The exterior was a common sight: that of a classic 1970s-era suburban home with a facade of red brick and beige siding, a garage the most prominent feature. Inside, it had a split-level plan with beige carpeting inset into wood flooring, and a cluttered kitchen was visible from the front door. A mishmash of windows restricted views of the backyard.

The bland architecture wasn’t servicing the owners, a couple with two children, so they made plans for a top-to-bottom remodel and reached out to Vancouver interiors firm Falken Reynolds. “My first impression on walking into the house was that it was a really warm, family home,” says designer Kelly Reynolds. “It felt well lived-in, but it was definitely not functioning.”

Before: Exterior

After: Exterior

The front door opened into the living room, and the position of the kitchen was inhibiting flow between spaces. The dining room wasn’t very comfortable for hanging out, and the family room, located off the garage, was “a lounge space that doubled as a hallway,” says designer Chad Falkenberg. “Lifestyles have changed since the ’70s. The family wanted something that felt a little more practical for today.”

Before: Dining Room and Kitchen

After: Living and Dining Room

Storage was also an issue. “The kitchen was running at full capacity and there was just no more room,” says Reynolds. The owners asked the design team to find a better balance between storage and living spaces, emphasizing their desire for areas to gather, quiet corners to study or read, and lots of seamless cabinetry.

Before: Kitchen, Family Room, and Study

During: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

The designers started by joining all the main living spaces along the rear of the house. New large windows in the living and dining room that run to the floor connect the interiors to the backyard, as does a large glass door in the kitchen.

Two steps between the dining room and kitchen were kept intact as a nod to the home’s ’70s roots, and they now make for casual seating during a party. More elements that are great while entertaining are the kitchen’s large island, a pantry around the corner that hides clutter, and the mudroom, which now has floor-to-ceiling storage and a hand-washing station.

Before: Hallway

After: Mudroom and Pantry

“Lifestyles have changed since the ’70s. The family wanted something that felt a little more practical for today.”
—Chad Falkenberg, interior designer

The formal living room at the front of the house is now the den, or what the family calls the “think room,” a flex/study area that can open to the rest of the living areas with sliding walls. Built-in desks and a window seat create functional nooks, and whitened ash slatting runs the length of the room and connects to the entry, framing the threshold between spaces.

Now, the cheerful, open home suits the family living in it in a way that it never could before, thanks to all of the customized spaces. “They’re such warm and loving people—optimistic and adventurous,” says Falkenberg. “I think we captured that in the house.”

Before: Formal Living Room

After: Think Room

After: En Suite Bathroom

After: Gym

More Before & After:

Before & After: A Rustic Austin Home Gets a Dose of California Cool

Before & After: A Gloomy Brooklyn Brownstone Gets Spruced Up With Splashes of Color

Project Credits:

Interior Design: Falken Reynolds / @falkenreynolds

Builder: Alair Homes Calgary

Landscape Design: Baber Design Build

Millworker: Sunview Custom Cabinets

Flooring: Divine Flooring

Stone and Tile Work: Alberta Marble & Tile

Electrical Contractor: Three60 Electrical

Windows: Lux Windows

Styling Suppliers: KIT Interior Objects, Martin Byers - Thank U, Black Earth Flor, Somn Home