2019 Vancouver (B.C.) Modern Home Tour

September 14, 2019

IT'S TOUR DAY!!!

Rain is predicted. Please be prepared to remove your shoes at each home!

You can still get tickets at the door. Here’s how!

  1. Download the Tour Map by clicking here. (You can also scroll down to view the map – click on a number for the exact address)
  2. Purchase your ticket online here, or bring $50 cash or cheque (to Modern Home Tours LLC) to any Tour home to begin your Tour!
  3. Enjoy the day meeting the architects and touring the homes that showcase Vancouver modern today!
KPU Interior Design Logo
2019 Vancouver Modern Home Tour Synthesis Design
2019 Vancouver Modern Home Toru Madeline Design Group
oneSEED Architecture
fritsdevrieslogo_small

Tour the Homes.

Meet the Architects & Designers.

GET INSPIRED!

You know “that house” you pass by every day?

The Vancouver Modern Home Tour is your chance to GET INSIDE and meet the architects, builders and designers that made it happen – and maybe even ask a question or two about that special project playing around in the back of your mind!

How it Works

It’s as easy as:

1) Click here to get your tickets 

2) About 24 hours before Tour day begins, check your email for our printable map and any last minute instructions

3) Starting at 11AM on Tour day, visit the homes in any order you wish and at your open pace.  Meet the architects and designers, and find inspiration for your own modern lifestyle!

2019 Vancouver Modern Home Toru Madeline Design Group

The 2019 Vancouver Modern Home Tour Homes

Shelter Residential Design

Shelter Residential Design

Mid-century modern in spirit, the playful Newmarket home is designed to accommodate an open, social family atmosphere.
Details & Gallery

ONE SEED Architecture + Interiors

ONE SEED Architecture + Interiors

Third Chapter House is set into its steeply hilled site in North Vancouver, overlooking the Second Narrows Bridge and the treed slopes of the north shore. The house steps down the hillside with a series of interlocking forms.
Details & Gallery

Synthesis Design Inc.

Synthesis Design Inc.

MODCUBE is a place where anyone from students to someone aging in place can call home. Our goal is to reinvigorate neglected alleyways and bring communities together while densifying established neighborhoods.
Details & Gallery

Madeleine Design Group Inc.

Madeleine Design Group Inc.

Taking inspiration from New York loft style living, this Luxury Laneway Residence features familiar elements such as exposed brick walls, large factory style windows, vaulted ceilings and abundance of natural light.
Details & Gallery

Architecture Building Culture

Architecture Building Culture

Completed in 1971, this well-known house designed by Barry McLeod of Barclay McLeod Architects was immediately recognized as an important architectural achievement by the architecture and design community and published widely.
Details & Gallery

Lanefab Design/Build

Lanefab Design/Build

The home was built to the international 'Passive House' efficiency standard and was recently certified by the International Passive House Institute, making it one of only a few certified projects in BC.
Details & Gallery

Frits de Vries Architect Ltd.

Frits de Vries Architect Ltd.

The house is initially viewed from above the roof, then at roof level, and then from below. Therefore, it was important that the roof should be a three-dimensional, sculptural object, beautiful from all angles.
Details & Gallery

Newmarket Drive

Design: Shelter Residential Design
Builder: Blackfish Homes
Interiors: Sophie Burke Design
Photography: Ema Peter

Mid-century modern in spirit, the playful Newmarket home is designed to accommodate an open, social family atmosphere. The main level is organized around a central kitchen-dining area which can be expanded to accommodate extended family gatherings. A large covered outdoor space is connected to the dining and living areas, and further opens to the garden beyond.

The owners viewed this as their “forever” home, and hence the design allows for aging in place. While the kids and master bedroom are located on the upper level, a guest bedroom with full ensuite and curbless shower is located on the main level, away from the activity areas. An unfinished basement has become a kids-cave, but is designed to allow for a future bedroom, bathroom and media room.

Careful attention was paid to window composition so as to maintain a sense of privacy from within while providing every room with a view to either the forested ravine or the North Shore mountains, also allowing for a dynamic quality of natural light and ventilation.

