Decorating & Design
Take A Look Inside This Serene Whistler Retreat
Updated on January 4, 2023
They say that if you want to own a house in Whistler, B.C., you have to go Full Cabin: wood beams, nostalgic memorabilia and all. But Melissa Meehan, a Whistler regular, was looking for something lighter and fresher. When she and her husband, Paul, who are both entrepreneurs in Vancouver, began hunting for a four-season weekend home for themselves and their three ski-mad children, Melissa knew exactly what she didn’t want: “No knotty pine. No tartan. No skis on the wall.”
The search ended in their dream neighborhood, on a street they’d driven down countless times yet convinced themselves was out of their range — until, finally, it wasn’t. The contemporary house avoided all of Melissa’s deal breakers and then some. Built for a developer by architect Brent Murdoch and decorated by Vancouver designer Denise Ashmore, it sits at the edge of a golf course on a quiet cul-de-sac, with views of Whistler, Blackcomb and Rainbow mountains. The couple walked in, fell in love and demanded to know: “Who did this?” Melissa immediately hired Denise and her company Project22design to finish off the interiors.
Scroll down to see this serene Whistler retreat!
Built in a simple box shape, the house draws on local materials that speak to the mountain setting, yet feel light rather than stodgy. The house stands out against the winter snow.
The second-storey open plan is anchored by a concrete-faced Rumford fireplace while floor-to-ceiling drapery softens the modern look.
Continuous oak floors add warmth without resorting to a honey-yellow stain, and vertical motifs in the slats, railings and panelling, plus grounding pops of black in the fireplace and light fixtures, bring a modern edge to the space. The high-spec finishes are luxuriously tactile but not ostentatious.
This poured concrete staircase leads from the downstairs entrance to the open-plan second floor. The warm oak risers balance out the coolness of the concrete.
Over several months, designer and client formed the sort of relationship where they’d practically finish each other’s sentences. “Her taste is impeccable,” says Melissa of Denise. “Her finishes are so textural — modern but comfortable.” Denise returns the compliment: “It was clear from the get-go that Melissa and I were on same page. She had a few things purchased that I would have picked anyway, like stools for the island and chairs for the dining table.”
Due to sourcing and shipping issues around the pandemic, Denise furnished the home almost entirely through local businesses.
Long-armed sconces by Inform Interiors bring light to this corner of the living room.
Because the kitchen is open plan, Denise hid the vent hood and designed the island to be “furniture-like,” with a waterfall counter in Fior Di Bosco honed marble.
The same marble runs up the backsplash.
Denise designed clean, closed cabinets, where everything could be put away, and then created opportunities for display with open niches leading into the pantry.
The Meehans entertain a lot, for work and for pleasure, so in their newly open kitchen (and adjacent pantry) there’s space for everything.
Wood-panelled walls and warm cabinets create a cozy moment in this section of the pantry.
The terrace is 500-square-feet and gets a lot of play during Whistler’s hot summers. The slatted backdrop offers privacy and wind protection.
With five bedrooms across 4,200-square-feet, plus a guest suite in the basement, the house was a splurge. But it proved invaluable over a year of lockdowns and remote learning, when the children — now 12, 11 and eight — could study in private, walk into the village, zip around on nearby bike paths and reconvene for dinner on the 500-square-foot deck.
In the principal bedroom, wood tones, floor-to-ceiling drapery and a textural rug add warmth.
The children’s rooms are on the main floor, which is designed as a retreat with cosier, carpeted spaces.
A grey Caesarstone counter is the perfect foil for flat-cut white oak cabinet doors.
“Anything you can enjoy together as a family is a great investment,” says Melissa. Last winter, she injured her knee on the final ski day of the season and is now eager to get back on the mountain. “Every time I come through that door, it’s so zen to me. There’s nothing that needs to be done; we can just switch off. Every time we reach the driveway, we say, ‘We love this house.’ Every single time.”
Janis Nicolay
Denise Ashmore