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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If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a deserted island, you’ve likely conjured images of a romantic utopia: remote, secluded, serene, with empty beaches for let-your-hair-down privacy. The ultimate fantasy, in other words. And it can be all those things, but when fantasy meets reality, it’s not without challenges.

Most private island living is off-grid, which requires managing your own electricity, heat, water and fuel. All supplies must be brought in, either by boat or plane, which can get expensive. And no neighbours can sometimes make island life feel isolating.

But if isolation is your idea of utopia, there are dozens of uninhabited B.C. islands to be had. If, however, your private island dream requires infrastructure to maintain a comfortable home solidly and smartly built that’s conveniently close to a commercial centre, Eaglet Island, just south of Gabriola, could be your fantasy island come true.

The couple who bought the 1.2-acre island (which they named for a resident juvenile eagle) in 1992 originally intended to construct a dock to bring in materials to build an 86-foot yacht. The plan was to use the island as a base while they lived on and explored the surrounding waterways on the yacht.

“But when they looked closer at the channel, they thought it would be too big a boat,” says listing agent Alan L. Johnson of Colliers/Unique Properties. “So they took all the materials they had carefully selected over the years for a yacht and made a house out of them on the island.”

Johnson says that over the 25 years he’s represented island properties for sale, he’s observed homes that “have been done either well or haphazardly, and he has done everything to the nth degree,” referring to the current homeowner, who he describes as an “engineer/inventor kind of guy”.

That homeowner first constructed a huge workshop which houses a 10,000-pound metal lathe which he used for myriad building projects, including a walk-in freezer and a rainwater collection system for storage in massive stainless-steel tanks.

The 52 x 13-foot dock he built, which is actually a barge, has a float plane ramp and lift. The barge, which is attached to the island by a large steel pipe, houses much of the island’s infrastructure, including cabling, electricity, water lines, and a 65-horsepower pump to siphon salt water for fire protection. (The island also has two commercial desalination plants.)

“The barge is very heavy so it doesn’t move (in bad weather), and because it’s attached there’s no need to replace chains, anchors, or ground tackle like a lot of other docks,” says Johnson.

One of four heavy-duty diesel generators uses a heat capture system to heat up a massive water tank below the house for hot water heating.

“The wood stove can also provide hot water heating, and it’s lined in stainless steel so it can burn beach wood without any salt damage,” says Johnson.

The homeowner, an inventor who developed aircraft parts, built a 26-foot aluminum boat and designed the property’s septic tank and dispersal field. He also built on the property two 60-foot-high aluminum solar panel stands that are anchored to the ground and equipped with rungs to allow for cleaning and maintenance.

And he designed aluminum gutters that pull down and flip over so they can be spray cleaned without the need for a ladder.

“The exterior of the house is concrete mesh that he also designed himself with high-density foam insulation behind it,” says Johnson. “There is no sign of any cracking or pulling away from the beams. It’s just like it was 30 years ago.”

The couple also constructed a 12 x 20-foot greenhouse over the rocky shore which produces more vegetables than they can consume.

“He designed the home so you can live there comfortably off grid with as little effort as possible,” says Johnson. But since no man is an island, he’s connected to the outside world via several point-to-point internet systems as well as Starlink.

What’s inside

Because the two-bedroom, two-bathroom home’s building materials were originally intended for the construction of a yacht, the flooring is three-inch thick fir, which was to be the boat’s planks. The five big beams that span the post-and-beam interior are cedar while other trim, handrails and accents are made of super hard gum wood and purpleheart wood.

The main level, with high vaulted ceilings, is open concept with living, dining, kitchen, pantry and bathroom that all flow together. “The kitchen countertops are stainless steel for low maintenance,” says Johnson.

Upstairs is a loft-type half floor that leads to two bedrooms with a deck off each, and the second bathroom.

“It’s a very comfortable home with beautiful views towards Gabriola in the north and Pirate’s Cove to the south, but mostly open ocean,” says Johnson. “People might worry about how to maintain this place, but they don’t have to because it’s been built so well. I’ve been on a lot of private islands and recreational properties, and I have not seen one in this price range with the accessibility that’s as interesting.”

In the neighbourhood

Located in the De Courcy Group, with its handful of permanent residents, just south of Gabriola Island and 16 kilometres southeast of Nanaimo, Eaglet Island’s only neighbours are other islands, both deserted and inhabited.

Gabriola Island, with commercial services at a variety of shops as well as at Twin Beaches shopping mall, is a 10-minute boat ride away.

