Homes for the Holidays: A Whistler Holiday Home That Redefines Mountain Elegance

Ann Marie Platt and her family have spent the last 24 or so Christmases in Whistler. Even from indoors, the mountain views—snow-capped peaks, towering evergreen trees, wildlife ambling by—are synonymous with the season. “You get that whole snow-on-the-cedars feeling through the windows,” says Platt. So when it came time to renovate the family’s recreational property, Ami McKay of Vancouver’s Pure Design looked outside for interior inspiration.

“Classic Whistler is very chunky,” says McKay, who knew that the home’s original orange-y woods and thick detailing would have to go. Instead, the designer opted for a light, bright and warm ash to cover the floors and ceilings, complementing the more neutral colours found in the surrounding forest. “This is our weekend retreat, but also where we get the outdoors into our lives and escape the city,” says Platt, noting that her three adult children are all graduates of Whistler’s kids’ ski programs.

There are whimsical nods to snow sports throughout the home: in the vintage skis leaning lazily against the living room wall, in the chairlift photographs perched on guest room shelves, in the chalkboard drawing hanging next to the dining table. The chalk sketch was doodled by Platt’s husband, Steve, who influenced every part of this project but sadly passed away of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma before the renovation was complete. “Steve had just scribbled it on there,” says Platt, “and now the little doodle is immortalized in the dining room.”

McKay points out that the cushioned dining chairs were Steve’s request, too. “They have beautiful meals where they all sit there and stay for a long time,” says the designer, “so it meant a lot to him to have chairs that were insanely cozy.” The minimalist dining room only needs a few festive details to dress up for the holidays: evergreen boughs framing the windows, fur throws tossed on the backs of chairs and a few pinecones, handmade vases and sculptural antlers on the table.

On any given night in December, the party eventually moves to the living room, where the dramatic vaulted ceiling dressed in that beautiful ash wood allows plenty of room for the family’s Christmas tree. “That’s where everybody migrates to—we carry our drinks in, our desserts; that’s where all the conversation is,” says Platt. McKay was more than happy to decorate the tree in playful, neutral-toned decorations like pom-pom garlands, artificial mushrooms and metal stars. (She started her design career as a florist and says she’s had enough of decking out mansions that are “dripping Christmas.”) Some presents are wrapped with paper, but most have a more textural, luxury feel thanks to wrapping made from tea towels or cloth napkins. Many of the reusable linen packages have a small ornament attached, too. “You get multiple little gifts in just one present,” McKay points out.

Want more festive ideas? Check out this Victoria holiday home decked out in festive cheer (and Christmas trees).

Platt says the Croft House sectional is one of her favourite spots to relax, and, design-wise, it’s a win for McKay: “The base is forged in metal, so it sits really proudly off the floor,” she says. “It’s very sturdy, but also contemporary and clean and minimal.” For the homeowner, it’s the ideal vantage point to gaze out the black-and-ash framed windows. “When I’m in the house, I like looking out at the trees,” says Platt, “so I didn’t want a lot of distraction inside—I wanted it calm and airy.”

That meant the art on the wall was hung sparingly and with intention: that chalkboard drawing, Vancouver felt artist Chantal Cardinal’s birch stick series, the stunning bear painting by Squamish-based Mathias Horne, who is a friend of the family. “Steve very much wanted a bear like the ones we see wandering up and down our street,” says Platt. “It’s very sentimental… there’s a lot of emotion attached to all of this.” Inside and outside of Christmastime, this home is made of meaningful touches and deliberate details that honour both the wilderness and the people who adore it. “They have so much joy, naturally, in their family,” says McKay. “It was such a joyful project for me to work on.”

More photos of the holiday transformation…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This holiday home story was originally published in the November/December 2024 print issue of Western Living magazine.