Credit: Kitchen Art Design

Room by room, custom touches and cabinetry elevate a young family’s home.

When designing their home from scratch, one young East Vancouver family sought a transitional design that fit with the traditional heritage of the area and their modern tastes. A close working collaboration between Turco Homes, Kalu Interiors and Kitchen Art Design (KAD) made this dream possible. The family consulted with local home builder Jordan Turcotte of Turco Homes, and Turcotte was able to identify with their needs. He saw a natural fit with talented designer Phyllis Lui, co-founder of Kalu Interiors. Together, Kalu and Turco created an exceptional design-build pairing and were able to blend both heritage elements and the family's modern lifestyle, while at the same time anchoring the spaces around durable and kid-friendly materials that would wear well (even with a young toddler and cat on the loose).

Credit: Kitchen Art Design

The palette for the home is decidedly light and airy, with generous washes of grey marble, soothing tones of oatmeal and ample use of white rift oak. Not only does this create a zen respite for the homeowners, but Lui wanted to build a neutral foundation that the family could personalize with changing decor and coloured accents as time goes on.

Credit: Kitchen Art Design

For the kitchen, Lui worked closely with KAD to create a multifunctional space that fit perfectly with the rest of the home. The first step was to discover the homeowner's needs, then talk design inspiration. Builder Turco Homes has had a long relationship working with KAD and knew the quality of work they do, their attention to detail and level of service would be ideal for the project€”plus KAD manufactures all their cabinets right here in Vancouver.

You can see the custom white shaker cabinets accented with a vertical grain white oak on the kitchen island and floating shelves (which add a modern, Scandinavian touch to the wall).

Working with KAD, Lui was able to customize so many elements to maximize the function and style of the kitchen, including a custom hood fan. Other highlights from the kitchen include a quartzite waterfall countertop in Super White, panelled appliances that add to the understated look, eye-catching oversized pendant lights from Ralph Lauren and a Calacatta marble backsplash that adds both warmth and sophistication.

Credit: Kitchen Art Design

KAD designed and supplied all the cabinetry in the house, including in the master bedroom. In this space, Lui opted for a custom bed with closets on either side to integrate the nightstands, as well as push-to-open storage drawers underneath and a hotel-chic, floor-to-ceiling upholstered headboard. The wood finish is white oak to match the rest of the house and maintain that soft, airy feeling throughout. Delicate, ornate pendant lighting on either side of the bed eliminates the need for lamps and adds a beautiful decorative touch. One of the master bedroom's most eye-catching features is the see-through fireplace that leads to the spa-like master bathroom€”another custom feature.

Credit: Kitchen Art Design

The herringbone tile adds texture and visual interest in the master bathroom, while marble-style porcelain was used on the walls to provide an elegant backdrop for timeless white shaker cabinetry. To get the look Lui wanted, KAD made custom U-shaped drawers within the sink cabinets cut to size after the plumbing went in.

Credit: Kitchen Art Design

Similar ingenuity was applied to the office, where illuminated cabinets and light grey geo-patterned wallpaper combine to turn necessary storage into an attractive feature wall. Hidden out of sight are also an E-cargo recycling bin and roll-out trays in the base cabinets to maximize cupboard space.

Credit: Kitchen Art Design

The light palette continues in the living room, where traditional ceiling details offer that extra touch of refinement.

In every room the home feels calm and bright, and yet connected, with special details and cabinetry features that elevate the homeowner's everyday living.