De Courcy Island’s 76-acre Pirate’s Cove Marine Park, one of the province’s first marine parks, has a protected anchorage that attracts boaters.

Location:Eaglet Island adjacent to De Courcy Island

Listed for: $2,595,000

Year built: 1997

Type: Two bedrooms, two bathrooms

Size: 2,500 square feet

Realtor: Listed by Alan L. Johnson, Colliers/Unique Properties

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The Interior Design Show (IDS) Vancouver returns to the Vancouver Convention Centre West from Sept. 24 to 27, bringing together established international names, B.C. designers, emerging makers and a series of one-off installations created specifically for the event.

It’s a show for anyone who loves interiors, architecture and the objects that make a home feel considered.

“A conventional trade show is about displaying products. IDS is a forum for ideas and an annual meeting point for the design community,” says IDS national director Will Sorrell.

“We push everyone on the show floor to create a non-conventional exhibit, to collaborate, to show new ideas,” he says.

What people can expect this year

Among the major installations are the Central Bar by Synthesis Design Architecture , a workplace installation by Kasian, STARK Architecture ’s entrance feature, a seminar space by Gensler and Hush, artwork by James Harry and a VIP Lounge by Medina Design. Landscape architect Andrew van Egmond will also create a garden installation exploring more naturalistic, ecologically responsive planting.

The range is deliberate. IDS brings together designers at different stages of their careers, mixing architecture, art, interiors, furniture and other creative disciplines.

This mixture also reflects something distinctive about Vancouver itself, says Sorrell:

“People always focus on natural materials and sustainability when talking about Vancouver design, which is true, but I think the most distinctive feature is a deliberately slow approach.”

Vancouver designers and businesses tend to be thoughtful about what they make, how much they make and how quickly they grow, he says.

“In other places, growth for the sake of growth is the focus, to the detriment of balance,” says Sorrell.

Vancouver’s design language

Restraint over relentless expansion runs through many of this year’s exhibitors.

Vancouver-based Origins, for example, combines digital design with hand craftsmanship to create expressive objects, furniture and sculpture in solid wood.

Ryan Boechler Studio is launching its modular NIFTIE Bracket System, designed and manufactured in Canada, alongside a collection of solid hardwood wall mirrors.

Made to Fly Design works with reclaimed materials, turning unwanted wood, plastic, leather and felt into new objects.

There is also plenty for visitors looking for smaller pieces to take home. Homecoming, a Vancouver family-run fragrance company, will show its hand-poured candles, incense, room sprays and brass accessories.

North Vancouver’s Billy Would creates jewelry, accessories and small homeware from recycled skateboards and reclaimed hardwood, while Grey Sage Studio in the Okanagan produces small-batch handcrafted tile.

The Central Bar

One of the show’s biggest gathering places is the Central Bar.

This year, Vancouver’s Synthesis Design Architecture is creating the installation entirely from B.C. wood, using 12-foot interlocking arches inspired by the vertical rhythm of the province’s forests.

“Creating the IDS bar is a big feat,” says Sorrell.

Synthesis was approached after last year’s show, with Sorrell particularly interested in the studio’s creativity and its desire to give the materials used in the temporary installation a meaningful life afterwards, an approach he says has become a defining element of recent IDS bars.

International exchange is another theme at IDS this year.

A group of manufacturers from Portugal are coming to Vancouver, something Sorrell believes could lead to longer-term relationships between designers and producers in the two countries.

“Portugal is famous for its high-quality production — in fact several U.K. furniture designers get their products manufactured there,” says Sorrell.

Big names on stage

The keynote program, meanwhile, brings some considerable design experience to the stage.

“Michael Sørensen from Henning Larsen is joining us from Copenhagen. Their architecture practice has completed some exciting, major projects which will be fascinating to hear more about,” says Sorrell.

Toronto designer and television personality Tommy Smythe will also appear in conversation with acclaimed Vancouver interior designer Kelly Deck.

“Tommy Smythe is coming from Toronto and having a 1-on-1 conversation with Kelly Deck,” says Sorrell.

“It has been more than a decade since he last spoke at IDS, and since then they have each built incredibly successful design studios. They are going to have an open conversation about what it takes for a business to thrive today.”

Other speakers include artist James Nexw’Kalus-Xwalacktun Harry and journalist and podcast host May Globus, who will record live episodes of The Craft.

Ticket info .