This home will provide a timeless and enduring backdrop, with the ability to accommodate the evolving needs of a young family.

Kennard Avenue

Architecture + Interiors: ONE SEED Architecture + Interiors
Photography: Cody Parker / B Collective Homes

Third Chapter House is set into its steeply hilled site in North Vancouver, overlooking the Second Narrows Bridge and the treed slopes of the north shore. The house steps down the hillside with a series of interlocking forms. They have a heavy tectonic feel, grounded in the hill, while alternately launching airy roof lines and walls of glass towards the trees and sky. There is a calm in this equilibrium. The stasis of forces in balance.

One angle disrupts the perpendicular lines of the main floor plan. An angled accent wall clad in vertical clear hemlock runs from the front door to the living room. It creates an immediate sense of openness as you enter the house, and as you move through the living room to the outdoor living spaces and connect with the dramatic views beyond. The finishes on either side of the front door flow from inside to out, as does the vaulted wood ceiling in the living room and dining room. The architecture and interiors are intertwined, creating a sense of harmony and continuity throughout the home.

The selection of architectural materials was influenced by the serene and natural palette of the Japanese aesthetic, wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi embraces asymmetry, simplicity, and the beauty of aging. The rock-dash stucco walls are grounded and rough, in close proximity to the site. The vertical grey wood siding intentionally has a weathered patina with a variation in depth and tone that embraces the integrity of wood as a natural material. The clear stained hemlock accent wall and soffits are protected from the elements so the warmth of that wood can continue to be appreciated.

A site like this one demands a design that also takes cues from North Vancouver’s legacy of west coast modern homes, with soaring roof lines, floor to ceiling glass walls, and a constant connection to the outdoors.

4th Street East

Designer: Synthesis Design Inc.
Photography: Renders courtesy Synthesis Design Inc.

The current housing climate has provided an opportunity to explore densifying single-family lots around the lower mainland, so we developed our MODCUBE concept as a way to provide clients with several architecturally designed laneway homes that maximize investment , provide rental income, and are energy efficient. MODCUE is a place where anyone from students to someone aging in place can call home. Our goal is to reinvigorate neglected alleyways and bring communities together while densifying established neighborhoods.

This modern two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 993 square foot home is the first of our MODCUBE prototypes to be built. The structure was pre-built in a factory by AJIA CUSTOM PREFAB HOMES and assembled in only a day and half.

Generous open nine-foot-high spaces allow for several functions from a single large open area to more specific uses such as an office, dining and living spaces. A mudroom off the entry doubles as a laundry room and the large open kitchen provides a great entertaining space. A seamless transition to outside is created by opening two corner sliding doors. The main floor also features a full bath, storage under the stairs and a crawlspace with a large hatch for additional storage. Upstairs features a master bedroom which has access to a great rooftop deck, as well as a Jack and Jill ensuite bathroom that is shared with a second bedroom.

This MODCUBE laneway house offers so much in a small footprint that doesn’t compromise on space and versatility.

East 20th Avenue

Interiors: Madeleine Design Group Inc.
Builder: Rain City Renovations
Architecture: DARCH Group
Photography: Provoke Studios

Taking inspiration from New York loft style living, our Luxury Laneway Residence features familiar elements such as exposed brick walls, large factory style windows, vaulted ceilings and abundance of natural light. Bones of the architecture are kept minimal while warmth, visual interest and unique character is added with textural accents. The kitchen radiates striking character, combining traditional and modern design elements with sleek matte black and natural walnut accents. This dramatic combination pops against the crisp white walls and are highlighted by natural light pouring into the space through the soaring skylights and floor to ceiling multi-slider window that seamlessly blends indoor and outdoor living spaces. Natural light reflects off the polished concrete floor, amplifying the feeling of spaciousness. Every design detail is carefully considered, from the colourful velvet sofa and face frame cabinet details, to the hardware and plumbing fixtures. This space truly embodies an industrial modern vibe!

Seaview Road

Original Architect: Barclay McLeod Architects
Renovation Architect: Architecture Building Culture
Renovation Contractor: Hughes Brothers Construction
Photography: Sheila Hughes

Completed in 1971, this well-known house designed by Barry McLeod of Barclay McLeod Architects was immediately recognized as an important architectural achievement by the architecture and design community and published widely.

