Art and design may be subjective, but we have a feeling everyone will love these spaces just as much as we do. Filled with paintings, sculptures and objets d’art, these homes are like one-of-a-kind museums. Keep on scrolling to see what we mean.

Local Legends

A lot of homeowners collect pieces from international artists—but not Shannon Heth and George Vergette. Their East Vancouver heritage house is filled with works from local artists, including Evan Lee, Peter Schuyff and even Vergette’s own work. Tour this eclectic family abode.

Gallery Wall

This open-concept Vancouver home has a gallery-like setting, perfect for showcasing the owners’ art collection. Bold canvases, like this Graham Gillmore piece at the head of the dining table, take up entire walls. Elsewhere, you’ll find works by Andy Warhol and Gordon Smith. Step inside this lofty space.

Souvenir Shop

From a Roman bust to a Maxwell Bates painting, designer Douglas Crindland’s collection has it all. He’s spent decades collecting objects, sculptures and artworks—many of which were picked up on his travels. “That’s what I love most in my life, more than furniture or a set of Boffi kitchen cabinets,” he says. “I like art that, to me, is the individuality of my style.” Check out the rest of this Calgary penthouse.

Cool Contrast

Paintings and prints are often displayed on white walls, but that’s not the case in designer Martine Ast’s living room. She used a striking black to create the perfect foil for the boldly coloured artwork by Aron Hill. The vintage arm chairs and patterned throw pillows further play up this high-contrast look. See how else she updated this ’70s-era Calgary home.

Photo: Ema Peter

Threads Up

There’s a lot of amazing artwork scattered throughout this North Vancouver home. Owner Lyndon Cormack, founder of Herschel Supply Co., has a painting by Scott Sueme, a sculpture by Cameron Kerr, a piece by visual artist Jamie Reid and more than 350 Bocci fixtures (yes, the lighting counts as art too). And then there’s the hand-wrapped fibre sculptures by installation artist Joel S. Allen that hang above the dining table—our favourite piece by far! Explore this waterfront oasis designed by Omer Arbel.

Photo: Krista Jahnke

Art House

Sometimes, you pick art to suit your home. Other times, you renovate a home to suit your art. At least that’s what Stark Architecture helped Whistler residents Michelle and Mark Foster do. “The first thing to happen when we moved in was to hang the artwork,” says Michelle. “We knew exactly where every piece would go.” See the before and after photos from this Whistler reno.

Photo: Joel Klassen

Custom Commission

Alison Connor and Aly Velji made sure that each piece in these homeowners’ incredible art collection could be properly showcased. The fireplace mantle, for example, was elongated so that a piece from John McKee would be framed by the millwork rather than just left to float in the space. Check out the rest of this colourful Calgary home.

Organized Chaos

Ben Leavitt of PlaidFox Studio somehow managed to create a cohesive look using a wild art collection—one that features African masks, a Buddha bust, a deer lawn ornament, a fire hydrant and vintage communist prints from Vietnam. His secret? “Just put it all in there and play with it,” he says. Peek inside this eclectic Gastown apartment.

Kaitlyn Funk

Kaitlyn Funk

Kaitlyn is a design-obsessed writer, editor and content manager based in Vancouver. When she's not busy swooning over gorgeous homes, you can find her reading, hiking and befriending as many dogs as possible.