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There is something magical about adding moving water to your outdoor living space. Ponds come and go in terms of popularity but the newer trend of pondless moving water is an exciting garden addition. Not only does it capture a bit of nature in our own backyard, it adds soothing sound, introduces motion to the landscape and attracts wildlife to our homes. To gain a greater understanding of how folks can incorporate these unique features into their gardens, I had the pleasure of speaking with Diego Fontana, co-owner, along with his business partner Dan Paterson, of Fontana Ponds and Water Features.

My first question was about the environmental impact of these pieces. With the increasing severity of heat and drought in our area, the addition of self-contained water, surrounded by trees and plants would seem like a positive addition. Fontana mentioned that the most delightful benefit was the attraction of natural wildlife, from frogs and other semi-aquatic species like salamanders, to birds and beneficial insects. A year-round water source within a natural setting is amazing. The obvious cooling effect, especially in today’s heat , is most welcome, as is the mitigation of urban noise pollution.

Working within today’s many smaller space gardens is always a challenge, and I was curious to know how much space was needed to accommodate one of these moving water landscape features. Fontana said they have designs to fit comfortably in an area as small as two metres by two metres. These models may include pre-drilled gurglers with stone covered water reservoirs which still add all the elements of moving water.

Are permits required for installations? He said if it’s simply a pondless system with no deep water, no permits are required. For larger projects, homeowners should check with their local authority to see what is needed.

Today’s water pumps are much more efficient and use far less electricity. Without knowing the pump size, it was hard to give a sense of electrical costs, but as a rule of thumb, running smaller installations for extended periods may cost about a dollar a day, while large pond systems may cost around $80 a month.

Do these systems require a great deal of maintenance? Fontana emphasized the simplicity of keeping the reservoir clear of debris. A weekly leaf blowing around the reservoir area is all that’s required. Since we’re dealing with contained water, it’s important to control algae, but with applications of organic beneficial bacteria, clear water can be maintained in an environmentally friendly way.

Our winters in the Lower Mainland are normally reasonably mild, so I asked if these pondless water systems could keep running all winter. He said -15C is the tipping point for these features and when some maintenance would need to take place. The key to success is to create a deeper and better protected reservoir to keep the water flowing and safeguard the pump. It’s also not a bad idea to use protective coverings over the reservoir when we do get those cold spells.

The streams and waterfalls take on a whole new winter complexion with frozen water droplets and icicles forming but it’s also important to keep the fountain running as a water source for birds and other wildlife. In extreme cold, however, the system is designed to be shut down if necessary.

Once the water system is in place and fully functional, the beauty of trees, shrubs, perennials, and even annuals can be added. Plants have a way of further enhancing the attractiveness of the water and stones. As a rule of thumb, try to use plants which are evergreen, or broadleaf evergreens, to prevent dying fall foliage from cluttering up the water landscape.

Sunny or shady locations are key considerations when determining the types of plants being used. He prefers a shady location simply because of fewer algae issues, but emphasized how either location can be equally beautiful.

In the case of open water features, there are an abundance of water plants which can live year-round to enhance your water garden. Evergreen plants like sedums, or shrubs like trailing cotoneasters gently spilling over rocks above would add a welcome touch of greenery.

The cost of planning and installation varies, of course, with the scope of each project. Their website, fontanawaterfeatures.ca , provides details and a great deal of information on installations to give you a sense of pricing. They also provide online videos which offer further insight into the possibilities of adding your own water feature.

Their systems have become very popular and, depending upon the size of the project and the time of year, there may be a three to four month timeline from the initial consultation to completion.

Whether you have a well-established landscape or you’re just beginning to garden, the addition of water in its many unique forms adds life and vibrancy to your outdoor living space. Fontana also mentioned how seniors’ homes have benefited from the addition of these lush water displays in their landscapes, as they create an important connection to nature and provide a calming area to enjoy year-round.

I am truly grateful for the time Fontana spent educating me, and for the inspiring work their team does to add magic to landscapes. The versatility and motion of pondless water systems makes any green space come alive and generate, in many ways, a sense of intimacy. It’s a creative way to take your outdoor living space to the next level, and one you would enjoy for years to come.

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Even the dogs have noticed a difference.

“It took them no time at all to enjoy the grass and the smells and tree cover like at Clark Park and Trout Lake,” says Jesse Ray-Contreras.

In early March, Ray-Contreras and their husband Gabriel Ray-Contreras, along with their two Boston terriers Olly and Ella, took possession of their new home at 12th and Commercial. They moved from a 620-square-foot one-bedroom rental in Yaletown to a 1,100-square-foot three-bedroom in Ace, a Wesgroup Properties development.

“We wanted to live somewhere with a different pace than downtown — more trees, more grass for the dogs, a variety of architecture, smaller businesses, that type of thing.”

