Houzz Tour: A Cosy Cottage With an Industrial-style Twist
A new build in British Columbia mixes eye-catching features with easygoing looks
This couple wanted a home where they could grow old together, and so they designed it together. Just streets away from Lake Okanagan in British Columbia, the house has ‘a comfy, laid-back and inspiring feeling,’ says homeowner Carolyn Schroff.
She and husband Duncan were building a new home in an established area, and they wanted it to fit the rhythm, style and size of the area. Working closely with a designer and contractors – and sharing ideas through Houzz ideabooks – they created a comfortable cottage with an industrial vibe.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Carolyn and Duncan Schroff
Location British Columbia, Canada
Team House designer: Gregg Stappler; builder: Steve Knight, Knightline Developments
Size 2-3 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms
She and husband Duncan were building a new home in an established area, and they wanted it to fit the rhythm, style and size of the area. Working closely with a designer and contractors – and sharing ideas through Houzz ideabooks – they created a comfortable cottage with an industrial vibe.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Carolyn and Duncan Schroff
Location British Columbia, Canada
Team House designer: Gregg Stappler; builder: Steve Knight, Knightline Developments
Size 2-3 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms
A feature wall dominates the front hallway. While the couple was demolishing an old garage on the property, Duncan, a former woodcutter, realised the wood was 60-year-old shiplapped fir. ‘There’s so much waste when you’re building; I was really happy to be able to incorporate something recycled,’ Carolyn says. They took the wood down piece by piece, power washed it, took off different layers of paint on each board and planed them all. Then they carefully installed them to create a pattern.
Soft paint colours and a mix of metal and glass accessories play off the reclaimed-wood feature wall, reflecting the rest of the house’s style. ‘We wanted to create a cottage style that was chic but not shabby,’ Carolyn describes. The colour palette throughout the home takes its inspiration from the calm and relaxed lake lifestyle, while the material palette mixes soft upholstery with industrial steel accents and glass.
Desk: Bestå Burs, Ikea; mirror: HomeSense
Soft paint colours and a mix of metal and glass accessories play off the reclaimed-wood feature wall, reflecting the rest of the house’s style. ‘We wanted to create a cottage style that was chic but not shabby,’ Carolyn describes. The colour palette throughout the home takes its inspiration from the calm and relaxed lake lifestyle, while the material palette mixes soft upholstery with industrial steel accents and glass.
Desk: Bestå Burs, Ikea; mirror: HomeSense
Rounding the corner and entering the main living area, we can see that the house opens up into one large open-plan area that combines the kitchen, dining room and living room.
A rusted-steel fireplace serves as an industrial-style focal point, emphasises the high ceiling and lends pleasing symmetry to the scheme. Carolyn says Houzz helped with it. ‘I was able to get really accurate quotes from the builders by showing them exactly what I wanted via Houzz photos,’ she says. The fireplace has steel sheeting, oxidised with saltwater and vinegar and rubbed with a black paste.
A series of large wooden beams creates a rhythm and a connection throughout the house; rivet details add an industrial touch.
Get tips for decorating around a pitched ceiling
A rusted-steel fireplace serves as an industrial-style focal point, emphasises the high ceiling and lends pleasing symmetry to the scheme. Carolyn says Houzz helped with it. ‘I was able to get really accurate quotes from the builders by showing them exactly what I wanted via Houzz photos,’ she says. The fireplace has steel sheeting, oxidised with saltwater and vinegar and rubbed with a black paste.
A series of large wooden beams creates a rhythm and a connection throughout the house; rivet details add an industrial touch.
Get tips for decorating around a pitched ceiling
Mix-and-match seating at the dining room table includes upholstered chairs, a few oak chairs Carolyn already had that they painted white, and a bench. The farmhouse-style table is bleached pine, and the globe chandelier throws some curves at all of the strong, straight lines in the room.
