of winning a prize from the show,” Lemieux says.

The Vancouver Fall Home Show runs from Oct. 15 to 18 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, West. Find the Main Stage and Cooking Stage schedule, a rundown of features and workshops, plus show hours and tickets at vancouverfallhomeshow.com.

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When asked what we can gain by watching an interactive cooking demonstration, Top Chef Canada’s Dez Lo turns to an automotive analogy.

“You can tell me how amazing it is to drive a Ferrari, but unless I get to try it myself, I won’t really know how it feels to go from zero to 60, not unless I get to step on the gas,” says the show’s season 10 runner-up.

Lo knows that some recipes can be tricky to follow, but seeing a chef work through a dish can make the process easier — and a lot more fun. That’s what Lo hopes to bring to the home show Cooking Stage stage, where she’ll team up with friends and fellow Top Chef Canada alumni Haan Palcu-Chang and Billy Nguyen.

New to the Cooking Stage lineup this year is a two-day chef’s table feature, with cooking demonstrations that will centre around B.C. seafood and local ingredients. With seafood supplied by Vancouver-based sustainable seafood provider eatfish.ca, the chefs will demonstrate how to turn fresh ingredients into dishes that can be recreated at home. Lo will appear with Palcu-Chang on Oct. 16 at 4:30 p.m., and with Nguyen on Oct. 17 at 3 p.m.

Palcu-Chang lives on Salt Spring Island, where Lo says people love to entertain with outdoor, farm-to-table dining, an approach that will influence their Cooking Stage collaboration, with dishes focused on fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Nguyen and Lo have also become close friends, working together on pop-ups in Vancouver and Calgary. With a shared Cantonese background, they enjoy creating Asian-fusion dishes that draw on their heritage, while incorporating local ingredients. They’ll also take that approach at the home show; they’ll create a more intimate, formal dinner, but the dishes will still be approachable. “We want to focus on turning something that you already have in your kitchen into something new, and give it a new spin — teach how to make it into something you may not have known to do, a totally different flavour profile than you’ve done before,” Lo says.

While seafood will be the main focus of the Chef’s Table feature, Lo says home cooks shouldn’t be intimidated by ingredients such as geoduck or sea cucumber. Her friend Jenice Yu, the so-called Sea-E-O of eatfish.ca , introduced her to B.C.’s abundant seafood after she moved to Vancouver from New York. Now, Lo keeps preparations simple, quickly sautéing geoduck or serving it sashimi style with a little light soy sauce. “Genuinely good ingredients should shine on their own,” she says.

That simplicity is part of what Lo hopes visitors will take away from watching the chefs at work. She also encourages home cooks to experiment, rather than follow a recipe too closely. She might swap halibut cheeks into a beef rendang, for instance, or use Sichuan peppercorns in place of jalapeño. “Trust your instincts and play around with it,” she says.

When asked about an ideal fall dinner that incorporates local seafood, Lo imagines a seafood boil packed with Dungeness crab, Salt Spring mussels, Vancouver Island clams and big pieces of halibut cheek, all mixed in a creamy Cajun butter sauce and dumped over a newspaper-covered table. Add Chilliwack peaches-and-cream corn, crusty bread and a cold glass of B.C. beer, and you have a meal Lo says could be made almost entirely from local ingredients.

“You can cook the entire pot with ingredients found within 100 kilometres of B.C. You don’t even need to go anywhere else.”

The Vancouver Fall Home Show runs from Oct. 15 to 18 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, West. Find the Main Stage and Cooking Stage schedule, a rundown of features and workshops, plus show hours and tickets at vancouverfallhomeshow.com.

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Our spring-into-summer drought and significantly warmer temperatures have been hard on so many trees, shrubs and other garden plants. Lawns also look pretty rough now and things won’t improve for a while with little rain on the horizon and water restrictions still in place.

In many cases our soils are tired, deprived of moisture and the microbes necessary to keep them thriving are missing. This is where regenerative soil management can play such an important role in renewing our garden soils resulting in more resilient lawns and plants.

There is a new Canadian product on the market now: a regenerative, organic blend that is making a remarkable difference in the revitalization in our gardens. Called Replenish Nutrients 1, it brings the principles of regenerative agriculture to our farms and gardens. It’s an all-natural, non-water-soluble rock phosphate that remains in the soil instead of leaching into the waterways. The primary concept is to help soil micro-organisms naturally cycle these nutrients thereby making the phosphates available to plants. The goal is to restore soil health while supplying nutrients to plants.

This amazing new product is the result of seven years of research, development and collaboration by Neil Wiens and Kevin Erickson. Wiens has an extensive background and experience in transforming organic waste material into valuable agricultural products and brings the principles of regenerative agriculture into both the farming and home gardening communities. Erickson has 30 years of experience in the fertilizer industry, including research and product development in organic and regenerative practices.

Traditional synthetic fertilizers feed plants while making the soil more acidic, increasing the soil salinity, and in many cases, causing microbes to disappear. Biofertilizers instead feed the soil, help restore organic matter, aid the soil in retaining more moisture and, overall, encourage a thriving ecosystem.

Replenish Nutrients 1, with a formulation of 0-0.5 (available phosphorus)-20 (potassium)-20 (sulphur), is a soil probiotic that helps break down organic matter, improves nutrient availability and helps restore biodiversity. Rock phosphate has been scientifically proven to benefit root development, and it also aids in flowering and fruit production. Muriate of potash regulates water movement, strengthens cell walls and dramatically improves drought resistance. The organic compost base adds carbon and helps fuel an improved microbial ecosystem.

The regenerative difference between Replenish Nutrients 1 and synthetic fertilizers is the nutrient aiding in nitrogen fixation and phosphorous stabilization. Additionally, microorganisms colonize the soil and restore the nutrient cycle. They also restore organic matter throughout the soil.

Replenish can be used everywhere in our lawns and gardens and is safe for pets and children. If you are reseeding this time of year, it can be applied along with the seed over your entire lawn. A small 2.27-kg bag will cover 70 square metres of lawn or 22-kg bag will cover up to 750 square metres. Be sure to water it in well for activation. Incidentally, folks who have already applied it to their lawns this summer have reported seeing a significant improvement in the quality of their grass.

If you are doing a late planting of vegetables or winter vegetables, simply work Replenish into the soil before planting. You only need one cup for about half a square metre. Your veggies will be tastier and the plants much stronger.

Many of us are planting garlic this time of year and Replenish will help with faster rooting. It will also help you get that true garlic flavour when you harvest next summer.

We are all looking forward to planting our fall bulbs soon and replenishing will encourage them to root more quickly and flower more prolifically next spring.

I’m worried about the amount of damage done by the heat and lack of water to so many trees and shrubs. Replenish will slowly, but surely, aid in their recovery by invigorating the soil. When you do water, or when we get some rain, your soil will begin holding more moisture as well as releasing food to the roots.

Organic gardening has been a way of life for much of the gardening community for many years and there are many great organic based nutrients on the market. Replenish Nutrients 1 is unique in the fact that it is so easy to apply and provides great value in terms of coverage, and as regenerative gardening gains momentum, this product provides an effective and immediate source of organic nutrients.

Made in Alberta, it is quickly appearing in garden stores across the country. Folks are beginning to notice the difference it is making both on farms and in home gardens. From the results we are seeing, it is well worth applying in your gardens.

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Throughout history, displaying original works within a space has been a form of documentation, storytelling, and personal expression. And now, when disposable and even AI decor options are in abundance, hanging human-made originals is becoming recognized as a sustainable design solution.

