Modern lines and a minimalist palette meet 1930s charm and Danish details - Vancouver Sun, October 17, 2024
When it comes to transforming a 1930s Kamloops home, leave it to a detail-oriented design firm and an ex-Olympian.
Three-time Canadian rowing Olympian Jake Wetzel worked hand in hand with the team at Vancouver’s Twobytwo Architecture Studio in drawing up the plans and executing the vision for the overhaul of his family’s two-level residence.
The home has an ideal location: it’s in a historic neighbourhood, within walking distance to the hospital where Wetzel’s wife, Sigrid, works as a physician and has views overlooking the Kamloops Valley.
But before the renovation started in 2019, the livable space left much to be desired. Half of the 1,850 square footage was taken up by an unfinished seven-foot-high walkout basement. So “a huge part of the renovation was excavating down the lower floor to double the liveable square footage of the house,” explains Jenny Bassett, founding partner and architect intern with Twobytwo.
When developing the vision for the new home, Wetzel and his wife drew inspiration from Denmark’s Faroe Islands, where Sigrid is from. “Jake and Sigrid would visit the Faroe Islands a lot and they saw a lot of traditional architecture … and how they renovate in Europe,” says Bassett, who runs her design firm along with David Tyl, a registered architect with the Architectural Institute of B.C.
That meant treating the original hardwood Douglas fir floors with soap and lye, which is common in Europe, but not so much in North America. “It whitewashes the wood, creating a protective finish,” Bassett says.
The Faroe Islands inspiration also extended to the layout and the outdoor spaces. Indoor/outdoor living design is common in Europe, and the team decided to put the kitchen on the lower level, where it opens to an outdoor terrace.
Since Wetzel is an ex-Olympian, it’s no surprise that his family is very active, also a consideration that went into the design plans. “Having those two bifold doors on the lower level was super important for us to have an indoor-outdoor connection,” Bassett explains.
Bringing the kitchen downstairs, along with a living room and heated concrete slabs on the entire lower floor, also served to increase the number of comfortable gathering spaces for Wetzel’s family, who love to entertain.
In terms of palette and materials, the team opted for a modern, minimalist esthetic that put the focus on the family’s extensive art collection. “We wanted to keep everything pretty simple,” Bassett says.
Subtle details throughout elevate and add intrigue. These include the “reveal moments” the team strategically incorporated in key areas. “Whenever two materials would meet, we would have a reveal moment to accentuate the two pieces,” she explains.
Throughout the project, the team worked to ensure the form and character of the house’s exterior would blend with the neighbourhood. Neighbour Antony Milobar also had a hand in the project. “He taught me so much about building,” Wetzel says.
In the kitchen, the team used marble and Corian, an engineered solid surface material, for the countertops, which juxtapose beautifully with the home’s original brick column.
Outside, Twobytwo worked closely with Wetzel and Kamloops landscape architect Catherine Howell to create some “beautiful landscape moments.” One of those is the stacked firewood that Howell decided to use as the home’s front fence. Another is the custom steel garden shed, which was built by Wetzel and incorporates a traditional folk Faroe Islands design into the cut-out pattern.
The project wrapped up in late 2022, but Wetzel is still continuing to work on small projects around the home, including designing and building furniture pieces. He’s also enlisted Twobytwo Architecture Studio to create a new custom RV. The renovation and design adventure continues.