In the same year, the home was featured in Western Living, with particular attention drawn to its bathroom, designed by the homeowner, Ken Hole, and painted in orange and purple— the “hot bold colours” of the day. Around the same time, it was also featured in Canadian Homes, in an article on children’s bedrooms. The two north-facing bedrooms share a wall, which originally was only 7’ high and open to the ceiling above. The owners’ children, for whom these bedrooms were built, soon learned the advantages of being able to throw items over the wall to maximum effect.

The current owners, Steven Park and Sarah Bertin, purchased the house in 2017 in recognition of its notable architecture. They understood the value of living in a well- designed space and appreciated its timeless design. However, the house was showing signs of wear, with several significant repairs required, so the couple hired Architecture Building Culture to undertake a renovation. Their challenge was to respect and restore the principal architectural integrity of the house while reinvigorating it through the introduction of contemporary design elements and technology. When the house was originally built, McLeod described it as “skeletal.” The renovations have incorporated a railing design and screen in the dining room to carry through this minimalist theme. The result is a thoughtful dialogue between 1970s West Coast modernism at its best and today’s style of living. Perhaps the lesson of this house is that at its core, the balance between good space and good living has changed very little in fifty years.

East 37th Avenue

Design + Builder: Lanefab Design/Build
Photography: Brett Ryan

The East 37th House is built on a standard sized lot in the heart of East Vancouver. The project is a 2800 square foot, certified Passive House that includes a livable two-bedroom suite in the basement. The owners resided on the property for many years prior to rebuilding and where able to contribute their understanding to the site and the neighbourhood context to the home’s design. Taking inspiration from the region, while staying grounded in a strong, sustainable design philosophy, the home aspires to be a true west coast home, emphasizing clarity in its expression with both bold and playful design moves complimented with warm, natural materials and textures. The project takes advantage of the south facing back yard creating a living terrace flowing from the open kitchen, dining and living rooms. Carefully considered window placement allows for the living spaces to be bathed in natural light throughout the day while maintaining privacy and views out. In addition to the core living space, the project features three bedrooms, a den, a rec room and a roof terrace with views to ‘Little Mountain’ and the north shore.

Sasamat Street

Architecture: Frits de Vries Architect Ltd.
Builder/Developer: Skynet Developers
Photography: Inframe Real Estate

Located on an attractive corner lot in Point Grey, the Locarno Beach Home is designed to take maximum advantage of its position, whilst respecting its prominence on the street. A distinctive feature of the site, the steep slope of Sasamat Street means the house is viewed by the passers-by from many different levels. Approaching from the South, the house is initially viewed from above the roof, then at roof level, and then from below. Therefore, it was important that the roof should be a three-dimensional, sculptural object, beautiful from all angles.

The main living space is located on the upper floor, taking advantage of panoramic views of English Bay and the North Shore mountains. The folded, “origamic” roof appears to float lightly above, whilst simultaneously enveloping the space. The front face of the building cuts back at an obtuse angle to emphasize views to the North-West and give “breathing space” to a large mature tree in the front garden. All three floor levels are at grade, providing garden access. The garage is positioned at the top floor, providing level street access to the main living spaces of the home.

A state-of-the-art structural glazing system is used throughout. This provides impressive areas of glazing with concealed frames and breathtaking sliding glass panels, which allow living spaces and bedrooms to flow seamlessly onto generous decks at each level. Interior glass panels are used strategically throughout the home, to ensure every inch of the home is flooded with natural light, without compromising privacy and a sense of enclosure.

A range of spaces, with varying levels of privacy and enclosure, are provided to suit a range of lifestyles and allow for future adaptation as families live and grow. A top floor gallery gives dramatic views over the crisply detailed standing seam metal roof and extends onto a large roof top deck.

The material palette centres around a neutral, white backdrop, which is used to emphasize the simple, sculptural forms of the home. Highlights of wood, tile and architectural metal are employed carefully to give accents of tactility and warmth, both inside and out.

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