Deanna Geisheimer, art consultant and president of Vancouver’s Art Works Gallery , has helped clients source pieces for their spaces for 46 years. She says she’s witnessed how interest in collecting has ebbed and flowed with the economy. “I’ve seen people spend $30,000 on a couch and then they put up a $500 print. That couch in five, 10, 15 years is either going to be recovered or replaced because it’s out of style. But the artwork, if it’s selected well, will last you a lifetime,” she explains.

While works by established artists have long been viewed as an appreciating financial asset, Geisheimer has seen her clients invest in paintings for the “joy dividends” they will pay over the years. She cites a customer who gave up their annual vacation, instead opting for a painting they knew would make them happy every time they glanced at it. And art exposure can bolster your physical health, too, with studies showing art appreciation can lower blood pressure.

When it comes to sourcing pieces for the interior design projects Geisheimer consults on, pulling from local artists is also a decidedly sustainable decor choice. Recently, she worked with interior design firm Form Collective on the art selection for Canada’s first certified zero-carbon home, Phoenix House. Located in Abbotsford, the five-bed five-bath 3,500-square-foot multi-generational residence was reconstructed after the original residence was destroyed in a fire, leaving only its foundation.

Josephina Serra, principal interior designer and partner at Form Collective, says Phoenix House is a leading-edge project designed to achieve International Living Future Institute (ILFI) Zero Carbon Certification. The first of its kind in Canada, it’s caught the attention of BCIT and UBC, which conducted case studies on the home.

The residence, which features solar panels, heat pumps and a rainwater collection system, is also the first building in B.C. to use a spray-on membrane for the building envelope. Salvaged materials, triple-pane windows and high-performance Miele appliances also help to ensure every gigajoule is accounted for. “Everything from the pavers to the concrete was carbon considered. We worked with an energy consultant who calculated everything we put into the home, from windows to walls to exterior cladding,” Serra explains. The result is a structure that, through energy modelling, is designed to achieve less than one third of the energy annually compared to the average Canadian residence.

It also provides an exciting sustainable building blueprint for future projects.

When it came to decorating and selecting the artwork for the home, the design team sourced local pieces from Art Works’ collection, aligning with the home’s sustainability mandate since the pieces were shipped locally. In the light-flooded terracotta-hued dining room, the team opted for a dramatic 63-inch oil on canvas with bright layered florals by Gibsons-based artist Todd Clark. “That one piece on that huge wall really grounded that dining area and separated it from the living room,” Serra explains.

There have also been instances where Form Collective’s client’s own collections have informed a home’s design. “We designed a kitchen wall for a beautiful painting of a brown bear for a client moving from Bowen Island to Coal Harbour, ” says Serra, who opted for walnut-panelled millwork and an art light, creating a light background to make the animal pop.

And then there’s the case when a home inspires a new painting: “That same client hired an artist to do a commissioned piece of the view from his previous home for his [new] entryway because he missed his old house and the view that it gave,” Serra explains.

For DIY decorators selecting pieces or renovating one part of home around a specific work, Geisheimer has a few tips. “Spend a little bit of money and make sure you’ve got the proper lighting, whether it’s track lighting that you can position towards it, or a pot light that washes the wall properly,” she says.

And artwork should always be hung at eye level, the general rule being the centre of the piece should be approximately 60 inches from the floor, “with the exception of if you’re going to be viewing it seated and it’s going above a credenza,” she continues.

Geisheimer also says it’s important to question the urge to hang a mirror, when a piece of art might be more appropriate. “Always think, ‘what are you reflecting back?’,” she says, remembering an incident where a mirror was hung behind a dinner table, reflecting back the heads of diners.

For clients who have existing works they think are too dated for a more modern home, Geisheimer says the solution can be as simple as a classic, timeless frame that won’t date itself, or refurbishing a piece that may look worn.

But besides the technical advice, Geisheimer says art selection is best done from the heart. “Get a piece that speaks to you … something that not only enhances your home, but causes you to think a bit more, interact a little more, see something different, or enjoy.”

Architect: Nick Bray, nba architecture+design

Home Builder:Best Builders Ltd.

Energy Advisor: Elisabeth Baudinaud, Carbon Wise

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Weekly roundup of three properties that recently sold in Metro Vancouver.

801 — 919 Station St., Vancouver

Type: Two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment

Size: 926 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $876,000

Listed for: $830,000

Sold for: $790,000

Sold on: July 31

Days on market in this listing: 20

Listing agent: Adam Pospischil at Engel & Volkers Vancouver

Buyers agent: Cheryl Davie PREC at Stilhavn Real Estate Services

The big sell: This two-bedroom-plus-den condo enjoys a sub-penthouse position within the Left Bank, a nine-storey concrete loft building that was constructed in 2005 within an eclectic Strathcona neighbourhood that will soon be home to the new St. Paul’s Hospital. This north-west-facing corner home boasts panoramic water, city and mountain vistas and has been designed for entertaining with an open-plan layout with soaring ceilings, polished concrete floors, expansive window walls, and two oversized garden terraces that extend the living space outside. The kitchen features stainless-steel appliances and a breakfast bar, the bedrooms are separated, and there is a pantry for additional storage, as well as insuite laundry. The home comes with a parking stall, and a monthly maintenance fee of $703.18, and both pets and rentals are permitted.

1664 58 St., Delta

Type: Four-bedroom, three-bathroom detached

Size: 2,268 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $1,514,000

Listed for: $1,549,900

Sold for: $1,500,000

Sold on: June 19

Days on market in this listing: 100

Listing agent: Brent Lee at Sutton Group Seafair Realty

Buyers agent: Adam Chahl PREC at Oakwyn Realty

The big sell: Tsawwassen’s Beach Grove district is the venue for this four-bedroom family home that comes with a turnkey mortgage helper in the shape of a one-bedroom basement suite with its own entrance, laundry, and patio access. The house itself has a split entry with internal stairs leading up to the main accommodation where the sleeping quarters are positioned at the rear of the home and the principal reception rooms are at the front to take advantage of a westerly aspect as well as having a sizable (350 square foot) south-facing wraparound deck in which to entertain and relax. In addition, there is a recreation room on the lower floor and doors that lead to the attached double garage. The established garden has been carefully cultivated by a professional gardener and offers raised beds, storage sheds, a children’s playhouse, and a hot tub.

1601 — 290 Newport Dr., Port Moody

Type: Two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment

Size: 1,061 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $850,000

Listed for: $829,900

Sold for: $795,000

Sold on: July 7

Days on market in this listing: 22

Listing agent: Michel McDermott at Macdonald Realty

Buyers agent: Rod Bahari PREC at Sutton Group — West Coast Realty

The big sell: This 16th floor corner home is located in Newport Village’s Sentinel building, a 23-storey development with 133 units that enjoy myriad conveniences nearby including shops, restaurants, health care services, Rocky Point Park, the SkyTrain, and the Port Moody Recreation Complex. This particular home has a northwest position and bathes in Burrard Inlet and North Shore mountain vistas. It has generous-sized rooms inside with a kitchen that overlooks the dining and living areas, a large walk-in closet off the primary bedroom, tiled floors in the entryway, a covered balcony, and expansive windows that flood the home with natural light. The building offers amenities such as an exercise room, a hot tub, sauna and steam room. This unit comes with parking and a storage locker, and a monthly maintenance fee of $418.19.

These transactions were compiled by Nicola Way of BestHomesBC.com.

Realtors — send your recent sales to nicola@besthomesbc.com

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At first glance, Monos’s new Mount Pleasant headquarters could easily be mistaken for a beautifully considered apartment or boutique hotel. Not your workday office.

Launched in 2019, Monos has grown from a luggage company into a travel lifestyle brand, with collections that include bags, wallets, travel accessories and sunglasses, seven retail stores across Canada and the U.S., fashion collaborations and, most recently, a move into hospitality with Postcard, a café and listening lounge in Chicago.

