Michelle Wilson enlisted the Vancouver-based office of McFarlane Biggar Architects and Designers to renovate her home on the North Shore.Janis Nicolay/Janis Nicolay
Michelle Wilson’s home was purposely crafted for her life, fitting two kids, a husband, and a dog with all their bells and whistles tucked away so precisely that their toys are hard to sniff out. But it’s also inspired by her life and her travels, drawing from a remote island in the unforgiving Atlantic near Newfoundland, Toronto’s funky West End, and the hazy Vancouver coast.
The Wilsons were living in a converted garage in Toronto’s Roncesvalles neighbourhood when the pandemic hit, and they knew they wanted a change. While they loved their unique home, it didn’t have enough space for their growing family. It barely had enough space for Lucy, their big husky.
Having kids before designing the home made Ms. Wilson realize just how much storage a growing family needs.Janis Nicolay/Janis Nicolay
“We wanted to find a special space, an interesting space, but we definitely knew that we wanted to be a little bit closer to nature,” Ms. Wilson said.
They had family in West Vancouver, and though they hadn’t been to the North Shore recently, they felt it was the place for them. “It’s one of the most beautiful places in Canada, if not the world,” Ms. Wilson said. “You’re on the mountain, overlooking this beautiful piece of water that has these little droplets of islands, and it’s just gorgeous.”
Even before looking for properties, they enlisted Vancouver-based office of McFarlane Biggar Architects and Designers. Then they came upon a Mid-Century Modern home, designed in 1961 by Peter Kafka, one of the giants of West Coast architecture, nestled at the foot of Cypress Mountain and looking out over Lions Bay. They hoped to bring new life to an aging beauty.
“We definitely saw pieces of the house that needed to be updated,” Ms. Wilson said. “But you got the wraparound windows, which looked into the trees, with all this natural light. … It had so much potential; it was our dream to make it our own.”
Interior designer Michelle Biggar immediately connected with the couple’s vision.
“We love the house,” she said. “It was a challenging site, but we really believe in these Mid-Century Modern homes. They’re really part of Canada’s West Coast design heritage, and we want to do everything we can to restore those when we can.
“We’re on a bit of a cliff,” Ms. Wilson said, “and the back of the house is built on stilts. So when you look out, you really do feel like you’re in a tree house.”
The Wilsons knew they wanted to live close to nature, at a home with enough space for their husky, Lucy.Janis Nicolay/Janis Nicolay
It was important for Ms. Wilson, who previously owned a curated women’s clothing boutique in Toronto, to be involved in every step of the renovation process.
“I liked being brought in for the small details,” Ms. Wilson said. “I liked going to the showrooms. I loved searching for that kind of stuff.”
The homeowners and designers sought to restore the original home while strengthening its connection to the outdoors.
“We were very much on the same page right from day one,” Ms. Biggar said. “It also helped that the house had a strong point of view already. Our role was about just editing and refining it, rather than redesigning it wholesale.”
Ms. Wilson said putting the home together inspired her to change her life, leaving fashion behind to become an interior stylist. She’s now styled five homes herself, with a focus on other Mid-Century Modern homes.
“I’ve felt a lot of overlap between the work I did within fashion and now within design,” she said. “I thought about opening another store, and so I was questioning what my next step would be. And then this came to me, and really, it just fits so well.”
Ms. Wilson says because the home is on a bit of a cliff, when looking out the windows 'you really do feel like you’re in a tree house.'Janis Nicolay/Janis Nicolay
While Ms. Wilson was pregnant with the couple’s first child and throughout the lengthy permitting process, the couple lived in the house for almost a year before renovations began. Living there before the update informed the couple’s design process.
“We got to fall in love with how amazing the house was and all the amazing things that the house had to offer without renovation,” she said.
She loved how sunlight filtered through the trees surrounding the property, casting the living room in a golden glow. She knew the wall of windows had to be preserved. “That made me say, we’ll replace the floors, but really, we can’t touch much in this room,” Ms. Wilson said.
Ms. Wilson’s biggest piece of advice to other young couples contemplating a renovation is a bit unorthodox: Do it after having kids.
“It was really great that I didn’t do the design before having kids,” she said. “Do it after, especially if it’s going to be your ‘forever home,’ then you really know what your family is going to need. We were fortunate that we were able to incorporate a lot of that into the house.”
The Wilsons and designers sought to restore the original home while strengthening its connection to the outdoors.Janis Nicolay/Janis Nicolay
Having kids before designing the home made Ms. Wilson realize just how much storage a growing family needs. They added built-ins around the perimeter of the entire lower level; storage compartments in benches, and drawers anywhere they could slot them in.
While much of the home’s layout stayed the same, OMB and Ms. Wilson worked together to enhance the original Mid-Century Modern features and make every floor and room within the home feel cohesive.
“That feeling that you got in the living room wasn’t consistent throughout the house,” Ms. Wilson said. “Now, you can walk through every room, and you get the same consistent feeling.”
Preserving the home’s heritage was always top of mind.
“[Mid-Century Modern homes] are not about ornament or excess; they’re very honest spaces,” Ms. Biggar said. “We really wanted to capitalize on that. But at the same time, this home was missing a lot of what they needed for it to be a functional home for their evolving family.”
For the interior, Ms. Wilson was inspired by the design of a stilt-perched structure over an unforgiving landscape on the East Coast, Newfoundland’s celebrated Fogo Island Inn. But while that structure provided a model, she hastens to add that the interior design flowed from Mr. Kafka’s original work.
“So much thought had been put into just the original design of the house,” Ms. Wilson said.
The renovation transformed how the family lived, and the word Ms. Wilson used to describe her post-renovation life is one rarely employed by a mom with two young kids: ease.
“There’s now a way to experience the joy that the house offers,” she said. “You’re able to incorporate your routine and your life and that functionality into a house. It’s a highly functional house. There’s a spot for everything.”