Decorating & Design
See Stunning Spaces By H&H’s Designer Of The Year, Sophie Burke!
Updated on November 13, 2020
A string of awards and accolades have made Sophie Burke Vancouver’s design darling. Sophie’s timeless yet whimsical interiors have residential clients knocking at her door (she first came to our attention for a Scandi-inspired tableau at IDS Vancouver in 2013). So, it’s no surprise why she was named House & Home’s 2020 Designer of the Year in our December issue, on newsstands from November 16th.
The designer’s sophisticated, eclectic sensibility is spot-on, something she credits to her days of globetrotting. After studying Art History at the University of British Columbia, Sophie jumped across the pond to London where she landed at Terence Conran’s architecture and design firm and worked on restaurant and hotel projects in Paris, Tokyo and Delhi.
Since launching Sophie Burke Design in Vancouver, she’s taken major inspiration from the local setting. “We’re so immersed in nature here, it’s ten minutes to the forest or the ocean, so I use a lot of natural materials like bleached wood, cotton and linen,” she says. “I love the driftwood look and incorporate a lot of whitewashed grays and cooler blues into my spaces.”
Scroll down to see Sophie’s own home and projects that have appeared in our pages over the years!
“I am very influenced by place,” says Sophie. “Around us here in the Pacific Northwest, we have the water and mountains, so I use that northern palette of cooler blues and grays mixed in with natural wood for warmth. I rarely do spaces with warm, tropical colors.”
A Cottage-Inspired Century House
Sophie and her husband Cameron’s nearly century-old house is set on a half-acre in West Vancouver. The home was built by the owner of a sawmill that made cedar shingles and once shared the property. Its existing windows were left unchanged. “We didn’t want to lose the character,” says Sophie, who also kept the skylights. An enclosed porch was transformed into a dining nook, and Sophie retained the panelling to give the space a casual vibe.
Before the space was painted, “the panels made it feel like a dark cabin,” says Sophie. To create a more welcoming cottage feel, she and Cameron experimented by whitewashing the tongue-and-groove boards to let the wood grain bleed through, but it was a fail. “It just didn’t look right,” she says. Instead, the painters covered everything with three coats of Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White, applying boatloads of caulking in between the panels on account of the warped boards. On either side of the river-rock fireplace, a pair of boxy wool lounge chairs echo outdoor Muskoka models and reinforce the home’s cottage style.
It took the couple four months to choose the gray grasscloth wallpaper in the dining room, but their deliberations paid off: “It makes the room cozy,” says Sophie. “The bones of the house are definitely cottagey. That’s why we balanced them with more contemporary furniture.”
Sophie’s children Tom, Cecily and Beatrice gather in the breakfast nook, where a chalkboard wall provides a daily outlet for personal expression.
“I don’t like when anything is too precious, or when something can’t be sat on or used,” says Sophie. “Using muted, soft colors and layering pillows and blankets adds an element of comfort. I also love mixing in distressed antiques with more modern pieces.”
The bathroom on the main floor is Sophie’s favorite room in the house. She created a custom pattern with black and white Moroccan floor tiles, then painted the walls in Farrow & Ball’s Off-Black for a little drama. A wall-mounted sink and industrial lighting look suitably retro in the historic house.
To make the kitchen more multifunctional, an awkward sink area was turned into a built-in desk with shelving. A glass door that leads to the deck fills this corner with natural light.
A Scandi-Style Cabin
With its sweeping views and Nordic influence, this alpine cabin in Whistler, B.C., easily earns its title as the homeowners’ happy place. “The idea was for it to have a Scandinavian feel: light, bright and modern, yet still cozy,” says Sophie. She went with clean-lined but comfortable furniture, natural touches and a palette of cool blues and warm grays. Thanks to large, thoughtfully-placed windows, the family can admire their rugged surroundings from every angle.
The existing ceilings were clad in warm cedar, so Sophie went with paler oak floors for a sense of balance. “We loved that it didn’t have any yellow tones,” she says. “It had just enough character to add warmth to the space, without getting too rustic.”
“We wanted to use lots of texture and natural materials,” she says — a nod to the wilderness surrounding the cabin. She paired mottled Pennsylvania bluestone tile with natural linen drapery. A woven picnic basket is a sweet finishing touch.
In the back entry, an antique bench brings in a little vintage character and makes a practical spot to get bundled up. A whimsical ice-skating illustration by Sophia Augusta is fitting for this outdoorsy retreat. “We really connect with nature here,” says the homeowner.
A Minimalist Holiday Home
When she trimmed the home of two self-professed “super minimalists” in Vancouver’s Westside for the holidays, Sophie chose a simple, handmade aesthetic. Natural elements like pinecones are artfully strewn about for a festive, modern air. “We didn’t have to buy many Christmas decorations,” she says. “We found almost everything we needed outside to give the home that homemade look.”
Metal Tolix stools tucked under the Corian topped island riff on the stainless steel appliances. The exterior wall was then fitted with fir-framed glass doors that retract to create a seamless connection between indoors and out.
Forgoing upper cabinets created an airy feel in the bistro-style kitchen. A pair of large-scale, glossy black pendant lights add some drama. The revamped space, which holds a farmhouse table, is now flooded with light and boasts a spectacular view: the foliage in the mature gardens beyond is often lightly dusted with snow in the winter and bursting with color the rest of the year.
An English-Inspired New-Build
An abiding passion for England’s rambling gardens, stately old homes and storied antiques made Sophie’s parents turn to their daughter for help designing their built-from-scratch Vancouver home. Having worked in the U.K. at the iconic design firm Terence Conran & Partners, “Sophie really understood the shabby Brit thing,” says her mother. Since her parents are avid hosts, she tucked a second oven and warming drawers into the island. Deep counters offer ample prep space. Blue vintage tiles found in England add a personal touch.
An antique settee was updated with a bold floral print. A painting hung off-center picks up the bright pink colors in the fabric below. Sophie’s parents found a fallen tree at the side of the road and potted it in cement to create a graphic feature in the conservatory. “Bringing in branches that are bursting into bloom sings spring to me,” says Sophie. “I also love putting hyacinth bulbs on the counter. Throw pillows in lighter, brighter colors and prints are an easy way to change your look for the season. Grays and soft pinks add an instant shot of spring.”