When Shellie and Mike Gudgeon bought a two-bedroom home on the shore of Portage Inlet in Victoria, British Columbia, they intended to use it as a rental property. But nearly a quarter century later, with their 22-year-old daughter, Isabella, looking for a place to call her own, the couple deemed it the perfect time for their family rental to come of age, too.

Last year, Victoria-based design firm Bidgood + Co. stepped in to transform the waterfront property into a home for Isabella, who is a young creative with a passion for books, art, and dinner parties.

The original floor plan wasn’t quite right for Isabella’s current or future needs, so the Bidgood + Co. team put their space-planning skills to work. With some clever rearranging, the designers turned the home’s upper level into a colorful living space with a vintage, bohemian vibe designed to evolve with Isabella throughout her lifetime.

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The new layout features two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a library-style corridor, and an open-concept living room and kitchen. The 910-square-foot space provides enough room for Isabella to have a roommate, or whatever else life might bring her way.

Isabella wanted the living room to be oriented toward either the water view, her art collection, or the wood-burning fireplace, as opposed to being centered around a television. She also requested that the designers install hanging storage in the bedroom instead of a closet. “It was interesting working with a Gen Y client. She didn’t [necessarily] conform to the norms of what you put into a plan,” says Christi Rivard, lead designer at Bidgood + Co.

The real crown jewel of the Portage Inlet House, however, is its sprawling kitchen. While most twenty-somethings are satisfied with a ramen-forward diet, Isabella eats like veritable Victoria restaurant royalty, as her family owns the beloved local Italian joint, Il Terrazzo. For this reason, creating a work-ready kitchen in the home was non-negotiable. “The countertop needed to be bulletproof,” laughs Rivard.

As such, a hard-as-nails, porcelain-like Dekton counter was installed in the kitchen, which required a special fabricator. (The deep granite sink is equally durable.)

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But the true centerpiece here is the La Cornue stove—with a six-burner gas range, electric oven, and striking brass detailing, it is the heart of the kitchen. The metallic accents are echoed in the brass hanging racks, which create a practical storage option for frequently used pans and tools.

The Victoria-based millworkers, Woodshop 506, created lacquered teal cabinets to add rich color to the space and contrast its bright and airy atmosphere. Hand-glazed, white-square tiles on the backsplash bring an additional layer of texture.

The Gudgeon family continues to use the home’s lower level—also renovated by the Bidgood + Co. team—as an 820-square-foot rental unit. The newly revived property also includes an art studio, which is housed in a former boathouse on the ground level.

Unfussy but curated, rustic but modern, the renovated Gudgeon property is very much an expression of its current inhabitant, Isabella. “You enter the space and get a feeling of who she is,” says Rivard.

Related Reading:

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Chris Foyd, BoForm / @bo.form

Builder/General Contractor: Matthew Jardine, Aryze / @aryzedevelopments

Landscape Design: Bianca Bodely, Biophilia Collective / @biophiliadesign

Interior Design: Kyla Bidgood and Christi Rivard, Bidgood + Co. / @bidgoodco

Cabinetry Design/Installation: Royce Goodhew, Woodshop 506