The six-storey building holds 61 one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, with remaining homes ranging in floor space from 512 to 1020 square feet. North-facing homes have views of downtown, the North Shore mountains, and the shops and restaurants lining Commercial. South-facing homes look out over a second-floor courtyard with two barbecues and a sink, and a kids’ play area. The courtyard connects to a shared-use room with multiple lounge and game areas, a kitchen and a bathroom, for 2,900 square feet of amenity space.

A work hub sits off the lobby on the main floor, which is home to several retail spaces including a café, Merci Boulangerie. A hair salon, wellness and meditation studio and electronics repair shop will also be moving in.

Nearby restaurants include The Burrow, the vegetarian Mexican restaurant formerly known as Banditas, and perennial Szechuanese favourite ChongQing. The Rio Theatre and City Avenue Market, formerly Donald’s, are a few blocks north.

The Ray-Contreras began looking for a presale home in 2023. Ace’s 2026 completion date “gave us time to get our affairs in order,” Ray-Contreras says. Both are psychotherapists with their own practice, In Good Company Counselling. They wanted to be close to the SkyTrain for easy transit to their practice’s downtown location.

“You’re so close to the SkyTrain station. Getting just about anywhere is faster than by car.”

They came across Ace shortly after beginning their search and knew of the developer through a friend who lives in the River District, which was master-planned by Wesgroup.

“We started conversing with a colleague-slash-friend who’s also an agent on a Saturday. By Wednesday we had signed the paperwork and given our first part of the deposit.”

According to Wesgroup senior sales manager Richard Alvarez, as of this writing, 60 per cent of the homes had been sold. Buyers have mostly been in their 30s and 40s, many first-time homeowners.

For the Ray-Contreras, ACE checked a lot of boxes: price, location, size, and esthetic.

“We wanted something modern but still cosy, nothing too sterile. It very much feels like Ace was developed by and for millennials — said with compliments.”

The homes have an open layout. Bedrooms are designed with walk-through closets and ensuite bathrooms. High ceilings, 8’8” add to the feeling of spaciousness. Balconies range in size. The Ray-Contreras’, for instance, is 174 square feet, while the home’s floorspace is 1020 square feet.

Kitchen features include a herringbone white tile backsplash and Italian cabinetry and appliances like Fulgor Milano gas cooktops, wall ovens and integrated fridges. The two colour schemes, crema and coffee, provide Oreo-cookie-sharp contrasts.

“It feels modern, not kitschy, and designed to age well. I also think the layouts pay a lot of mind to the utility of space. All of the bedrooms in the suites we looked at are separated, they don’t share a wall. And the flow works quite well.”

They originally purchased a two-bedroom home but decided to upgrade a year later to a three-bedroom.

“Neither of us is from Canada, so having enough space to host friends and family from out of town is really important. Now we have not only a guest room but a flex space that acts as an exercise/game/dog room.”

Other building features include a ground-floor dog-wash station and, in the underground parking lot, a bike storage and repair station and stalls pre-wired for EV charging.

“We don’t have an electric vehicle, but it’s something we would like to do,” Ray-Contreras said. So having the option gave us a lot of flexibility.”

Olly and Ella aren’t the only ones enjoying the new neighbourhood.

“There’s a friendliness to East Van. You can tell that folks invest in the neighbourhood, not to say that folks in other parts of the city don’t. I just think that there’s a hustle and bustle to downtown that maybe squeezes some of that out. And there’s a slower pace, quite literally, in some cases in East Van. It’s been a welcome change for us and for our two dogs.”

Project: Ace

Project address: 1680 E. 12th Ave., Vancouver, B.C.

Developer: Wesgroup Properties

Architect: Ciccozzi Architecture

Interior designer: Wesgroup Properties

Project size: 61 homes

Price: One-bedroom homes from $555,900

Number of bedrooms : One-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments

Sales centre: 1680 E. 12th Ave., Vancouver, B.C.