As the company has expanded, so has its need for a place to bring people together. Rather than create a conventional corporate office, Monos turned to Vancouver-based Ste. Marie to design something more fluid.

Mount Pleasant, with its mix of light industry, arts, design, fashion and technology businesses, is the perfect backdrop, says Ste. Marie founder Craig Stanghetta.

Postmedia sat down with Monos co-founder Hubert Chan and Ste. Marie founder Craig Stanghetta, whose studio designed the space, to chat about how it came to be.

The starting point for Ste. Marie was a home vibe.

“We were interested in creating somewhere that felt personal and lived-in. An apartment became a useful point of departure because it naturally accommodates different rhythms of life,” says Stanghetta.

A place where people can sit quietly, work, talk, eat or socialize without necessarily moving into a room designed for one particular purpose.

The interior itself is restrained. Polished concrete, natural oak, neutral textiles and diffused light provide a quiet backdrop, while different seating areas and more intimate spaces soften the openness.

For Chan, how their headquarters feels is just as important as how it functions.

“We wanted our HQ to be somewhere people actually enjoy going to — a place that feels more like a home or luxury hotel than an office,” he says. It also needed to shift easily between daily work and much larger occasions, including dinners, tastings and events.

Investing heavily in an office when many employees work remotely might seem counterintuitive, but Chan sees it differently.

Monos has always operated as a hybrid company, with employees now spread across Vancouver, Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere, and their headquarters isn’t intended to reverse that, he says: “As a hybrid company, we don’t expect everyone to be here all the time. The point is to make the time we do spend together more meaningful.”

He describes their new headquarters as “a centre of gravity for the company.”

Rather than requiring people to be at a particular desk every day, the space is designed around the things that are difficult to replicate remotely: informal conversations, shared meals, product development, collaboration and simply spending time together.

“For a creative company, it isn’t simply somewhere to perform work that could otherwise happen remotely,” says Stanghetta.

“Ultimately, it’s a place where Monos can practice being Monos.”

Central to the design of their new HQ is a long communal table.

It can function as a workspace in the morning, a surface for product development later in the day and the centre of a dinner or launch that evening.

The result is a workplace where furniture, communal areas and more intimate spaces provide choices rather than rigid divisions.

Chan says that reflects the way Monos operates internally too:

“We wanted our HQ to be an expression of not only our design philosophy, but also our culture and way of working,” he says.

“There are no individual offices here — we all work, eat, and socialize in the same space because we’re one team, constantly communicating and working together.”

The headquarters also reflects a company thinking more broadly about what the Monos brand can encompass.

Chan describes travel not simply as getting from one place to another, but as a way of moving through and experiencing the world. This is reflected in Monos’s expansion into fashion and hospitality, alongside a growing interest in food, design, community and the rituals around travel.

Ste. Marie’s brief was not simply to design somewhere for employees to sit and work, but to create a setting where those ideas could develop, says Stanghetta:

“It’s less a finished office, more a place for discovery, like travel itself.”

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When a house is built on stone, it seems only natural to call its community Stonehaven.

Situated in the Garibaldi Highlands area of Squamish, this five-bedroom, four-bathroom two-storey home sits “on a boulder so the foundation is very solid,” says listing agent Angie Vazquez of Engel & Völkers Squamish-Whistler.

“And because it’s in the highest point of Squamish, there are spectacular panoramic views of ocean and mountains from nearly every window.”

Vazquez says the home, one of six in Squamish’s only gated community, at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, backs onto biking and hiking trails that lead into the forest and to Alice Lake Provincial Park with its four freshwater lakes for swimming and fishing.

The home’s large, wraparound patios and decks feature a barrel sauna with an ice-water plunge, a hot tub and pool. The owners didn’t want an overly large pool, but they still wanted a watery workout. So they installed a countercurrent system that lets them swim against the current while remaining stationary.

“Construction of the foundation for the pool was a small engineering marvel as it’s built aside a steep granite cliff,” says Vazquez. “Geotechnical and structural engineers solved the problem via a cantilever design. The landscaping, too, was a sizable investment along with redoing the entire decks and patios with flex stone. Given the property has a full 360- deck, that was a significant undertaking.”

The yard is braced by retaining walls built with a gabion system using locally sourced rocks. The yard also includes a four-tiered vegetable garden along with mixed fruit trees, blueberry bushes, raspberry canes and a variety of herbs, all on an irrigation system.

Although there’s a double-car garage, there’s also parking for five other vehicles, as well as a space big enough for the current owners to store their Airstream.

Vazquez, who also lives in the area, says the community gets regular visits by deer, bears and eagles. “I was showing the property one day when a bear cub wandered by.”

What’s inside

Wide-plank white oak flooring covers the main areas of the home, while the door, posts, beams and window frames are made of Douglas fir. Vaulted, 16-feet high ceilings with an oversized wood-burning fireplace give the home a feeling of grandeur, says Vazquez.

The current owners, who invested roughly $500,000 in renovations for the decks, kitchen and bathrooms, say it was important to honour the home’s original design and retain the warmth of the exposed wood and slate while bringing in the modern elements of today’s homes.

Italian-made Scudo Saraceno gold classic glass lamps with metal ring by Fortuny infuse the living and dining rooms with extra warmth.

Kitchen appliances are by Fisher & Paykel while the dishwasher is Bosch. Composition quartz countertops ensure high durability and uniform colour and pattern, with ample wine storage below. Lower cabinets are solid wood while upper cabinets are laminate.

Bathroom fixtures are from German designers Duravit and Blanco, with slate countertops in two bathrooms.

Stairs leading to the lower level feature maple leaf etchings commissioned by former owners that enhance the West Coast mountain feel of the home.

Part of the media room sits on exposed granite. “The foundation was built atop the granite and instead of blasting the entire property flat, some of the granite formations were preserved as a visual feature,” says Vazquez.

A unique swinging daybed, designed for the room, stays with the house, as does, possibly, the gym equipment. “The installation of the Hoist fitness system, with all its cables and weights, was one of the most complex undertakings,” says Vazquez. “It has a good home here and I don’t think it wants to be moved.”

The home uses eco-friendly geothermal in its heating and cooling.

“Though this is a small detail, the backyard lighting that surrounds the pool, barrel sauna and hot tub, truly comes to life when it snows,” says Vazquez. “Looking up from the hot tub with the snow falling and seeing the lights strewn throughout the branches of the trees makes it feel truly magical.”

In the neighbourhood

A variety of schools — elementary, secondary and private — are a five-minute drive away, as is Capilano University. Shopping and restaurants, including a very good Mexican restaurant, according to Vazquez, who admits she could be biased, are a 10-minute drive away in downtown Squamish. A handful of golf courses are in the area, including the Squamish Valley Golf Club, five minutes away. Britannia Beach is 10 minutes away, the popular eagle gathering community of Brackendale is 11 minutes away and, of course, in 40 minutes you’re in Whistler.

“In the Highlands, you feel like you’re somewhere else, with views of the mountains and ocean, which is rare,” says Vazquez. “Where else, other than the Swiss Alps, can you go skiing, swimming, kite boarding and biking all in the same day?”

She says the median age of residents in the area is 38 with young families. “Many are entrepreneurs of startups who sold their company and want to call Squamish or the Sea to Sky corridor home,” says Vazquez.

Location:4-40781 Thunderbird Ridge, Squamish

Listed for: $3,495,000

Year built: 2003

Type: Five bedrooms, four bathrooms

Size: 4,635 square feet

Realtor: Listed by Angie Vazquez, Engel & Völkers Squamish-Whistler

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For 11 days this month, Vancouver’s design community will open its doors, inviting visitors inside studios, buildings and spaces usually inaccessible to the public.

