Inspiration Gallery: 21 Great Spaces

While this home is at a relatively busy intersection, director Sean Pearson of Vancouver's RUF Project was able to create a sense of privacy without shutting out the outside world€”despite the fact that many of the (mostly glass) walls disappear altogether in the summer. A series of wooden louvres outside and that gorgeous floor-to-ceiling fireplace inside create a sense of intimacy without feeling closed in. And the fireplace pulls double duty: it also disguises a concrete column, which disappears behind the black mirrored glass at its midpoint. (Photo: John Sinal.)rufproject.com

A traditional sofa is piled with a selection of brightly patterned cushions; a cushy side chair channels industrial-cool with a pair of caster feet; an art deco fireplace mantel is layered with vintage frames; a mid-century Saarinen end table brings a modern touch. It's an eclectic mix of styles, all anchored by a bold black-and-white chevron rug, and one that gives this new-build Calgary house a sense of history. €œIncorporating elements from different eras makes it feel like it's not just a home that's popped up out of nowhere,€ explains Calgary designer Natalie Fuglestveit. (Photo: Lindsay Nichols.)nfinteriordesign.com

By laying clean drywall overtop massive expanses of load-bearing plywood, designer Adam Becker eliminated the search for studs in this Vancouver condo€”artwork can now be hung anywhere. €œThis space is the cleanest I€™ve ever done. There are no baseboards anywhere. All walls float,€ says Becker. And while the art in this space may be contemporary, much of the furniture is old-school, like the vintage blue leather Knole sofa and chairs, and the classic Saarinen side table. (Photo: Martin Tessler.)abeckerdesign.com

The first step in this Vancouver loft renovation was to strip things back to bare bones to let a gorgeous brick wall and wood beams shine. €œWe wanted the existing architectural elements to have a chance to speak for themselves,€ says designer Sophie Burke. In the open-concept living area, a wood-burning fireplace was swapped out for a modern corner gas unit. Now a cozy, grey-upholstered Bensen sofa and slouchy Coyuchi pillows make this the ideal place to curl up and get comfy. (Photo: David Strongman.)sophieburkedesign.com

A gorgeous double skylight infuses this airy Burnaby living room with sunshine, even on the greyest of days. Designer Sarah Marie Lackey brought in a grey, white and cream palette to make the most of it, and had a creative solution for letting some of that natural light spread elsewhere in the home, too. €œWe installed a screen instead of a wall as a way to hide the entryway but still let the light be fluid,€ she explains. (Photo: Tracey Ayton.)sarahmarieinteriors.com

When the homeowners brought Calgary designer Sylvie Croteau-Willard of Collage Interiors on board to bring a modern update to their condo, they also brought a vintage piece along with them: a Duncan Phyfe dining set belonging to her grandmother. The standard update might have been just an all-white lacquer, but Croteau-Willard gave the captain's chairs at each end a fun twist: one blue, one yellow. The seats are recovered in a grey faux snakeskin€”perfect for a family with young kids, and perfectly fun. (Photo: Paulina Ochoa.)collageinteriors.ca

While concrete floors might have been the de facto choice in this ultra-modern space, homeowner Liana Fediuk flipped convention: concrete on the walls, wood on the floor. The finish of the wide oak planks€”a custom oil treatment, with the wood grain shining through, gives a whitewash look€”isn€™t as easy to accomplish as it might appear. €œIt took about six months of samples,€ says designer Tanya Schoenroth, who worked with Fediuk on the home. (Photo: Janis Nicolay.)tanyaschoenroth.com

With only 600 square feet of space to work with in this Nanoose Bay, B.C., vacation suite, incorporating built-in storage was a no-brainer for designer Angela Robinson. She installed a custom-upholstered dining bench against a hand-stained wood feature wall that lifts up to reveal a stash of cleaning supplies. €œIf we€™d used four chairs, the space would€™ve looked too busy and cluttered,€ notes Robinson; instead, she added just two Ikea chairs across the table to round out the seating options in this Scandinavian-inspired space. (Photo: Janis Nicolay.)angelarobinson.ca