A whitewashed tongue and groove ceiling adds another cottage-style touch. The couple had new covers made for their leather armchairs to fit in better with the home’s cottage style.
The dog statues on the hearth and sideboard are in honour of their rescued former racing greyhound, Finnegan, who passed away during construction.
Farm table: Durham Dining Table in Bleached Pine, Four Hands Home; chandelier: Troy Flatiron Weathered Iron Twelve-Light Pendant, Bellacor; trim paint: Cloud White, Benjamin Moore
A whitewashed tongue and groove ceiling adds another cottage-style touch. The couple had new covers made for their leather armchairs to fit in better with the home’s cottage style.
The dog statues on the hearth and sideboard are in honour of their rescued former racing greyhound, Finnegan, who passed away during construction.
Farm table: Durham Dining Table in Bleached Pine, Four Hands Home; chandelier: Troy Flatiron Weathered Iron Twelve-Light Pendant, Bellacor; trim paint: Cloud White, Benjamin Moore
‘My husband is colour-blind, so he left the palette up to me,’ Carolyn says. She pulled a calm, watery one from this painting by one of her favourite artists, Carol Evans.
Paint: Revere Pewter, Benjamin Moore; Vertigo Large Pendant Lights: Lamps Plus; Lawson Backless Counter Stools: Pier 1 Imports
Paint: Revere Pewter, Benjamin Moore; Vertigo Large Pendant Lights: Lamps Plus; Lawson Backless Counter Stools: Pier 1 Imports
Directly opposite the fireplace is a much more traditional extractor fan. The kitchen mixes vintage style, in elements like the pendant lights and metro tiles and cornicing, with more modern touches, such as the streamlined cupboards and marble worktops.
One bit of the kitchen’s mix was a happy accident. ‘We were going to put metro tiles behind the open shelves at the coffee bar, but they hung the shelves before the tiles, and we loved the way it looked without them,’ Carolyn says.
Because gatherings always turn into kitchen parties, she says, the couple opted for a long island; it fits the scale of the wide, open room, too. The granite worktops adds an organic pattern to all of the solids. ‘It reminded us of the beach,’ Carolyn says. ‘It has flecks of crystal in it, and it looks as though it has sand in it.’
Kitchen design: Shonna Fox Design; stove: Bluestar 26-Inch Six-Burner Stove; countertops: Caesarstone Stone Concrete Counters; faucet: Single Lever, Single Hole Faucet, Rohl
One bit of the kitchen’s mix was a happy accident. ‘We were going to put metro tiles behind the open shelves at the coffee bar, but they hung the shelves before the tiles, and we loved the way it looked without them,’ Carolyn says.
Because gatherings always turn into kitchen parties, she says, the couple opted for a long island; it fits the scale of the wide, open room, too. The granite worktops adds an organic pattern to all of the solids. ‘It reminded us of the beach,’ Carolyn says. ‘It has flecks of crystal in it, and it looks as though it has sand in it.’
Kitchen design: Shonna Fox Design; stove: Bluestar 26-Inch Six-Burner Stove; countertops: Caesarstone Stone Concrete Counters; faucet: Single Lever, Single Hole Faucet, Rohl
A staircase and a loft are included in the design, and the loft is set up for a master bedroom. However, the couple designed the house as a bungalow. Universal design principles, such as the doorways and making everything flush, were incorporated. ‘We fully intend to grow old here,’ Carolyn says.
Just because they are putting down roots doesn’t mean she and Duncan are homebodies, though. The outdoor party setup you can see through the folding doors was added for their motorcycle group’s road trip party, and they recently went on safari in Africa.
Just because they are putting down roots doesn’t mean she and Duncan are homebodies, though. The outdoor party setup you can see through the folding doors was added for their motorcycle group’s road trip party, and they recently went on safari in Africa.
The feature wall behind the headboard is made from leftover wood from the living room’s ceiling. An electric candle sculpture adds circles over the bed. Shell-coloured and soft blue-grey walls create a relaxing beach cottage feel.