Running Sept. 17 to 27, Design Vancouver Festival (DVF) brings together 43 Open Studios and more than 50 events spanning architecture, interiors, landscape, furniture, product design, craft, food and public space.

It’s aimed not only at architects and designers, but students, design enthusiasts and anyone curious about how the design scene in Vancouver comes together.

“Vancouver is a design city. DVF is about making that more visible and more accessible to the public,” says festival director Becki Chan.

Launched in 2024 through Open Format Arts & Culture, the festival grew out of the community surrounding PechaKucha Vancouver. This year’s theme, BUILD, looks at how Vancouver can build more sustainably, reuse what it already has and create places that adapt as the city changes.

Open Studios remain at the heart of this festival, says Chan.

Visitors can step inside architecture, interior, landscape, furniture, ceramics, photography and multidisciplinary studios rarely open to the public. Some include Patkau Architects and Patkau Studio, Revery Architecture, Measured Architecture, Propellor Studio, Studio Roslyn, Hapa Collaborative, Janaki Larsen Studios and Bocci.

“They are the easiest way to see Vancouver differently because they let people step inside the places where design actually happens,” says Chan.

Design Districts offers people the chance to view studios and events by neighbourhood, such as the Armoury District, Granville Island, Gastown and Mount Pleasant.

Chan recommends choosing a neighbourhood rather than racing across the city.

“Pick a neighbourhood, walk between studios, talk to people, and leave room for surprise,” she says.

One space open to visitors this year is Addapt, a prefabricated prototype home by Leckie Studio.

Addapt asks what happens if a home can change as the people living there do. The project explores adaptable, resilient and high-performance housing that can evolve with different stages of life, household structures and urban needs.

Housing is one of several future-facing threads running through this year’s festival, alongside mass timber, adaptive reuse and material innovation.

“The future of Vancouver design is not only about beautiful work. It’s about care, repair, public participation, and a stronger relationship between design and everyday life,” says Chan.

The AFBC Downtown Walking Tour and AFBC False Creek Walking Tour encourage visitors to slow down and look more closely at familiar buildings, streets and public spaces.

For those interested in how the city may be built in future, TWIG Tours: Mass Timber — Design to Occupancy explores mass timber through completed buildings and active construction sites, connecting architecture with engineering, sustainability and material innovation.

Reuse, Don’t Build, presented by Dialog and UBC SALA, asks what designers can achieve by intelligently working with buildings that already exist rather than automatically building something new.

For those who love architecture, Chan highlights the Arthur Erickson Home and Garden, along with Behind the Design of the Chinese Canadian Museum and Merrick Architecture Ltd: Four Decades. Multiple Landmarks. One Legacy.

“These are the moments where the festival becomes more than a schedule. It becomes an invitation to enter the city through design,” she says.

Here for Now transforms an unexpected Vancouver space into a temporary destination combining installation, dinner and social experiment.

“These kinds of events remind us that design is not only in building. It is also in how we gather, how we move through space, and how an atmosphere is created,” says Chan.

Beyond the Menu: The Making of Touski explores how food, interiors and graphic design combine to create a restaurant experience, while Architecture of Dessert invites participants to apply principles of form, function, colour and composition with award-winning pastry chef Kenta Takahashi.

For students, design lovers and the public, Chan recommends Saturday, Sept. 19 in the Armoury District. Start with Open Studios and walk between architecture, landscape, interiors, furniture and craft spaces before continuing east for more events.

Industry visitors might choose Friday, Sept. 25, combining Interior Design Show Trade Day with Downtown and Gastown Open Studios before the OBJ: OBJ Opening Night Party.

Or begin with DVF Opening Night — PechaKucha at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Sept. 17, bringing together voices from architecture, jewelry, ceramics, photography, type design, food and First Nations art.

Design Vancouver Festival runs Sept. 17 to 27, 2026, at locations across Vancouver. Many events are free or low-cost.

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Sebastien Panouille, founder and principal of specialist lighting design studio ThinkL , turns his talents to a range of projects from residential homes to large scale installations, but his core philosophy remains the same: good lighting should be accessible, intentional and controllable.

Ahead of his participation in this years Interior Design Show (IDS) at the Vancouver Convention Centre West (Sept. 24 to 27) where he is curating Illuminate, a collection vignettes presented as a “lighting village,” and co-moderating a seminar “Lessons from FIFA: How the PNE Amphitheatre Reshaped Everyday Lighting Design” on Sept. 25 with Victor Quezada, principal and architectural lighting team lead at AES Lighting, Panouille shares his thoughts on aspects of light and how illumination has evolved over the 15 years he has been working in home Canada.

The lighting industry was not his original career choice and, but for a visit to a career fair in Lyon, France, Panouille would be practising medicine. Instead, he swapped the dream of a stethoscope for a spectrometer and after completing a degree in home automation he focused on lighting.

After some years working in France, including at the Louvre and the Châtelet les Halles train station in Paris, Panouille relocated to Canada in 2013 and now is principal of ThinkL with offices in Vancouver, Langley and Toronto.

Panouille says the big change in the lighting sector has been not so much on the quality or the efficiency of light but the control of the light source.

“Ten years ago, it was very hard to bring an LED light source to a very, very low light level without having any disturbances like flickering or buzzing, where in today’s era, not all manufacturers, but a good 50 to 75 per cent, can deliver a very nice solution that can replace a halogen light source,” he says.

With a portfolio that ranges from boutique retail and hospitality spaces to corporate workplaces, presentation centres and wellness environments, Panouille says regardless of the size of the project the core principles of good lighting design should apply.

These are: intentionality: to avoid generic lighting grids — every light source should serve a specific purpose to prevent over-lighting; user control and operability — users must be able to adapt lighting levels to their specific tasks; and, a “lighting match” — trusting the process and making sure people involved in the project can advise on accurate needs and costs, balance quantity and quality and focus on thoughtful placement and quality fixtures.

Panouille believes professional advice is valuable for projects of any size and budget, from small home renovations to large commercial offices, and that lighting decisions should be carefully considered and integrated into a project early.

While many people who move into homes accept the existing lighting and often don’t make any changes, Panouille suggests there are several simple upgrades that can make a difference to the quality of light.

“Ninety per cent of the people who move into a new condo will most likely have overhead lighting, eventually they will install a decorative lighting luminaire above their dining table, and they always have decorative lamps,” he says. “It’s always more interesting to enter a space where there [are different light sources]. If there are no layers of light, then the ambience can feel flat.”

Panouille says installing dimmer switches is the most cost-effective way to tailor light levels to activity while combining overhead lighting with other light sources like decorative table lamps and floor lamps create visual interest, depth, volume and contrast.

Jared Cranwill, showroom sales manager, B.C. at leading retailer Robinson Lighting & Bath in Vancouver says customers visiting the showroom who are looking for table lamps and light fixtures are gravitating toward a mix of portable, rechargeable lighting and more sculptural fixtures that feel like art pieces in their own right.

“Rechargeable lamps such as the Suki Lamp by Visual Comfort and Marset FollowMe are popular because they offer flexibility — you can easily move them around the home depending on how you’re using a space,” he says.

“At the same time, we’re seeing strong interest in more expressive fixtures, such as the Gambosa by Marset, where the fixture itself becomes part of the visual story of the room rather than simply serving a functional purpose,” says Cranwill.

Panouille also points to the way geography shapes our experience of light.

“We live in Canada and North America, so our latitude exposes us to a type of daylight that’s particular to the Northern Hemisphere. If you go to the Southern Hemisphere or even closer to the equator, the population has a completely different experience of light,” he says.

In North America, for example, daylight varies considerably by season, with longer days in summer and shorter days in winter. Closer to the equator, the length of day and night remain much more consistent throughout the year.

