Coal Harbour Apartment

Where the architecture is inseparable from the view, this Vancouver apartment located in downtown Coal Harbour was redesigned by Haeccity Studio Architecture to serve as a multi-generational family’s place of retreat. As a space for gathering, extended family members who work and travel around the world can return to a flat fitted with all the transitional conveniences of a high-end hotel and find comfort in a familiar homeliness. The extended plan flows fluidly from one space to the next, carving out a variety of intimate niches.

The 2,150 square-foot apartment had felt much smaller due to a formerly fragmented layout and jarring material palette. A few simple gestures reveal the potential for spaciousness by opening up the entryway, kitchen and living area and reconnecting these areas with the breath-taking views of the mountains, ocean and city. A restrained palette of light oak floors, walnut, and copper accents, as well as a hand-finished plaster “service bar” provide a serene living space for the client’s growing family.

“We wanted to evoke a sense of timelessness with materials that would offer longevity," notes co-founder Shirley Shen. "Walnut was one material that we really loved and tried to lighten up so that it wasn't as heavy and traditional. We asked the furniture maker and millworkers of the cabinetry to work collaboratively and together, they created a formula that would desaturate the walnut and reduce some of the red tones. We call the finish 'frozen walnut.'"

In addition to their architectural role, Haeccity oversaw all aspects of interior design, staging, and furniture design. In particular, it was important for them to highlight the work of different local artists and craftspeople as the clients had a deep appreciation for the city and its culture. Canadian designer Ko Júbilo was commissioned to design the circular dining table, constructed from solid walnut with an inset marble lazy Susan that delivers elegance and playfulness. Paintings from Vancouver artists conjure up the cool colour palette and misty mountainous landscape of the Pacific Northwest, simultaneously complimenting and contrasting to the warm wood accents of the interior architecture.