Photos by Ema Peter

When vintage houses like this come on the market in the heritage-light city of Vancouver, one question inevitably arises: is it important to save them? Architect Clinton Cuddington is no stranger to the preservation discussion. He spent years on the Shaughnessy design advisory council, discussing the value of older homes. His argument? Each should be assessed by its true assets rather than by its birthdate. €œthere'sanother, more hysterical approach to conservation,€ he says, €œwhich is the €˜endangered species€™ approach. That we must save all predates because we're losing the fabric of our neighbourhood. I don't subscribe to that.€

Instead, Cuddington and his firm, Measured Architecture, look at predate homes like the one here, and figure out what's worth saving, and what isn€™t. €œIt allows for a grafting and alteration of the home, which is clearly contemporary, but drawing inspiration from the past,€ he explains.

This 1930s home had poor connection to the outdoors, and limited natural light. Architect Clinton Cuddington worked with the homeowner to both enhance the interior design with millwork and moulding that were of the era, and bring in the light, as with the sliding Eclipse doors off the living room.
The living room before the renovation.

In a lot of ways, It's a very old-world approach€”to modernize a space while respecting its past€”which made Measured the right fit for the U.K. transplants who purchased the home. €œThat's the condition in London,€ says Cuddington. €œThey€™re not looking to mimic the past, they€™re looking to contrast it€”to preserve it while adding contemporary flourishes to the structure.€

Ground zero for the reno really was ground level (or just below it). Rather than adding an extension to the home, the team was able to expand the usable square footage in the house by digging out the basement, and creating proper height on its lowest level. The space now leads out to the backyard, and provides a play area for the kids, along with a guest bedroom.

Cuddington had the lowest level excavated another 18 inches down, creating a more livable space. It's now a playroom for the kids and movie-night hangout, and there'sa guest bedroom on this level as well.
The basement before it was lowered.

And the second, equally important focus of the reno was access to light, says Cuddington. Older buildings tend to have smaller windows, to compensate for how inefficient single glazing was: big windows equalled big heat loss. €œFor these projects, we're always looking for space to rip the skin apart, to find those moments where we can increase connectivity to the landscape and beyond,€ says Cuddington. €œWe really focused on opening up the back side of the living room.€ A new Eclipse door system folds open to a new outdoor balcony when the weather warms, the deck itself lined with trellis hoops for vines to grow up along. 

Upstairs, the team restructured the upper floor so that the master bedroom received an updated balcony, too, and its adjoining master bathroom was given extra attention. Rather than finishing the shower with a classic tile, they opted for something a little more unusual: hand-finished Venetian plaster. €œwe're always looking for an opportunity to work with local artisans,€ says Cuddington. €œIn this case, we worked with a true Venetian plasterer, who splits his time between Italy and Vancouver.€ 

The shower features hand-finished Venetian plaster.
The family bathroom features a marble tub that's large enough for all of the kids€”there are three of them€”to pile into, a request of the homeowners. 

Throughout, the home is furnished with an eclectic blend of new classics, like the Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs in the dining room, and refurbished antiques scouted on 1st Dibs online. (The homeowners collaborated on the design of the interior, says Cuddington, and were great sleuths in finding many of the final pieces.) Soft colours were selected for the walls throughout. €œAll of them were meant to be easy on the eyes, with a lot of pastels and more historic, traditional colours,€ says Cuddington. €œThere was a goal to bring colours through in a manner that was not accent, but to bring weight to the rooms.€ The crown moulding, wainscotting and fireplace surrounds were brought into the new design as well. €œThe original 1930s home was quite modest,€ he notes. €œWe adorned it in a way that was a bit whimsical, drawing from a number of styles. It's a real mash-up.€

Renovation complete, the formerly humble space is now a home that's both a celebration of the modern and a reclamation of the best of its history€”a design that might surprise followers of Measured's other work. €œPeople know us to be that contemporary firm,€ says Cuddington. €œThey€™re always surprised this when this comes off of the end of our paintbrush.€  

The kitchen features custom millwork with brass pulls on the doors and drawers, along with a polished brass faucet. Light switches look like historic punch switches, but are actually new from Rejuvenation Hardware. The sage green throughout is intentionally soft and easy on the eye, but historic in colour. €œWhether It's a mash-up of a restoration or a new build, colour is one of those great unifiers,€ says Cuddington.
The kitchen, before.
The dining area is a great example of the kind of mash-up design that Cuddington talks about. The chairs are modern Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs, while the chandelier is original. The millwork on the walls is new, but feels like It's always been there.
The living room, before.
Cuddington's team restructured the building so there could be an upper-level balcony off of the master bedroom
In the kids’ room, a window nook offers a quiet spot to read€”but so do cozy cushions.

Originally published April 2019