a Vancouver design team reinvents an uninhabitable cabin and produces a wistful paradise on Mayne Island.

When Kerry Johnson and Ian McLeod got their acre of waterfront on Mayne Island and claimed an old cabin with walls yellowed from years of chain-smoking, they knew they had a hidden gem. “We know how to look through clutter to see the bones of a house,” McLeod said, “each floor has told us what to do.”The duo transformed the living room from its ’60s era, boxy design into a nostalgic, Mad Men-esque, open-concept space. Johnson and McLeod polished the original cedar ceilings, built and painted the coffee table with a vintage finish, and placed ’50s-style sofas to induce the impression of a cottage that has been passed down for generations. McLeod refers to the living room as “Sinatra goes to Tahoe.” See more of this vintage-cool cabin.

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