Those differences in natural light may also influence what people find comfortable indoors.

“In the Northern Hemisphere, we are more sensitive and more comfortable under warm lighting, whereas close to the equator, people are usually exposed to much brighter daylight, so they don’t really mind having brighter and whiter light,” says Panouille.

Selecting fixtures also personalizes and enhances a space, he says, adding that pendant lights and chandeliers can be statement pieces. Key considerations include matching the scale and esthetic of the room, ensuring appropriate light distribution and understanding that higher-quality manufacturing justifies higher price points.

Local materials, traditions and architectural trends (such as Pacific Northwest influences or Scandinavian minimalism) shape fixture design and lighting preferences.

“If people are more minimalist, they will use Scandinavian styles like [those of] Louis Poulsen,” he says. “Or according to their preferences they may turn to crystal and glass or Italian style. I think it’s the statement that reflects a lot about people’s personality.”

Cranwill agrees there is a lot of interest in lighting that does more than illuminate a room and he is noticing a growing interest in fixtures with character, craftsmanship and a sense of individuality — pieces that contribute to the design of a home rather than simply providing illumination.

Natural materials, particularly alabaster, travertine and other natural stones, have been very popular with Robinson Lighting & Bath customers in 2026, says Cranwill.

“There’s something appealing about the individuality of these materials — no two pieces have exactly the same veining, texture or character,” he says.

Fixtures like the Calcolo from Lib & Co. showcase the natural variation of stone and allow the material itself to become a focal point, says Cranwill.

“We’re also seeing customers gravitate toward lighting with more organic and sculptural forms rather than fixtures that feel overly uniform or purely functional.

“It contributes to the personality and character of the space. Customers are looking for fixtures they feel proud to display in their homes, almost like a piece of art or sculpture,” he says.

An example is the Flock of Light from Moooi .

“It has a strong presence even when it isn’t illuminated, so the fixture becomes an important design element within the room. I think this speaks to a larger shift toward homeowners viewing lighting as an opportunity for self-expression rather than something that simply needs to blend into the background,” says Cranwill, also noting a growing interest in customization, particularly among design clients.

“I think we’ll continue to see more personalization, natural materials, sculptural forms and lighting that can adapt to the way people actually live,” he says. “Rechargeable and portable lighting will continue to grow because it gives homeowners more flexibility, while customization allows lighting to feel much more personal and intentional.”

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One of the nicest jobs about being a garden communicator is having the opportunity to evaluate many new plants sent to me by various horticultural companies. Every year, in exchange for a frank and honest report on their performance, I receive new vegetables, perennials, annuals and shrubs to grow in our region.

It’s great to see how some of the new breeding programs have resulted in interesting new colours in flowers and foliage, improved plant growth habits and greater tolerance to heat and sun. It’s these evaluations from across North America that provide better information about these new plant varieties as they are introduced to the wider gardening community.

What’s most important to me is the opportunity to share these new plant varieties and give you some new ideas for next year’s garden.

We tried all the new plants in 20 centimetre pots in full sun with quite intense heat during the warmest days. Two new heucheras certainly caught my eye and, wow, talk about contrast. Heuchera Everglow Midnight, new for 2027, is the closest yet to a black-leaf heuchera. Tolerant of both sun and shade it is very hardy, down to Zone 4A, and captures your attention immediately with its glossy foliage. H. Lime Zest just pops with its vibrant lime green leaves and is hardy to Zone 4B. It also does well in either sun or shade for year-round enjoyment, especially in planters.

I’m a big fan of brunnera for those dry shady spots, but b. Frost King and b. Frostbite were pretty impressive, even in the sun. Their silver foliage and Forget-Me-Not-like blue flowers in early spring will certainly lift those shady spots. They need very little care, and both have silver leaves with green venation, but Frost King has huge leaves, up to 41 centimetres across.

Kniphofia Glowstick is not as new but deserves attention because its massive yellow flowers bloom from July into November. I love the narrow, upright, grasslike foliage too, which makes it very useful in containers.

There are so many lavenders today, many of which are unique, but l. SuperBlue is fast becoming a favourite for a couple of reasons. A very deep blue, at only 25-30 centimetres, it stays nice and short but blooms from April to September providing a long period of colour.

Perennial nepeta, or catmint, continues to grow in popularity because of its long flowering period and serious pollinator attraction. Two of Darwin Perennials’ best are n. Junior Walker, a very rich blue growing only 46 centimetres tall and blooming May to September, and Purrsian Blue, a deeper purple blue coming in at 36 centimetres with a strong summer performance. Both are quite hardy, to Zones 4 and 3 respectively.

The Marvel salvia series, also from Darwin, have the largest flowers of any salvia and s. Rose Marvel is not only a compact 41 centimetres, it blooms from March to September. It is a vibrant rosy pink, hardy to Zone 4 and tolerates the heat of summer. Widely acknowledged by the industry to be the best blue salvia, s. Blue By You also blooms from early spring into early fall. It also tolerates winter cold down to Zone 4A as well as summer heat and drought.

Darwin’s Skyward series of veronicas is the largest flowering of any, but this year they have introduced a new colour called Skyward Lilac with its deep lilac tones making a nice addition to the colour range. It’s Zone 4 hardy, mildew resistant and will flower from April into September. I love its durability and compact habit.

PanAmerican Seed Company is creating cutting edge plants equal to the vegetatively propagated plants. Seed plants are less expensive to produce, which helps keep the prices down for everyone. One of their new series of interspecific impatiens is the Solarscape variety. They are compact 23-28 centimetre plants with huge flowers and are very sun tolerant. Similar to Sunpatiens, they will make a difference in your garden colour palette. I’m impressed with their tolerance to sun and heat.

They have also done some remarkable work with petunias. Petunia Calibrachoa Yellow is the first petchoa from seed. It is vibrant, and really one of the best new yellows. With a great growth habit, it is long flowering in heat and cold, is self-cleaning and has been awarded the Medal Of Excellence Industry’s Choice medal by the horticultural industry.

I’m always looking for new petunia colours for summer baskets and containers and so far, my favourite is a creamy white with a lemon throat called CitraNova Lemon Zest Petchoa. It will combine nicely with other summer plants and really make containers stand out. Its new Petchoa cousin, CitraNova Limone is no slouch either, with a refreshing yellow pop.

Mandevillas are my new super go-tos, and we tried the new Divina Compact Pink and Divina Compact Red with amazing results. They both stayed compact through the season and talk about flower power. I’ve never seen so many flowers and buds, even on the smaller plants. This Divina series is surely one to watch.

Osteospermums are not always summer favourites because they tend to slow down the flowering in the heat. Selecta’s 4D Orange, a beautiful double osteo, and FlowerPower Petite Yellow performed beautifully in the heat all summer. Both are on my must-have list for next year.

This year, with the extra heat, drought, and smoke, lantanas have certainly earned their stripes. Two new ones that really impressed are Ball Seeds’ Lucky Cherry Sunrise and Shamrock Cherry Sunrise. Hot pink with a touch of yellow in the centre, they lit up the colour spectrum. To be able to thrive in a summer like the one we’re having, they should earn a spot in anyone’s garden.

For some reason, Vanilla White marigolds are no longer available but the replacement, Lanna Lace African marigold saved the day. It is one of the best whites: compact, strong and flowering all through the season.

Proven Winners have also come up with a few gems for next year. In all our trials, the sunflower Suncredible has flowered and flowered all summer with medium sized yellow blooms that look like giant perennial helianthus.

I also like Proven Winners’ new fuchsia series, Sun Pendants Hot Pink. They look like the old, familiar Wilma Verslot, but will take full sun, and yes, the dainty dangling blooms attract hummingbirds.