This modern Calgary kitchen is all clean lines and smooth surfaces, from the lacquered island and thin stainless counters to the bold red back-painted glass backsplash and grey rift-cut oak cabinets€”except for that hit of warmth in the form of a live-edge dining table. €œI€™m always very interested in mixing something highly tailored with something a little less formal and more organic,€ says Rachael Gray, principal of architecture firm Gray Partnership. The result doesn€™t take away from that very structured feel to the room, which becomes all the livelier thanks to its mix-and-match bar stools. (Photo: Martin Tessler.)graypartnership.com

If you entertain frequently, your entryway should have plenty of room to welcome partygoers (and it doesn€™t hurt to set the tone with a swath of bold, beautiful wallpaper and a cozy bench for easy shoe-tying action). €œWe must€™ve redesigned the stairs four or five times to make sure it wouldn€™t be cramped,€ laughs Cam Kraychy of Calgary's Rocky Point Custom Homes. (Photo: John Bilodeau.)rockypointhomes.com

Vancouver designer Ami McKay installed a sculptural, curving staircase and a custom oversized pivoting door to take advantage of the scale of this West Coast contemporary home. €œThe visual weight of these key elements along with the mix of natural materials€”travertine, warm woods€”brings in a laid-back-luxe kind of vibe as soon as you walk in the door,€ McKay explains. (Photo: Janis Nicolay.)purebyamimckay.com

A textured rug, oak flooring and beautiful balcony millwork bring a sense of warmth into an open, airy space. €œThis was a new unit, but the finishes were very cold,€ says Hollam Design's Adria Brotzel of this Vancouver home. €œOur biggest goal was to warm up the entrance.€ Even the monochromatic elements have some personality: the all-white wall is lined with horizontal moulding detail that adds some vital texture. (Photo: Jason Statler.)hollamdesign.com

To be fair, this wall is two storeys€”but until Rick Wilson from Radius Architectural Millwork got involved, it was just another slab of concrete in this Vancouver condo. The homeowner was looking for room to house guests in his one-bedroom loft, so Wilson came up with the Murphy bed-and-millwork design on the main floor, with a raw steel gangplank above to reach a second level of storage. The ladder gives access to the second floor, but don€™t worry about any awkward carrying€”the pulley system, inspired by the client's love of boats, allows for heavier articles to be hauled up to the second storey. (Photo: Marcos Armstrong.)radiuswood.com

While the rest of this home is done up with bold colour, the bedroom was designed as a respite. But designer Ben Leavitt of Fox Design skipped the classic white-on-white in favour of richer neutrals: beige, grey, silver and gold. €œWe were trying to keep it wildly interesting, but as simple as possible,€ laughs Leavitt. And interesting it is: above the bed, a curved ceiling is decked out in silver leading to reflect the light of the chandelier at night; in the connected reading room, a resin garden sculpture shaped like a sheep has been painted white and installed behind the sofa to be visible from the bed. €œIt plays on that idea of counting sheep,€ Leavitt says. (Photo: Tracey Ayton.)foxdesignstudio.ca

In this Gulf Island home designed by Carrie McCarthy of Carrie McCarthy Studio and Tanja Hinder of Marrimor, the natural, earthy palette of linens and woods is anything but dull thanks to the pair's thoughtful use of texture throughout the space. Ripple-fold linen drapes line the walls, creating a cocoon-like effect at night; on the bed, a linen duvet pairs with a knit throw cushion and silky throw at the foot; and even the bed itself offers visual texture, with its warp and weft linen coverlet. And the pièce de résistance: that lush wool area rug, a cozy place to step each morning. (Photo: Janis Nicolay.)

To introduce some visual interest into a crisp, clean all-white space€”a Vancouver garage that had been converted to a writing and teaching office for the client€”designer Andrea McLean bypassed colour and texture in favour of a hit of pattern. The floors are covered in a festive Spanish porcelain tile, an eclectic look that complements the room's playful character: across from the desk, a wall made up of reclaimed window frames lets in a gorgeous garden view. (Photo: Luis Valdizon.)andreamclean.ca