A large walk-in wardrobe to the right eliminates the need for drawers and houses electronics, such as cables, Internet boxes, stereos and more.
Paint: Boothbay Gray, Benjamin Moore; sconces: Bruno Scissor Arm Pharmacy Sconce by Robert Abbey, Lumens; Circles Candle Holder: Pottery Barn
A large walk-in wardrobe to the right eliminates the need for drawers and houses electronics, such as cables, Internet boxes, stereos and more.
Paint: Boothbay Gray, Benjamin Moore; sconces: Bruno Scissor Arm Pharmacy Sconce by Robert Abbey, Lumens; Circles Candle Holder: Pottery Barn
The en-suite bathroom is very calming. A curvy bathtub bought at Costco, a side table and wall lights soften the basin unit and the mirrors’ strong horizontal and vertical lines. Glass tiles reflect the light in a nod to the sea glass.
There is a walk-in shower; its floor is flush with the rest of the bathroom floor.
The main floor is porcelain; it resembles Carrara marble but is less slippery. The shower floor is covered with pebble-like tiles, which feel great underfoot and are reminiscent of the beach.
Paint: Silver Marlin, Benjamin Moore; Hexis Faucet: Rubinet; vanity: custom, Westwood Fine Cabinetry
There is a walk-in shower; its floor is flush with the rest of the bathroom floor.
The main floor is porcelain; it resembles Carrara marble but is less slippery. The shower floor is covered with pebble-like tiles, which feel great underfoot and are reminiscent of the beach.
Paint: Silver Marlin, Benjamin Moore; Hexis Faucet: Rubinet; vanity: custom, Westwood Fine Cabinetry
At the back, where the home doesn’t need to fit in with the surrounding houses so much, the facade is a little more daring. Weathered steel wall coverings bring the industrial vibe outside and relate back to the fireplace. Another large decking area and a patio hold a gas-powered outdoor heater and Adirondack chairs.
While the landscaping of the garden is a work in progress, the work is well underway. A driveway has been laid and there’s a rain barrel for collecting water.
Siding: corrugated steel in Weathered Rustic, Painted Rusted Roofing; sconces: Barn Light Electric
While the landscaping of the garden is a work in progress, the work is well underway. A driveway has been laid and there’s a rain barrel for collecting water.
Siding: corrugated steel in Weathered Rustic, Painted Rusted Roofing; sconces: Barn Light Electric
From the garden, a door along the garage leads to a mudroom and laundry room.
Here’s the floor plan to show you how the home flows.
Carolyn says Houzz ideabooks were a huge help in communicating with the house designer, contractors and others involved in the build. ‘I may not know the right words to describe the kind of windowsill I want, but when I showed them photos from Houzz, they knew exactly what I wanted and how to estimate the costs for me,’ she says.
She and Duncan had so much fun with this project that they are dreaming of doing another one.
Do you like this home? Tell us why in the Comments below.
Tour a converted stable
Carolyn says Houzz ideabooks were a huge help in communicating with the house designer, contractors and others involved in the build. ‘I may not know the right words to describe the kind of windowsill I want, but when I showed them photos from Houzz, they knew exactly what I wanted and how to estimate the costs for me,’ she says.
She and Duncan had so much fun with this project that they are dreaming of doing another one.
Do you like this home? Tell us why in the Comments below.
Tour a converted stable
Rain cups serve in place of traditional guttering, and decorative house numbers add to the home’s kerb appeal.
A decking area at the front creates a favourite outdoor room for enjoying the golden hour before sunset and the breeze from the lake with some local wine. ‘The Okanagan Valley is known as Napa North,’ Carolyn says. ‘The decking area allows us to really be part of the community; we wave and talk and get to know our neighbours when we hang out here.’
Outdoor light: Gooseneck Barn Light, Hi-Lite Manufacturing; house numbers: Numbermyhouse