| Elka Nowicka and Paul Pallan have a room with a view at the top of King George Terrace. It's a signature Wilkin treatment and the motif repeats itself throughout this house in not only windows, but also the main staircase where open rectangles line the stairwell. This device allows light to pass through and expands sight lines on the main floor. "I do a lot of big, stacked windows," said Wilkin. "They are simple but grand. "I had every intention of using it for all my work, but I get so distracted . " One of the couple's favourite spots to watch the sun set is a second-floor viewing platform that soars above the living room like a crow's nest. Nowicka, who works at home, has a similar look through from her studio: "It's a more than delighted, stimulating environment. "It's our sanctuary. " Nowicka -- who sells paintings at West End Gallery in Victoria and Edmonton, Canada House Gallery in Banff and Shayne Gallery in Montreal -- agrees. She is fearless when it comes to designing the interiors, whether it's placing a glass-topped zebra table in her kitchen nook or putting a round of glass on an old Indonesian piece for a dining table. "It's an artist's trick. Splashes of scarlet abound on most of her canvases and in her decor. " The site is ideal for watching sunsets and perhaps sunrises, not to mention the ever-changing ocean traffic, racing sailboats, cruise ships, as well as dark scudding clouds, ever-shifting weather structures in the sky. At first Nowicka didn't even wish to peek inside the ordinary-looking house, but it soon caught her imagination, too. On the main floor, which covers 2,400 square feet, the renovation expanded up, but not out. "This office is so bad," he said jokingly. If I need to do serious work, I go to my downtown office. " The renovated house feels spacious, peaceful and quiet, he says. "And Nowicka is very creative and open to new ideas," Wilkin said. His biggest challenge was combining something "incredibly minimal and modern with a 1950s-style bungalow. Nowicka didn't want the addition to be a slave to the past or even informed by it. "So we blew out the existing front of the house and took down a huge fireplace in the middle which gave a big disconnect between the kitchen and living rooms. "We brought the second storey forward so you can look out from the master bedroom, which previously had no view . " What he likes best about a "stack" is each segment frames a different look through. " Good added a slim, red cupboard for breakfast items such as mugs and cereal bowls, and above the sink Wilkin added a strong red line, for a Mondrian touch. (The Dutch artist was known for his bold horizontals and verticals in primary colours. We made that front box two storeys high, and created the lookout above the living room. "The kitchen started when I bought this Ferrarired range," she said gleefully. "In the summer, on the hottest day, there is always a breeze and we have good cross ventilation. " One reason the project turned out well is that they took their time planning the redesign and lived in the home for more than a year while discussing options. "It was almost a no-brainer because of the exposure. "It's a Blue Star with six burners, all gas, very powerful. Jason did all of the cabinets and made huge drawers to fit my china from Poland. It channels the eye across Juan de Fuca Strait, as if the whole outside world were one great gallery. It's ideal for Nowicka, who will be an artist and finds herself happily gazing out at perfectly framed views wherever she looks. |
Sunday 11 March 2012
A modern hilltop perch
