“My clients, Sarah and Taylor, are a sweet young couple looking to start their own family after recently getting married,” says interior designer Lauren Watson. They’d bought a starter home on the outskirts of downtown Penticton, BC. “It’s a growing community as a lot of young families are moving out of Vancouver to the interior where they either grew up or have found more affordable housing. There are lots of cute new restaurants, breweries, and shops going in with the growth of the city.”
They tapped Lauren for the renovation of the entire house. “Their goals for the house were to create something unique. They wanted European-inspired interiors with lots of warmth and charm,” she recalls. “They had been travelling around the UK and marveling at all the boutique hotels they stayed at. Particularly, they were drawn to the look of a London townhome. They wanted to infuse color, playful tile patterns in the bathrooms, and said that unlacquered brass fixtures were a huge must.”
The look of the entry and stairwell needed to pop, as its first thing you see when you open the door to the house. “I love the contrast in the entry with the black painted stairs and railing, as well as the traditional octagon and bouchon patterned cement floor tile from Clé Tile,” Lauren says. “We added a schoolhouse pendant from Rejuvenation in the foyer and linen shaded sconces to light the stairwell.” In the living room, she utilized a similar high-contrast approach by painting the traditional fireplace mantel black.
In the kitchen, Taylor was drawn to the look of a red tiled floor. “We ran with that as the inspiration,” Lauren recalls. “We opted for a red, burgundy, and brown checkered tile look from Clé Tile, which was such a fun feature. For the rest of the space, we went with more clean and simple—flat white oak cabinetry, cream zellige backsplash, traditional unlacquered brass fixtures and light fixtures DeVOL Kitchen.”
The bathrooms achieved a similar treatment. The guest bathroom is soft and calm, with a nod to traditional European design. “We opted for a border-lined penny tile and tonal cream subway tile in a vertical stack for the walls from Ann Sacks,” Lauren shares. “The traditional unlacquered brass Waterworks bath and sink faucets were a focal point and a cute cafe curtain for the window finished off the space.” The second bathroom is a bit bolder. “The client loved the turquoise tile, but we didn’t want to overpower the small space, so we did half turquoise, half cream zellige tile,” the designer recalls. “A black and white basketweave floor tile added contrast. Unlacquered brass fixtures from Waterworks completed the space, while strategic tucked away cabinetry where the ceiling sloped allowed for extra storage.”
The mudroom was another space that got a high-style treatment. “They wanted to ensure the laundry and dryer were hidden so we had built-ins made to cover this,” Lauren says. “We used Salon Drab from Farrow & Ball as the cabinetry color—it’s this rich green-brown that played off the red and brown floor tile that carried in from the kitchen. A curtained sink was also a must, so we chose a classic striped fabric from Perennials.”
Since the house itself is small, the designer was smart in creating strategic areas for storage was crucial. “We opted for built-ins in the dining area, a wrap-around bench in the living room with built-in cabinets below, as well as a work bench in the mudroom for our client to do her potting or other housework,” she says. “This project took about 8 months to complete. They had such a strong preference for European design and were very open to more unique design ideas, which I think any designer can say makes a dream project and collaboration between the client and designer. They were overall so happy with the space, and it really matched their personal taste and lifestyle. It was very sweet to see them settled in the house a few months later when we photographed it.”
