Before and After: From ’70s Suburb to Modern British Manor

We know, we know: everyone is tired of the word “pivot.” But there’s no other way to describe how the owners of this handsome Calgary home came into interior designer Alykhan Velji’s orbit.

“They had started some revisions on the house already and knew they wanted to update it with a traditional aesthetic,” explains Velji. “They just hit a block and didn’t know how to move forward.” The 3,300-square-foot project was already half demolished, but the planned layout just didn’t feel quite right. The homeowners listened to their instincts and made the bold move of changing course, turning to Velji to help the space find its proper final form.

The home is located in Calgary’s Varsity Estates neighbourhood, close to the university, where the streets are lined with spacious lots and big, beautiful estate homes. Velji reworked the floor plans to change the placement of the kitchen and aesthetically took the project in a fresh direction, albeit one that nods to the past: a British manor made modern.

The black-and-white Tierra Sol tiles in the entryway introduce the visual concept with a punch. “The over-scaled checkerboard was perfect for the entry,” says Velji. “We wanted to keep the vibe of a stately, large foyer and make it super dramatic.” The homeowners are big antique lovers, so Velji worked pieces from their existing collection into the refreshed space, like the vintage console table sourced from Labode Shoppe and Interiors that sits by the front door beneath an artful Arteriors light fixture.

In the powder room at the home’s entrance, Velji incorporated a beautiful mash-up of textures—a vintage-inspired Rebel Walls wallpaper, café-style blinds made from gorgeous linen from Maxwell Fabrics, richly veined marble on the countertops. “More is more, especially in powder rooms,” says Velji. “It’s an opportunity to go a bit beyond what you are comfortable with, experiment and have fun!”

Bold moments like that powder room and the entry are balanced by cool, calm, neutral moments like the hallway (“It’s a reprieve,” says Velji), but ducking into the dining room, the drama is back in full force. Here, crown moulding on the ceiling adds old-school elegance, while the wall-to-wall-to-ceiling slate-grey paint (Benjamin Moore’s Cheating Heart) gives the space a thoroughly modern twist. The custom dining table is lined with two different styles of chairs from Crate and Barrel—on the end, a pair of stately seats covered in luxe moss-green velvet; on the sides, streamlined wood-framed chairs that keep the room feeling airy.

The moody palette here ties into the kitchen island in the next room, where dark stained oak cabinets form the base. Mixed hardware (find antique brass alongside polished nickel) adds a sense of history. “I love mixing metals,” says Velji. “It just makes for a curated-looking space.” Through a pocket door, a hyper-organized butler’s pantry is kitted out with the same checkerboard floor tiles as the front hall—and swoon-worthy pale green cabinets.

Those checkered tiles make one more surprise appearance elsewhere in the house: in front of the living room fireplace. What was once a brick-clad wood-burning hearth has been remodelled with a quirky, curvaceous plaster frame. “It’s a stunner,” says Velji. It’s also the focal point of a room intended to be what Velji describes as a “refuge” for the homeowners and their two active, athletic kids. “The clients have a very busy lifestyle. When they come home, they want this to be a calming space where they could relax,” he says. “Nothing is too precious here.” The library down the hall is another oasis for the kids during homework time, featuring an organic mural-like wallpaper from House of Hackney. “Wallpaper can really transform a space,” notes Velji. “It’s a detail that envelops the room and makes it feel cozy and rich.”

We’ll never know what this house might have become if the homeowners had stuck to the original renovation strategy—but Velji’s back-up plan managed to reveal the home it was always meant to be.

Scroll on to see the Before and After photos

BEFORE

AFTER