The new OutShine mini-salvias are coming along nicely and the new nemesia Aroma series has flowered all season long in the heat. They both look great even as we make our way out of summer.

These are just a few of our trials for next year’s gardens. Based on what we’ve seen of their performance, I think 2027 is going to be one of the most exciting yet for gardeners.

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Weekly roundup of three properties that recently sold in Metro Vancouver.

2446 Tolmie Ave., Coquitlam

Type: Six-bedroom, four-bathroom detached

Size: 4,127 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $1,783,000

Listed for: $1,880,000

Sold for: $1,830,000

Sold on: June 30

Days on market in this listing: 16

Listing agent: Danny Chow PREC and Salina Kai PREC at Rennie & Associates Realty

Buyers agent: Steven Chou PREC at LeHomes Realty Premier

The big sell: The listing agents described this Coquitlam home as a “Tudor-style executive residence” due to its timbered exterior, angular roof lines, and modern esthetic inside. That interior style showcases refinished Brazilian cherry hardwood floors, contemporary LED lighting, spa-inspired bathrooms, three fireplaces, and a Shaker kitchen with flat-panelled cabinets and a neutral colour scheme. Recent updates include new carpets, air conditioning, fresh paintwork, and upgrades to the furnace and gutters. A fully-finished walkout basement containing a bedroom, bathroom, recreation and flex rooms offers additional sleeping quarters and entertainment options. The rear garden is south facing and features a spacious deck, patio and hot tub. R.C. MacDonald Elementary School is nearby alongside Mundy Park, shopping, transit, and highway access.

405 — 228 East 4th Ave., Vancouver

Type: One-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment

Size: 772 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $751,000

Listed for: $769,000

Sold for: $780,000

Sold on: July 20

Days on market in this listing: Seven

Listing agent: Philip Watkinson PREC at ReMax Crest Realty

Buyers agent: Stephen Morris at Oakwyn Realty

The big sell: Mount Pleasant’s Watershed live/work loft building celebrated its 30th birthday this year surrounded by a growing community of boutique stores, craft breweries, eateries, and artistic hubs. This particular home is situated on the corner of the fourth floor and features soaring 17-foot-high ceilings with exposed pipework, polished concrete floors, and expansive windows that frame north-facing corridor views of the mountains and city. The two-level interior has a spiral staircase that leads up to the bedroom on a mezzanine floor, while the main level contains the kitchen, bathroom, living and dining areas with sliding glass doors that open to a Juliet balcony. The home is accessed via an open-air passageway that offers outdoor space for a barbecue and potted plants. It comes with a monthly maintenance fee of $463.65, and a parking stall in the underground garage.

511 — 108 East 8th St., North Vancouver

Type: One-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment

Size: 626 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $717,000

Listed for: $688,000

Sold for: $700,000

Sold on: June 26

Days on market in this listing: 45

Listing agent: Matt Council PREC at Rossetti Realty

Buyers agent: Caylee Gaylard and Adam Chahl PREC at Oakwyn Realty

The big sell: A Central Lonsdale position is one of the highlights of this one-bedroom-plus-flex unit in the award-winning Crest development by Adera. Constructed in 2021 with SmartWood technology that provides superior sound-dampening acoustics, it comprises 179 homes divided over six storeys with amenities that include a fully-equipped gym, a dog wash station, bike service room, and a rooftop lounge. This home has 626 square feet of living space with oversized windows, mountain vistas, quartz countertops, a gas cooktop, radiant heat, a four-piece cheater ensuite bathroom, and a covered balcony in excess of 100 square feet complete with a gas bib for year-round barbecues. One parking stall and a storage locker come with the home, as well as a monthly maintenance fee of $365.95, and a strata that permits pets and rentals with some restrictions.

These transactions were compiled by Nicola Way of BestHomesBC.com.

Realtors — send your recent sales to nicola@besthomesbc.com

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When Colleen and Doug Stewart listed their Kamloops house for sale, they were pretty confident it would be snapped up quickly. The three-bedroom home was fairly new, well-maintained, had a big backyard, and was within walking distance to an elementary school — ideal for a young family. On top of that, the interior was smartly decorated and nicely laid out. Or so they thought.

“Our real estate agent recommended we hire home stagers,” says the couple, which surprised them, as did the stagers’ suggestions.

“They recommended decluttering the kitchen — taking everything off the counters, removing personal items — putting rooms back to their original purpose (the couple had been using the dining room as an office), changing the hardware in the bathrooms because the drawer knobs looked out of date. They even suggested painting some rooms. They basically wanted it to look like a house and not a home.”

Creating a house, not a home

Betty Wharton, home staging consultant and owner of Chilliwack-based Happy Homes Staging Co. , seconds the house-over-home suggestion. “You need to take some of the personality out of your home.”

In addition to decluttering, she advises removing religious items, toiletries, pet items like dog beds or cat trees, and postcards stuck with magnets to the refrigerator.

Olivia Walsh, commercial operations manager for Burnaby-based Furniture Connection , says, “Sometimes it’s just rearranging the furniture to a better layout. Sometimes it’s getting rid of things that don’t need to be there, that are in bad condition or don’t show nice.”

Wharton agrees. “Usually people have too much furniture, so we’ll edit items to create a flow. We also suggest adding green plants because they bring life to a room. We’ll send people to the Dollar Store to get fake plants so they can have a couple in each room, one on every counter, including in the bathrooms.”

She says she will often add fresh white towels, bedding and shower curtain. “You want to create a neutral space but still have it feel warm and inviting,” she says, “because you want (potential buyers) to emotionally connect with a space. You want to highlight all of the home’s best features.”

As for the theory that wafts of fresh-baked bread or cookies, or even scented candles, will make a home feel inviting, Walsh snuffs out that notion. “Overpowering fake smells could tell people you’re hiding something. Better to stick with a good cleaning or fresh coat of paint, which can give it that new house smell.”

The stages of staging

Most stagers will come to your home to get a sense of how it will present and what it needs to showcase it at its best. That may entail rearranging furniture or removing some altogether and bringing in more suitable pieces.

The Stewarts’ stagers offered to lend them furniture but they decided instead to buy a few pieces for their dining room. “They did not move our furniture around, but I’m sure they would have if they believed it would be better,” says Colleen.

Wharton sources furniture from wholesalers or will sometimes recommend homeowners rent a few pieces. If the home doesn’t sell for a while, however, that could be an expensive proposition, in which case she suggests buying items on a platform like Facebook Marketplace and then reselling them afterward.

Furniture Connection, on the other hand, is primarily a furniture rental company with their own inventory. “We’ll go through the homeowner’s existing pieces and see if we can switch out some for something lighter, airier, more neutral that will showcase better,” says Walsh. “We’ll maybe change out their chunky black leather sectional that’s practical for living but not ideal for staging.”

Wharton says she avoids bringing in rugs or anything upholstered, which can get soiled or damaged, in favour of hard-surfaced items like dining chairs, bar stools or night stands. “We work with what people have. It’s a lot easier on their budget and easier to live with. We also position the furniture that is good for the camera angle because photos are so important. They’re the first line of attack to get people to your home.”

Stagers also work with vacant homes, bringing in furniture often only for the main floor, including the primary bedroom and bathrooms. “Places look a lot smaller when they don’t have furniture in them,” says Wharton. “People need help to see the potential in a place and connect with it.”

Vann De Marco, licensed real estate adviser with Oakwyn Realty Northwest, says, “I’ve found staging companies most helpful for vacant listings where visualizing a ‘lived-in’ space is otherwise difficult for most people. They do a great job of professionally laying out the home to maximize space and make it feel inviting. It’s amazing how different a home can feel empty versus fully staged with proper lighting and accessories. I would say that they most often result in a higher sale price compared to an unstaged, vacant home, with some exceptions, of course.”

