Elevating a Penthouse in Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver

It isn’t every home that comes with jaw-dropping water and mountain vistas. But that was the case with this Vancouver penthouse with its sweeping vistas of Horseshoe Bay flooding into almost every room. Designed to maximize its dramatic natural setting, windows and walls contour to the topography, resulting in open-flow, occassionaly oddly shaped rooms.

“The shape and layout of this home could have thrown us off,” says designer Samantha Lim of Slim Studios. “Instead of trying to avoid it, however, we embraced it heavily in the living space. Having the modular sofa placed closer to the window and offsetting it from the fireplace creates an intuitive flow while effortlessly embracing the views.”

Lim selected the sofa from Rove Concepts: With its right angles and ultra plush upholstery, she was able to accommodate the shape of the room, while adding a sense of softness to the cleaned-lined, more minimal architecture. “I am a huge fan of modular sofas. They can be configured to fit almost any space and if you do end up moving somewhere large you can always purchase another piece to add to your existing sofa,” says the designer.

Lim further extended the home’s connection to place through color and materials: “The PNW backdrop lends us a beautiful palette to work with: Rich greens, warm earth tones and vibrant blue waters,” says Lim. “I selected walnut finishes for the bedroom and dining room to help captures the West Coast forest accent without looking too rustic. I gravitate towards walnut — it always has a way of elevating a space.”

Despite the fact that open-plan living can present its design challenges, Lim says that it can provide the ultimate setting for gatherings and easy entertaining: “I love an open concept where you and your guests can mingle in the same space but can be doing totally different activities. I purposefully went with a low profile sofa so we don't block the view, because it is breathtaking from all angles of the living space. The space is cozy with the fireplace, tailored from the finishes and architectural lines, and lastly playful with all the fun shapes and colours we added with the furnishings and accessories."