Page 78 - Designing Ways 267
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Referencing one homeowner’s profession as a ceramicist, the notion
of tactility and craft permeates the home through materials, forms,
patterns, and textures. Suggesting a complementary hybrid of
Scandinavian and Mediterranean influences, the wood cabinetry,
screens, and flooring in warm white oak are accented by concrete and
Carrara marble sinks, antiqued brass fixtures, and hand-moulded
clay pendants. A clean backdrop of white walls and shelving provides
a blank canvas to showcase the family’s collection of art, tapestries,
and sculpture from local artists, along with artifacts gathered during
travels abroad, and the owner’s own ceramics. Colour animates
the interstitial spaces of the home – terracotta tiles are laid in a
herringbone pattern in the entry foyer, and a wall of geometric
cerulean blue tiles defines the bar between the kitchen and dining
room.
Underpinned by an aesthetic of fluid contours – a deliberate contrast
to the rectilinear floorplan – the house’s interior elements appear
sculpted rather than built. The helical staircase connecting all four
floors is a focal point that expresses the home’s sense of flow. Awash
in natural light from the skylight above, the winding balustrade
and natural oak treads cast shifting shadows throughout the day.
According to principal Heather Dubbeldam, “Curvilinear forms
are employed throughout – arched openings between rooms incite
anticipation as they frame views of what lies beyond, resonating
with curved walls, display nooks, the kitchen island and banquette –
further enhancing the house’s sculptural sensibility.”
78 Issue 267 • dw

