“You’re going to get a call about a job,” read the mysterious text Francesca Albertazzi received back in 2020. “And the client is just like you: she loves gardening, antiques, horses and dogs.”

The Vancouver-based interior designer (principal of Studio Albertazzi) is always game for a new challenge, so the vagaries piqued her interest — but she never could have guessed that the surprise client would turn out to be the one and only Pamela Anderson.

“I never thought I’d say this in my life, but Pamela and I do have a lot in common,” laughs Albertazzi. “We really got along.” The two formed a true connection when Albertazzi took on a multi-phase design project for Anderson, helping transform her long-time family property in Ladysmith, B.C. (which had been virtually untouched for 25 years), into a truly personal, deeply romantic home base.

The exterior of the Roadhouse.
The Roadhouse kitchen.

The outdoor dining space, on the patio of the Roadhouse.

The whole process was documented for HGTV Canada’s Pamela’s Garden of Eden. (Albertazzi formerly worked on Love It or List It, so the complexities of designing alongside a television production was second nature.) “I’m not someone who gets starstruck, I want to treat everyone as humans,” says Albertazzi. “I wanted to listen to what she wanted, and ultimately that was to try to get back to her roots.”

As anyone who watched the recent Pamela, a Love Story Netflix doc knows, “Pamela leads with her heart,” says Albertazzi. “She communicates from her heart and soul.” The actress has been collecting wicker furniture for decades, and had a deep love of vintage and theatrical pieces—so is it any surprise her brief to Albertazzi was to embrace romance, layers and whimsy?

The Roadhouse basement.

Designer Francesca Albertazzi in the rustic-chic basement, perfect for a self-proclaimed “domestic goddess” like Anderson.

Anderson also was committed to respecting the history of the six-acre property—both from her family’s perspective and the First Nations’ history of British Columbia. “There’s so much information on this site, she spoke so eloquently about the trees on the property and her memories of sitting with her dad, watching the sky,” says Albertazzi. “She wanted to respect it all, and create not just a place her family can feel comfortable in, but a place that will have a legacy and longevity.”

The ‘Arcady’ front room in the Roadhouse features vintage furniture pieces and cafe-like functionality.

The heritage-style road house was refreshed extensively; the cozy porch was extended and is now decked out with Anderson’s collection of vintage wicker pieces, with fresh custom cushions in fabric from Rokko’s Sarees and Fabrics. Anderson and her mom love to sit out there, watching the world roll by as they sip on iced tea. Remedy Eco Design redid the front garden, complete with a curved archway and a trellis.

A funny little front room of the road house had served a few different purposes over the years, but when Albertazzi found out it used to be a store run by Anderson’s grandparents, she took the concept and ran with it. The sweet little den features a custom central counterpiece from Scott Landon antiques that echoes the sales counter where Anderson used to buy candy and cigarettes for her dad. Some shelving, a mini fridge, sink and espresso machine turn the space into a personal café of sorts—quartz-composite top tables and vintage chairs (now upholstered in a fresh green fabric) lean right into the French boulangerie vibe. A charming Cole and Son wallpaper printed with hummingbirds was installed above woodsy wainscoting (the boards here are repurposed from Anderson’s childhood bedroom). “’Funky grandma’s’ is the vibe” laughs Albertazzi. Photos of Anderson by David LaChapelle are hung with care.

Inside the guest cabin, blue cabinetry nods to the palette of the West Coast sea views.

In the kitchen, Anderson can cook at the Wolfe range installed in the island and look through the French doors out to the backyard and rose garden. Most of her dinners take place outside under a glass and timber awning, around the wood tables and chairs. “The overhang allows her to host even Christmas dinner out there,” says Albertazzi, who points out that heaters were installed too.

The cabin bathroom has a charming floral wallpaper.
A garden swing is a romantic place to lounge and admire the roses beneath fairy lights.

The basement of the house got a makeover, too. “Pamela is a self-proclaimed domestic goddess, she loves ironing, and really painted a picture for me of her ironing while listening to records and drinking a glass of rosé,” says Albertazzi. And so, she got a gorgeous new mudroom worthy of this dreamy scene.

The property used to have several rental cabins on site, but only one remains, and this guest cottage got the Albertazzi touch as well, with new powder-blue cabinetry and an glazed ocean-blue backsplash tile from World Mosaic Tile in the kitchen. A stunning Colefax and Fowler wallpaper in the bathroom here echoes the climbing hydrangea in the garden out front, and a great built-in sofa creates a cozy spot for guests to curl up in a sunbeam.

A potting shed like no other.

Albertazzi took inspiration from her own greenhouse to design Anderson’s. It’s a whimsical, glass-ceilinged shack to house everything Anderson needs for tending to her beloved rose garden. Though there’s one element here that makes it clear just whose greenhouse this is. “I would never call her choices superfluous: she just loves layers. When she says ‘let’s have a chandelier in the greenhouse because I love chandeliers,’ you listen.”

Pamela’s Garden of Eden is available to stream in Canada on STACKTV

PROJECT CREDITS
Images courtesy of: HGTV Canada
Design: Studio Albertazzi 
Contractor: Kenny Gemmil
Construction: Vertex 8 Ventures
Landscaping: Remedy Eco Design
Cabinetry: J. Gobeil Kitchen and Splash
Florals: Zingaro
Upholster: Cobble Hill Upholstery Services
Vintage Pieces: Bella Vintage
Fabrics and Window Treatments: Rokko’s Sarees and Fabrics

Originally published June 2023