BC Home & Garden

ZEN ZONE Gray capitalized on the 38 feet of windows on the kitchen side and 29 feet of windows on the bedroom side as well as introduced multiple means of artificial light through crystal pendants, recessed task lighting, floor lamps, candlelight and flickering flames from the custom fireplace. "I like to use a combination of different light sources all controlled by dimmers," she says. "By using different light sources the room can be changed to accommodate a variety of different functions by day or night." To streamline the space, Gray started at the beginning. "The best way for me to reflect on a space is to examine the blueprint – in this way I connect with the space and envision what it could be." Gray repositioned the entrance to the master bedroom, allowing for a larger seating area in the living room and an uninterrupted feature wall with a five-foot-long fireplace, a media and entertainment area and a major piece of artwork. "I delineated the living room from the kitchen with a 16-foot recessed wenge panelled ceiling," she says of the contrasting feature that sits above the sofa. All of the home's furniture, from the long media cabinet and coffee table to the sofa and bedside tables, was customdesigned using the same dark wenge wood as a contrast to the light-taupe coloured oiled-hardwood floors. Custom furniture made way for everything in its place, especially in the kitchen. "The trick to a successful openconcept kitchen is to plan a place for everything to avoid the usual clutter on kitchen counter tops." Gray removed the pre-existing overhead cabinets, installed a polished travertine feature wall with a single floating stainless-steel shelf and replaced the storage space with an adjacent floor-to-ceiling unit along one wall. "Roll-out pantries are a more efficient use of space and allow everything to be more readily accessible," Gray says. The seldom-used dining room table was replaced with a large asymmetrical island with bar stools at one end, perfect for the kind of entertaining that Mark and Janet do. "Most gatherings are informal and casual," says Mark. "We often barbeque or cook Asian foods like hot pots, so people are milling about rather than sitting at a table." In the couple's master bathroom, a bathtub flanked by a pair of sinks was replaced with a spacious shower stall, Natural materials including wool, silk, leather and linen were used for furnishings to create harmony and variation, says Gray. MASTER BATHROOM Long vertical lights frame the makeup mirror to avoid casting shadows on the face. FIREPLACE Gray says the fireplace burner is "surrounded by bronze glass pieces that sparkle and glow when the fire is lit." MASTER BEDROOM The illuminated stool at Janet's makeup counter was imported from Italy. MEDIA WALL The brightly coloured artwork is by Vancouver-based artist Bratsa Bonifacho. WHOLE MASTER BEDROOM Swing-arm lamps are mounted to the floor-to-ceiling headboard, perfect for reading in bed. 36 | BC HOME & garden April 2013 p34-37_Grey Condo.indd 36 13-03-14 10:07 AM

• Cover