He generally recommends staging a vacant condo in a building with several similar units for sale so it stands out.

“For occupied homes, it’s a case-by-case basis, but I don’t commonly use a full staging service unless the current furniture clearly diminishes the home’s potential or if it’s a unique style that might not appeal to most buyers,” says De Marco. “It’s usually sufficient to declutter and potentially rearrange furniture.”
Sometimes the style of the home — mid-century modern, character-rich heritage, or steel-and-glass condo — will dictate the furniture used in staging. “We try to work with the style of the home while keeping it neutral so it appeals to the most buyers,” says Walsh. “We want furniture that’s going to work for the majority of houses, so very neutral pieces, no crazy colours or styles, nothing too trendy, just good basics.”

Apartments and condos present their own unique challenges. “We have a team of warehouse and delivery coordinators, so we’re very familiar with those highrise buildings with their elevators, tiny hallways, tiny doorways, tiny bedrooms, tiny everything,” says Walsh. “We make it work but the transportation costs might be a bit higher if it’s a tricky unit to navigate or if it’s a walk-up.”

She says the entire process, from touring the home, taking measurements, notes and photos, selecting furniture, artwork and accessories then setting it all up, would typically take a week.

Stage it yourself

For homeowners who prefer to do it themselves, Wharton has a few tips over and above decluttering and either swapping out or paring down furniture. “Good lighting is really important, so make sure all your light bulbs work and match in each room. Usually 3000 K is the (best) warm bright light. You can go a bit brighter in bathrooms and kitchens or add in different types of lighting like table lamps or overhead light to create a nice atmosphere.”

And don’t forget your home’s curb appeal, since first impressions are important, she says. Simple, inexpensive touches like adding fresh bark mulch to your garden or painting your front door makes a big difference.

“Interestingly, houses with a black front door typically sell for $6,000 more than other coloured front doors,” says Wharton. “It looks sharp, and black is a receding colour, which draws you in.”

She advises choosing neutral over strong colours overall, however. “We always tell people to remove bright colours, especially red and pink, which photograph terribly. If there’s red in real estate photos, that’s all you see, it’s right where your eye goes. We like to start with neutrals and then add in warmth through layers and textures like wood and granary.

“Your home doesn’t have to be sterile and completely void of personality, and you still need to be able to live in it while you go through this process. But decluttering, deep cleaning, thinning out your furniture so there’s flow, will go a long way.”

Staging can help sell a home faster, but Wharton says, “It’s a tough market right now and everything is about price and presentation. Buyers have choices and they can be picky so you really have to do everything to make your property stand out from the rest.”

Walsh says she’s heard from homeowners who have followed all the advice, taken photos and listed their house, thinking it would sell quickly. “But it sat for a couple months. Then they would get it staged and it would sell within a couple weeks or the first month. It just shows how important staging is.”

The Stewarts went on to buy and sell two more houses after their Kamloops home sold within a week, thanks primarily to the staging. “Neither realtor suggested using stagers, but we found the Kamloops stagers’ advice very helpful and have used it for every subsequent move.”

Spanning the Mamquam Blind Channel, a newly opened $20-million crossing connects downtown Squamish with SEAandSKY, the 53-acre waterfront community being developed by Bosa Properties and Kingswood Properties.

Aspect Structural Engineers led the engineering on this project. They brought Rafael Santa Ana Architecture Workshop (RSAAW) on to help transform a complex piece of infrastructure into something more than a route from one side of the channel to the other.

“We wanted the bridge to be a destination rather than a utilitarian instrument of circulation for the urban landscape that will be Squamish and the SEAandSKY community,” says Rafael Santa Ana, principal of RSAAW.

The result is an operable double-leaf drawbridge, believed to be the first operable pedestrian drawbridge in British Columbia. Its engineering allows pedestrians and cyclists to cross the channel while preserving marine access to the active marina below. Its architecture gives people a reason to stop once they get there.

Santa Ana says bridge design is normally “110 per cent engineering”, and this one was no exception. The structural and mechanical requirements largely determined what the bridge had to do. RSAAW’s role was to shape how it would look, feel and be experienced.

The bridge changes elevation and geometry to create viewing platforms oriented toward Squamish’s dramatic mountain landscape. Benches invite people to pause rather than simply pass through, while the weathering steel structure references both the railway history of the region and the vertical rhythm of the surrounding forest.

“We knew that we had the opportunity to create platforms to see the Chief and the landscape of Squamish,” says Santa Ana.

The bridge’s mechanical requirements became part of its architectural expression rather than something to disguise. Pistons lift the central sections, while gates temporarily stop pedestrians as the bridge opens for vessels.

“It’s a bit like waiting for the train to go by, and you’ll just be able to sit on the edge of the benches or really take in the views,” says Santa Ana.

Lighting was also designed around the natural setting. Santa Ana says the intention was “to keep the light off the water at all times” to avoid disorienting marine life.

Public art by Squamish Nation artist Calvin Charlie-Dawson is integrated into the concrete pile caps, reflecting Coast Salish design traditions and the cultural history of the Mamquam Blind Channel.

Six years in the making

For RSAAW, the bridge has been a long project.

“It’s been a project that has been around our office for six years or more,” says Santa Ana. Design work began in 2019, before the pandemic.

COVID complicated co-ordination between architects, engineers, municipal authorities and provincial and federal agencies. Marine construction brought another layer of difficulty, with Fisheries and Oceans Canada imposing restricted activity windows to protect species and habitat.

Wildlife itself occasionally had other ideas. Santa Ana recalls curious seals interfering with piling work and repeatedly returning to the construction area.

The bridge was largely pre-assembled off-site, then disassembled, transported to the waterfront and craned into position.

Despite the complications, he credits Bosa and Kingswood with maintaining their commitment to an increasingly ambitious piece of public infrastructure.

“They never hesitated on delivering the project that they said that they would,” he says.

Connecting a growing Squamish

The bridge was approved by Squamish Council in 2017 as part of the SEAandSKY masterplan. Once open, it will be owned and operated by the District of Squamish as part of its active transportation network.

SEAandSKY is already home to more than 900 residents and is ultimately planned to provide more than 1,500 homes, alongside parks, retail, public spaces, a waterfront village plaza and marina.

For the wider community, however, the significance is the connection. The bridge effectively extends downtown across the Mamquam Blind Channel, providing a direct walking and cycling route to SEAandSKY and Miyíw̓ts Park while improving connections for surrounding areas.

“SEAandSKY began with a vision to transform a former industrial waterfront into a vibrant neighbourhood connected to Downtown Squamish. This pedestrian bridge has always been central to that vision, and seeing it come to life after so many years of planning, collaboration and hard work is a proud moment for everyone involved,” says Bosa Properties CEO Colin Bosa.

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For one east Vancouver character home, “renovation” meant lifting the entire house off its foundation. Though the intervention was dramatic, the decision to retain rather than rebuild was much less so.

Both homeowners had grown up in older houses and had experience with heritage and character projects, so when they found this 1912 home in Vancouver’s Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood, they saw an opportunity to make it their own without losing the sense of history that drew them to it.

There were practical reasons to renovate, too. Qualifying the house through the city’s character merit assessment process allowed additional floor area that wouldn’t have been possible with a new build, while a comparable custom home would have cost substantially more. More importantly, the homeowners saw little reason to tear down a solid building simply because it needed work.

The harder question was what, exactly, was left to retain.

“Previous owners didn’t preserve its own history,” says TQ Construction president Henri Belisle. “It looked like a late 70s renovated house.” From the street, the house’s 1912 roots were hard to find, obscured by grey-green glass-dash stucco and a weathered front porch. Inside were decades of piecemeal and DIY alterations, including a poorly converted attic, unpermitted rear additions, mismatched flooring and sponge-painted mustard-yellow walls. And beneath it all sat a leaky, mouldy basement.

