A Builder-Basic Calgary Home Gets a Custom Makeover Nine Years Later

A modern renovation offers a fresh new look for a cookie-cutter Calgary home. 

Sometimes, it takes a while for a home to really feel like a home…. nine years, for example. But after living in their 2,000-square-foot basic builder home since 2010, one young Calgary couple decided it was time to truly make it their own.

“We wanted to reflect the young, stylish couple living here,” explains designer Reena Sotropa, principal of Reena Sotropa In House Design in Calgary. Together with junior designer Ania Dugan, Sotropa got to work upgrading the original builder-grade finishes, opening up the floor plan and working in a youthful palette that felt fresh. Goodbye, maple cabinets and track lighting, hello bohemian-modern design.

To maximize storage and improve the flow in the kitchen, Sotropa’s team removed the corner pantry and redesigned the layout. In this renovated space, white quartz counter tops are paired with two-tone white-and-grey cabinetry. The spare white subway tile was installed in a herringbone pattern, tying into the white glazed brick used for the fireplace surround in the living room.

Light hardwood with oiled finish runs throughout the main floor and a fresh coat of white paint on the walls brightens the space, while reclaimed timber details (floating shelves in the kitchen; the fireplace mantle) keep it feeling warm and welcoming.

A dark and moody lounge space in the front of the house creates a moment of intimacy and coziness that contrasts against the brightness of the rest of the main floor.

Though the homeowners originally commissioned Sotropa for just the main floor, the designer is already back in the house for part two: the homeowners are expecting a baby, and a new nursery means another opportunity to make a house feel like home.