City Homes
A 1978 Vancouver Special Is Revamped With Modern West Coast Style — and a Dose of Fun!
Published on April 1, 2026
After Jonathan Rayment and Emily Caputo moved to Vancouver from Toronto, they dreamed of finding a home with an unmistakable West Coast vibe. It needed to be a place where Jonathan, a pediatric lung specialist physician, and Emily, a corporate lawyer, could raise their two young sons and host friends and family.
The couple wanted a house in a walkable area with three bedrooms on the same floor, space for an office and guests, plus a fireplace. Months of open houses and rejected offers followed. “Everything built over the past five years felt generic, without any personality,” says Emily. “We had a lot of criteria and we weren’t finding that house.” The couple’s real-estate agent introduced them to Jenalee and Christopher Nordstrom, founders of the design-build firm Schédio. Jenalee provided design advice, while Christopher told them what to look for in terms of structure and layout potential. “It took almost a year to find the right place,” says Christopher.
Designers Jenalee and Christopher Nordstrom
Schédio wanted to give the rebuild a contemporary West Coast feel. The home’s modern lines and local materials were punctuated by playful moments, a look Jenalee coined “sophisti-quirk.”
When a 2,600-square-foot, 1978 “Vancouver Special” became available, everyone agreed that this was the one. Vancouver Specials are typically two-storey, boxy houses built between the 1960s and ’80s, characterized by a low-pitched roof and second-floor balcony. Most buyers would run from a gutted version with no working kitchen or functioning plumbing and HVAC systems. Instead, Jonathan and Emily made an offer. “It was literally stripped back to the studs — uninhabitable,” says Jonathan. “It was a blank canvas for us to build our dream home.”
The roofline was removed and replaced by dramatically pitched scissor trusses that allowed for 16-foothigh vaulted ceilings, a wall of glazing with large sliding doors, better airflow and uninterrupted natural light. “That move changed everything,” says Jonathan. The Schédio team preserved some of the home’s prized Douglas fir framing, reusing all salvageable lumber — a rarity these days. “It’s environmentally smart and structurally incredible,” says Jenalee.
Overall, Jonathan and Emily wanted boldness not trendiness, warmth without the heaviness, and a house that reflected their family — full of fun, colour and personality.
The living, dining and kitchen areas moved upstairs to the second floor, joining the powder room and office-lounge, to maximize natural light. On the ground floor are three bedrooms, two more bathrooms, a study and the kids’ play zone.
In the kitchen, terracotta-hued cabinets are paired with honed quartz counters; rare Blue Stone quartzite is striking on the vent hood, backsplash and island.
Emily didn’t want a white kitchen, noting that the cabinets painted in a terracotta shade feel bold but also surprisingly calm.
The ground-floor principal bedroom boasts a wall of storage with an integrated linear fireplace.
An open shower and floating quartzite vanity make the principal ensuite feel expansive.
That colour carries throughout the home, accented by the fluorescent citron vintage piano that the designers found and refinished as a surprise for the family.
Another bold, unexpected move is the architectural netted platforms between floors. They’re part light well, part play zone, part conversation starter. “Some guests say, ‘I will never go on that!’ while others are dying to try it out,” says Emily.
Underneath the netting on the ground level, cork flooring adds warmth and softness. “When you drop something, there’s a gentle thud — we haven’t broken a single glass,” says Jonathan with a laugh.
Homeowners Jonathan Rayment and Emily Caputo
Eighteen months after moving in, the couple and their sons feel completely at home. “We wanted a place that wasn’t overly serious,” says Emily. “It had to be fun, and that’s exactly what we got!”
Tina Kulic
Jenalee and Christopher Nordstrom