Decorating & Design
Tour A Global Vancouver Loft Inspired By World Travels
Updated on February 19, 2019
Following a six-month, 12-country honeymoon tour of Asia, Danielle and Tyler Tomczyk were ready to put down roots in their new home: a 20-year-old loft in Vancouver. A blank slate, the loft needed to reflect the couple’s travels around the world. Danielle discovered actor Callum Keith Rennie’s loft (featured in House & Home in 2013) on Pinterest and was surprised to find out it had been designed by a local firm, Oliver Simon Design. “So we called the designers to see if they could do something similar,” says Danielle. OSD designers Greer Nelson and Jamie Hamilton worked in the couple’s travel mementoes to give it a worldly yet personal spin. Here’s how they did it.
Homeowners Danielle and Tyler Tomczyk, with 11-month-old son Lowen, in their West Coast loft. A colorful Japanese doorway curtain references their honeymoon travels.
A reclaimed-wood shelf and hooks keep everyday essentials organized. Large and seasonal items like the stroller, an extra freezer, the barbecue and camping gear are hidden out of sight in storage spaces under each set of stairs. “When everything is open-concept, storage is key,” Greer explains.
A rug, linen armchairs and art soften the edginess of the loft’s concrete floors and ceilings.
A gallery wall of global treasures, including Portuguese and Balinese masks, adds interest to the loft’s white walls.
“We needed a huge light fixture because the ceilings are so high, but it had to be interesting since it’s visible from every room,” says Jamie of the sputnik pendant in the main living space. Touches of brass reflect the tray-like Moroccan light (top left) that sparked the loft’s global accents, while a trio of joint-arm sconces add to the industrial vibe.
Instead of a dining table, meals are taken at the breakfast bar, which is paired with comfortable leather barstools.
The graphic backsplash in the kitchen was a risk that paid off. “I was nervous; I thought it was too much,” confesses Danielle. “But Tyler absolutely loved it. I’m really glad he talked me into it because it looks awesome.”
Metallic grasscloth-look wallpaper and woven baskets add tactility to the principal bedroom.
A curtain rod, wooden hangers and simple clips are an inexpensive alternative to framing in the bedroom. Tyler took these photos in Venice and Florence.
Hits of black read as sharp and contemporary in Tyler’s white home office and keep it from feeling sterile. The airy desk and task lamp practically disappear in the loft’s white envelope.
A few well-chosen accents, such as this openwork wooden tray and Moroccan-style tea glass, look exotic and seem to tell a story, but are actually inexpensive local finds.
Encaustic concrete tile in the bathroom nods to the couple’s trip to Morocco.
Tracey Ayton
House & Home March 2017
Greer Nelson and Jamie Hamilton, Oliver Simon Design