Rather than preserving every surviving element, the design-build team focused on recovering the character the house had lost while adapting the 3,400-square-foot home for a growing, active family. “A lot of what this project was about was bringing this house to where it should have been,” says Belisle, “but then also naturally [incorporating] modern design, taste and technology.”

On the facade, that meant stripping away what didn’t belong and restoring historic cues that had disappeared. A Douglas fir entry door and real cedar siding now frame the front, while the exterior was repainted a deep slate blue and the porch rewrapped with white cedar railing.

“When you walk up to the house, it meets all those traditional ideas,” says Belisle. The team also added deep red oak hardwood flooring, wood-trim double-hung windows and wood door casings to anchor the interiors in a more traditional esthetic, while upgraded windows and insulation improve the home’s energy efficiency.

“We did a bunch of work to air seal, add insulation to the interior [and] exterior of the building, put in better performing windows [and] do all these little details that we knew would be better than current code,” says Belisle, “and make sure this house would stand the test of time.”

The biggest upgrade happened below. Working with Zebiak House Raising, the team lifted the entire home and excavated deeper to pour a new insulated concrete foundation, raising the basement ceiling from seven to nine feet. The resulting recreational floor is tailored to the family’s active lifestyle, featuring a gym, workshop, guest suite and space for a two-person kayak — a far cry from the leaky basement they started with.

Up on the main floor, the unpermitted rear addition was removed and rebuilt, extending the kitchen and opening the main living areas. “We opened up the whole centre of the house and created a designated kitchen area that had a lot more natural light and connected to the outdoor spaces,” says lead residential designer Rebecca Verschoor.

Designed around how the couple likes to entertain, one end of the kitchen island holds a bar fridge, small sink and glass-rinsing station so guests can help themselves without getting in the way. “He loves to cook,” she shares. “He didn’t want anyone interfering with his work zone when he was there, but [the couple] still wanted the kitchen to be a central gathering space.”

Nearby, a dedicated wine bar provides storage for the homeowner’s 96-piece stemware collection in upper display cabinetry, while an integrated pullout step ladder makes the higher shelves easier to reach. “It was creating little things like that make the home specific and tailored for them and helps their everyday living,” says Verschoor.

The entertaining continues outside through an accordion-style window and door that open the kitchen and dining area onto bar-top seating, a patio and a covered deck beneath a glass-topped Douglas fir pergola. A barbecue and hot tub give the family more places to gather outdoors.

Completed in October 2023, the project has since been recognized as a finalist for several industry awards. For Belisle, though, the project’s measure of success is more personal.

“I hope it’s a house their kids remember growing up in,” he says. “You can’t always guarantee anything, but I would love to know that the kids grew up in the neighbourhood.”

Verschoor’s hope goes a little further: “I would hope that this house can now stand for another hundred years.”

Design and build:TQ Construction

Structural engineer:Ennova Structural Engineers Inc.

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Weekly roundup of three properties that recently sold in Metro Vancouver.

1102 — 89 West 2nd Ave., Vancouver

Type: Two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment

Size: 1,043 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $1,095,000

Listed for: $999,000

Sold for: $1,030,100

Sold on: July 12

Days on market in this listing: Eight

Listing agent: Adam Pospischil at Engel & Volkers Vancouver

Buyers agent: Shahlah Bakar PREC at Oakwyn Realty

The big sell: According to listing agent Adam Pospischil, multiple offers were received for this condominium home in Pinnacle Living on West 2nd Avenue in the former Olympic Village. Not only does it have two bedrooms and two bathrooms but two home offices as well. Situated on the light-filled southwest corner of the building with a covered balcony from which to enjoy panoramic city views, it features an open-concept living space, separated bedrooms, and a modern kitchen with granite counters, flat-panelled cabinets, pendant task lighting over the peninsula, a breakfast bar, and stainless-steel appliances. The primary bathroom has a double sink and a separate bathtub and shower, while the second bedroom has direct access into a semi-ensuite bathroom. The home comes with a parking stall, storage locker, a monthly maintenance fee of $762.28, and owners can enjoy a well-stocked gym and a residents’ lounge.

22136 River Bend, Maple Ridge

Type: Three-bedroom, two-bathroom detached

Size: 1,611 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $1,036,000

Listed for: $898,000

Sold for: $849,000

Sold on: June 18

Days on market in this listing: 45

Listing agent: Shannon Drummond PREC at Royal LePage Elite West

Buyers agent: Alison Stebbings PREC at Sutton Group — West Coast Realty (Abbotsford)

The big sell: This three-bedroom house resides in Maple Ridge’s Port Haney neighbourhood, a heritage district which, according to the city’s website, was created to protect the area’s historical buildings. This particular home was built in 1986 on a 6,652-square-foot corner lot complete with ample parking and a separate shop. It has a functional layout with the principal reception rooms on the main level and all three bedrooms upstairs. There are laminate floors, a focal point wood-burning fireplace, a large living room that opens to a dining area, a white kitchen with matching appliances, and a breakfast nook with sliding glass doors that open to a patio and a yard that is mainly laid to grass. The property is located near the Fraser River, eateries, and other amenities including the West Coast Express for a downtown Vancouver commute.

116 — 2780 Acadia Rd., Vancouver

Type: One-bedroom, one-bathroom townhouse

Size: 736 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $768,000

Listed for: $699,000

Sold for: $692,500

Sold on: June 2

Days on market in this listing: Nine

Listing agent: Jessica Chen PREC at Oakwyn Realty

Buyers agent: Dan J. Reilly PREC at eXp Realty of Canada, Inc.

The big sell: According to listing agent Jessica Chen, the three-storey Liberta building is one of the few freehold ownership complexes in UBC’s Wesbrook Village. Constructed in 2005, it has close proximity to Pacific Spirit Regional Park, the university’s campus, groceries, restaurants, and transit options. This updated one-bedroom-plus-den home boasts its own private patio entrance and a linear design. Inside, there are hardwood floors, refreshed appliances, an open-concept kitchen with bar seating, an electric fireplace in the conjoined living and dining area, insuite laundry, and patio access off the bedroom at the rear of the unit. The strata accepts rentals and pets (both with restrictions), and the home comes with a parking spot in the underground garage, and a monthly maintenance fee of $264.38.

These transactions were compiled by Nicola Way of BestHomesBC.com.

Realtors — send your recent sales to nicola@besthomesbc.com

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Behr has announced Grounded, a “sophisticated olive green,” as its colour of the year for 2027.

The hue, officially labelled T27-01, “captures the restorative essence and quiet energy of nature. This organic, dimensional shade moves effortlessly between olive and moss, anchored by subtle brown undertones that bring a sense of the outdoors in,” the residential paint company explained in its press release.

Behr’s head of colour, Kayla Kratz, says that Grounded was inspired by an evolving idea of what comfort looks like at home.

“For years, comfort was often expressed through airy, open spaces and pale neutrals,” says Kratz.

But now that same desire for restoration takes on more warmth, depth and texture, with richer earth tones, natural materials and colours that feel more enveloping and connected to nature, she explains.

“That shift came to life for us in a quiet moment we kept returning to: when the sun begins to fall below the tree line, the light softens and the pace of the day seems to slow,” says Kratz. “We began calling it the ‘earth’s exhale.’”

Grounded anchors Behr’s broader 2027 Colour Trends Palette, which spans warm, sunlit neutrals to complementary deeper, forest-inspired tones. The collection is available at Home Depot Canada .

To mark the tenth anniversary of its Colour of the Year program, Behr is donating $250,000 to the non-profit housing organization Habitat for Humanity .

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