Centre hours: By appointment

Phone: 604-571-9904

Website:wesgroup.ca/ace

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

8529 Ashleigh McIvor Dr., Whistler

Type: Four-bedroom, five-bathroom detached

Size: 4,320 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $4,878,000

Listed for: $5,395,000

Sold for: $5,000,000

Sold on: May 17

Days on market in this listing: 143

Listing agent: Bob Cameron PREC and Sally Warner PREC at ReMax Sea to Sky Real Estate

Buyers agent: Nick Swinburne PREC at Angell Hasman & Associates Realty

The big sell: This modern four-bedroom detached home was built with an eye firmly on contemporary style and an aim to capture the breathtaking views that span Green Lake, Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, and Black Tusk. Set within the Baxter Creek community on the north side of Whistler, there is ample opportunity to enjoy all four seasons with access to a swimming pool and hot tub at the strata’s clubhouse, and proximity to myriad recreational activities that the town is renowned for. The house was built in 2014 with warm wood finishes, radiant heated tile floors, an open-concept living area complete with a floating gas fireplace and glass doors that open to a sun-filled deck, a well-equipped kitchen, a large mud room, and a gym and family room on the lower of the three levels. A legal one-bedroom suite offers additional accommodation. The home has an integrated double garage, and a monthly maintenance fee of $220.13.

2323 Graveley St., Vancouver

Type: Four-bedroom, two-bathroom detached

Size: 1,882 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $1,506,600

Listed for: $1,750,000

Sold for: $1,695,000

Sold on: June 10

Days on market in this listing: 21

Listing agent: Adam Chahl PREC at Oakwyn Realty

Buyers agent: Jessica Smith PREC at ReMax Select Realty

The big sell: Vancouver’s eclectic Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood is the venue for this 1920’s house that exudes Craftsman detailing. The exterior has stone pillars supporting a gabled roofline with exposed wood elements including rafter tails and purlins, and the recent addition of a new roof adds to the value. The interior was renovated in 2014 and features a fully-finished basement with a two-bedroom legal suite with its own entrance and address, while the main floor has a modern bathroom and kitchen with Shaker-style cabinets and stainless-steel appliances, a living room with an electric fireplace and linear stone tiles above the mantelpiece, two bedrooms with the primary enjoying a walk-in closet, and the attic provides additional storage. High ceilings are finished with crown moulding, laminate floors flow through each room, and the walls are finished with designer paint colours or wallpaper. Outside, the front and backyards are fully fenced.

136 — 1350 Mitchell St., Coquitlam

Type: Four-bedroom, four-bathroom townhouse

Size: 2,002 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $1,352,000

Listed for: $1,289,900

Sold for: $1,270,500

Sold on: June 27

Days on market in this listing: 53

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

Buyers agent: Krista Lapp PREC at Royal LePage Elite West

The big sell: The four-year-old Ballantree development comprises a collection of townhomes that were built by Polygon on Coquitlam’s Burke Mountain. Set among nature, the three-level units offer four bedrooms and a range of floor plans. This particular home has an end-unit position with just over 2,000 square feet of internal living space. There is an open kitchen with a large island, stone counters, a marble backsplash, and stainless-steel appliances including a gas cooktop, nine-foot-high ceilings, vinyl floors, a custom feature wall with built-in cabinets, and a flexible area that could be used as a home office. Three bedrooms reside on the upper floor served by two bathrooms, while the lower level offers a fourth bedroom and bathroom. A side-by-side double garage provides an electric vehicle outlet, and the property comes with a monthly maintenance fee of $346.40 and the balance of the New Home Warranty.

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

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

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Le Creuset Canada opened a new Signature Boutique today at West Vancouver’s The Village at Park Royal, marking the brand’s third location in B.C. and bringing its network of stand-alone Canadian stores to 13.

“As Le Creuset continues to grow across Canada, Park Royal stood out as the perfect home for our next Boutique,” said Sarin Keusseyan, managing director at Le Creuset Canada. “It’s vibrant, walkable village atmosphere aligns beautifully with our vision for an elevated, interactive retail experience. We’re thrilled to welcome West Vancouver shoppers into a space that celebrates our heritage of craftsmanship and colour.”

The new store follows a retail format the brand has used at its other Canadian locations, with open shelving and island-style displays allowing shoppers to browse cookware, bakeware, dinnerware and home accessories in a hands-on setting.

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Founded in Fresnoy-le-Grand, France, in 1925, Le Creuset is now globally renowned for its enamelled cast-iron cookware, particularly its signature Dutch ovens, and has since expanded into stoneware, stainless steel and kitchen accessories available in a wide range of colours.

The Park Royal opening builds on Le Creuset’s existing South Granville and Richmond boutiques and reflects a broader push by the cookware company to expand its direct-to-consumer retail presence across the country.

Le Creuset said in a press release that it is “proud to deepen its presence in British Columbia” with the new location and views the opening as a chance to reach home cooks, culinary enthusiasts and design-minded shoppers in the area.

The Le Creuset Signature Boutique is now open to the public at Unit B8, 940 Main Street, West Vancouver.

Find out more.

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