Before & After
Emma Reddington’s 1980s House Is Reimagined With An Eye To The Mid-Century Modern Era
Published on May 30, 2024
As House & Home’s Deputy Editor, Emma Reddington finds daily inspiration in the array of well-designed spaces that cross her desk. But when she and her husband, Myles McCutcheon, along with their kids, Henry and Orla, purchased a 3,500-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-bathroom house in North Vancouver, B.C., during the pandemic’s real-estate frenzy, she was the furthest from inspired she’d ever been. “We saw it on FaceTime, put in an offer and then didn’t think we’d get it,” says Emma. Contrary to expectations, they accepted the bid and the 1980s suburban house was theirs.
Emma rose to the design challenge, partnering with Darcy Hanna and Emma Sims of Vancouver design firm &Daughters to bring the home’s copious green walls, maple floors and popcorn ceilings into a new century. Using the original cedar ceiling as a jumping-off point, the trio leaned in to North Vancouver’s classic mid-century modern houses to reimagine the space in minimalist lines, rich textures and natural materials.
Scroll down for a look inside Emma’s mid-century modern house. Plus, watch part 1 and part 2 of her home makeover!
H&H: When did you get started?
Emma Reddington: We bought the house in April 2021, lived in it for more than a year, then started renovating in the fall of 2022. We moved downstairs to the basement suite for the first six months. When we wanted to move back upstairs, the space wasn’t quite ready — so, for another three months, we slept in our bedrooms upstairs, alongside a temporary sink and toilet, and shared the basement kitchen with my sister-in-law, who had moved back into the suite. She’s a very patient person!
Emma Reddington in her new living room.
House & Home: What drew you to this house?
ER: Not much at first! After 17 years in Toronto, Myles and I decided it was time to move back out West where we both grew up; we started looking for a house in late 2020. I really had my heart set on a classic post-and-beam home but, with property prices going up fast, we knew we couldn’t wait around for the perfect house to show up. This place was in the right location and had a good layout, which meant we wouldn’t have to spend time or money moving walls.
Before: The living room’s original river rock fireplace had mid-century style.
Frank Gehry’s Wiggle stool and Isamu Noguchi’s Akari 75A paper pendant add whimsy to the otherwise disciplined decorating. Sometimes, a finished project can feel like a showroom, but Emma’s ability to weave in the vintage, the new and her own personal objects feels so natural and true.
H&H: What was your vision for the space?
ER: I wanted to draw on the strong history of West Coast design that runs from California right up to Vancouver. The city’s well-known mid-century architects, including Arthur Erickson, Ron Thom and Fred Hollingsworth, all built homes in the area. Their pioneering vision from the 1950s and ’60s considered Vancouver’s weather and landscape, and they often used raw, local materials like cedar (we used Real Cedar). We have a stream in the backyard here, and it looks out to cedar trees on one side and Grouse Mountain on the other; it feels nestled in nature. So even though this house is an ’80s build, I felt we could look to them for inspiration.
H&H: Anything you’d do differently?
ER: I’d choose to do the exterior at the same time because renovations are so time-consuming!
Before: The dining room had plenty of unused space, including a niche which later became an opportunity for Real Cedar display shelves.
H&H: What was the biggest challenge during the reno?
Emma Sims: Widening the entry to the dining room. We had to remove old pieces of cedar ceiling and then feather in new ones to make it look like the opening had always been there. It was also a challenge to figure out how to seamlessly integrate the family room into the space for a more open feel.
Before: White tiled floors had an 80s feel.
Now, quarry floor tile works with the ethos of mid-century construction: simple, affordable materials and applications. The kitchen’s soapstone counters have a rich materiality and natural patina. “Quarry tile is used more commonly in commercial kitchens,” says designer Emma Sims. “It has a humble, earthy quality.”
H&H: How did you come to work with &Daughters?
ER: I knew I could do a lot of the furniture and fabrics myself, but I wasn’t prepared to take on the whole renovation. Emma Sims and Darcy Hanna have a background in architecture, and I knew they could bring an expert eye to the project. Design is in the details!
Before: The original kitchen with honey wood cabinets and a dated backsplash.
H&H: What was the biggest save on this project?
ER: I was pretty good at finding vintage and secondhand furniture on Facebook Marketplace, at consignment stores and online, so we could put money into the millwork. We also saved on flooring: we re-stained the existing hardwood floors and used quarry tile in the kitchen, terrazzo tile in the family room and linoleum in the kids’ bathroom. Mid-century houses were meant to be attainable for everyone.
Darcy Hanna: Yes, one of our biggest saves was the quarry tile. At less than $5 per square foot, it’s very affordable, and it’s what you might have found in mid-century houses. But by the time we’d gone through all the samples, the tile had been discontinued, so owner Emma had the very last available flat shipped to Blaine, Washington, and rented a truck to pick it up.
Before: The family room with popcorn ceilings and green walls.
Now, the designers created a warm cocoon by lining the family room ceiling in cork tile and the walls in deep blue grasscloth. To the left of the fireplace is a chair Emma found at Coast Consignment, which she had re-covered in Pierre Frey fabric. The vintage wood-framed Bruno Mathsson chair once belonged to artist B.C. Binning.
H&H: What do you love about the new space?
ER: There’s a beautiful moment when you stand in the family room and look toward the kitchen, where the terrazzo floor meets the quarry tile, and the blue grasscloth and cedar wall meet the cork ceiling — it’s where all the materials we’ve chosen to work with come together seamlessly.
DH: The new fireplace in the family room is a favorite feature. It was fun to inject a vintage feel with brick veneer tile made on the West Coast. Owner Emma found the blue sofa and, with the blue grasscloth wall and cork ceiling, there’s so much richness and warmth.
Before: A small opening obscured the view from the the kitchen into the family room.
H&H: What was the biggest splurge?
ES: The cedar millwork, wall cladding and dining bench, which has the feeling of being carved out of solid wood.
H&H: What were the key design elements?
ES: Emma was clear about wanting to breathe more authentic mid-century materials into the house with solid cedar, and we had a lot of room for materiality with a rich color palette of cobalt, red and terracotta. Darcy and I like working with wood species that are richer in color. We wanted to include Real Cedar, but we didn’t want to clad everything, so strategic panelling throughout gave us a nice framework.
DH: A critical design starting point was opening the kitchen to the dining room and lower family room. A high breakfast bar was blocking the sunken space while a narrow entry effectively sealed off the dining room. We widened the dining room entrance from two and a half feet to six feet.
ES: Then, we removed the breakfast bar and terraced down into the family room by adding a riser. We placed a large table on the riser with a bench, which opened up the space visually.
The dramatic powder room is defined by a stone sink, moody lighting and burgundy-hued walls.
To connect the principal bedroom with the rest of the house, a Real Cedar headboard was crafted with project remnants.
Before: The original bathroom had a classic 80s vibe with a corner jacuzzi and glassed-in shower.
“We wanted the new ensuite to have this bulky timber feelings,” says Emma Sims. Above the chunky-handled cedar vanity, the designers ran wood bulkheads from one side of the bathroom to the other.
Before: The designer’s took advantage of the corner windows when envisioning the new tub.
They chose a terracotta-hued ceramic tile that echoes the quarry tile in the kitchen.
“We rarely get an opportunity to use a rich color palette,” says Emma Sims of Henry’s bedroom.
“I love the vanity in the kids’ bathroom, with its custom red powder-coated faucet and handles.” A yellow linoleum tile floor, green walls and the red faucet and hardware create a riot of color in the kids’ bathroom.
A cobalt blue rug adds a dose of color in the laundry room–office.
Ema Peter
House & Home
&Daughters