Wanda Ely Architect Inc.

Home Improvement Professionals , Architects & Building Designers , Accessory Dwelling Units , Home Remodeling , Home Additions , Universal Design , Basement Remodeling
51 Reviews
Review me
Wanda Ely Architect Inc.
51 Reviews

Dovercourt

The home is uniquely tailored to celebrate the clients’ heritage, and reflect their beautiful and hospitable spirits. The house draws upon, and re-interprets, many elements of traditional Japanese architecture, and marries those elements with a love for richness, colour and texture.

The house is conceived as a series of layers marked by thresholds: layers of light, layers of history, and layers of materials.

At the heart of the home sits a sacred wooden box, a precious family heirloom that is the anchor around which the stairs revolve.
Country: Canada
The front of the house transformed with a rebuilt front porch that incorporates wood planters that screen the garbage / relying bins from view, and a modern roof overhang to protect the door from the elements.
Dovercourt
A new back deck is tucked under the overhang of a second story sunroom above, and black slats infill the gap to an adjacent brick wall, creating a cozy spot to relax outside, BBQ, and watch the kids playing in the yard.
Dovercourt
The view from the front door is carefully composed, drawing visitors inwards and welcoming you home.
Dovercourt
Part height millwork floats in the space to define an entry-way, provide storage, and frame views into the rooms beyond. The millwork, along with a changes in flooring material, and in elevation, mark the foyer as distinct from the rest of the house.
Dovercourt
The entry foyer is reminiscent of a traditional japanese genkan, the zone where one’s shoes are removed, one step lower than the main house. Shoes can be stored discreetly under the floating millwork.
Dovercourt
An old wood box sits upon a metal plinth, framed between delicate wood and metal screens. A bittersweet treasure from Mark’s ancestors’ time in the internment camps of B.C. through the second world war, the box sits in a sacred place at the heart of the home.
Dovercourt
A custom mural spirals up and down beside the stairs, acting as a reference point on all floors. It is an always-present visual linkage back to the heart of the home. The sacred box is an anchoring beacon which reminds us where we came from.
Dovercourt
The living room is flooded with natural light. Carefully curated floating shelves display a collection of objects within two niches carved from the wall.
Dovercourt
Within a relatively compact living room, a variety of activities are accommodated by a uniquely curved upholstered seat that lines three walls - its depth varies to allow for: conversations, music listening, lounging, reading, napping, etc.
Dovercourt
The living room at the front of the house is divided from the kitchen and dining rooms at the back by a central zone defined by a charcoal grey mass containing the stairs and the family’s special wood box.
Dovercourt
The kitchen palette is restrained; white cabinets and white oak flooring allows two green accents to be the features that grab one’s attention. At the end, a black sliding door frames views of the verdant yard beyond, and to the left, a vibrant green feature backsplash tile stretches to the ceiling...
Dovercourt
The kitchen is laid out to be comfortable for two people to cook simultaneously. A wide gas range is integrated in the island with a discreet downdraft hood.
Dovercourt
Dovercourt
The dining room is sunken one step to create a sense of comforting enclosure, bounded by a modern interpretation of a traditional shoji screen. A change in wood flooring pattern marks the room as distinct, the herringbone texture reminiscent of customary woven tatami mats.
Dovercourt
Instead of a mirror in front of the sink that displays one’s own image, an intricate mosaic tile takes the spotlight and the mirror is angled to the right, allowing a quick peek to check one’s hair or makeup.
Dovercourt
The powder room is tucked beside the stairs, and lit with hidden cove lights, meant to give a warm, soft glow. The floor tile that folds up the wall, washed with a warm glow it becomes an architectural night-light as you head up to bed.
Dovercourt
The design and materiality of the second floor is decidedly more casual, more eclectic and incorporates colour & texture referencing vintage, mid-century design.
Dovercourt
The girls bath upstairs features a fun geometric tile that folds from the floor up one wall in the shower. A long double vanity provides plenty of storage space for toiletries, makeup and bath supplies.
Dovercourt
The tile makes a fun, bold statement in the bathroom - a niche is perfectly aligned to the grout lines with shelves for shampoos and soaps.
Dovercourt
Dovercourt
Dovercourt
Upstairs, the master ensuite is a serene oasis, a retreat to a light-filled escape from the everyday routine.
Dovercourt
A custom bar unit straddles the change in elevation to display liquor and barware and provide storage for table settings & dinnerware.
Dovercourt
In the late afternoon, a shadow of the family’s crest, a custom pattern in the translucent film on the front door, is cast on the tall white oak millwork in the foyer.
Dovercourt
Throughout the home, there is an elegance and refinement in the details that reflects a Japanese sensbility - valuing things of quality and eliminating everything else.
Dovercourt
The wood and steel screens glow in the evening; when illuminated from one side the steel spacer rods cast a random spattering of soft shadows across the white oak slats.
Dovercourt
Throughout the home, materials are sensually combined and lighting is thoughtfully considered.
Dovercourt
The basement rec room is a casual, multi-purpose space with a large sectional, TV, and drum kit.
Dovercourt
Dovercourt
A backyard oasis - the deck with wide stairs from end to end spills down into the yard. The back of the home is re-clad in black siding to match the new windows.
Dovercourt
The deck becomes a natural extension of the living space when the large sliding door is open.
Dovercourt