Decorating & Design
This Custom Home Has Rugged Mountains & Fir Trees In Its Backyard
Updated on December 27, 2020
Craig Pearce and Kendra Patton were once enamoured with the city. They loved living in a loft in downtown Vancouver where they both worked — Craig, the owner of custom furniture company Union Wood Co., and Kendra, an interior designer for Fluevog Shoes. As time went on, though, they started to dream about building a vacation cabin close by. That dream led them to Bowen Island, only 20 minutes away from Vancouver by ferry. They purchased land in 2016, on the island’s oldest road, up a rugged trail and at the edge of a dense forest of fir trees.
Designed by architect Peter Atkinson of Human Studio and built by Kennedy Construction, The Trail House, their two-bedroom, two-bathroom abode, has a gable style that suits the unspoiled terrain. “On the ferry from Vancouver, you can often see the sun reflecting off our galvanized roof in the hills on Bowen,” says Kendra. “It’s a beacon leading the way home.”
Scroll down to tour this scenic custom home.
The black-stained cedar siding is punctuated by windows framed in weathering steel. The driveway was left rocky for a natural look. “We have the most amazing view of the water and mountains looking east toward Cypress Mountain, Horseshoe Bay and the Sea-to-Sky Highway,” says Kendra.
Craig, Kendra, daughter Jude, 3, and their Boston terrier, Otis, at the entrance of The Trail House, the 1,700-square-foot modern gable-style home they custom-built on half a hectare of steep, rocky terrain.
“The house is filled with different woods and black, gray and white so, in the kitchen, we wanted something colorful, rich and slightly traditional,” says Kendra of the green cabinets. The antique clock was her granny’s.
The custom dining table is oxidized oak with an industrial-style darkened steel frame. In the kitchen beyond, a mix of materials, from the rough barnboard lowers to the floating oak shelves and antique hardware, has casual, eclectic appeal.
Minimal yet cozy furniture doesn’t detract from the beautiful view out the windows. The fireplace stores logs and has a sculptural quality.
Die-hard antique collectors, Craig and Kendra found this metal cabinet in Seattle and added the wooden top. Twenty-foot-wide doors slide open to extend the living room onto the deck. “Jude rides her scooter right outside,” says Craig.
Just outside the principal bedroom is an antique filing cabinet and painting that Kendra and Craig found on one of their first trips to the Round Top Texas Antiques Show.
A cleverly placed mirror in the principal bedroom bounces natural light into the space from a huge window on the adjacent wall. The dresser is fronted in rugged silvered oak.
The custom built-in is the couple’s headboard and wardrobe. Each side has a hanging rail and deep shelves for clothes. Kendra chose the moody paint color because she got a kick out of its name: Deep Secret. “I thought that was pretty funny for a bedroom.”
The family bathroom is warm and modern, showcasing a metal-trimmed vanity, subway tile and a vintage runner. Rich brass accents hit an industrial note.
Janis Nicolay
House & Home May 2020
Kendra Patton; Architecture by Human Studio