Personal Style

A family trades a Vancouver loft for a custom home on Bowen Island.

Craig Pearce and Kendra Patton’s dream home on Bowen Island, B.C.

Craig Pearce and Kendra Patton were once enamoured with the city. They loved living in a loft in downtown Vancouver where they both worked — Craig, the owner of custom furniture company Union Wood Co., and Kendra, an interior designer for Fluevog Shoes. Sure, they would decamp on weekends to Galiano Island, Tofino, B.C., or the Sunshine Coast, but they’d always happily return to city life. As time went on, though, they started to dream about building a vacation cabin close by. That dream led them to Bowen Island, only 20 minutes away from Vancouver by ferry.

They instantly fell in love with the place. “There are more beaches than we can count, trails all over the island, and the view of the waterways and mountains is amazing,” says Kendra. Also attractive: the island’s grocery stores, friendly pubs and an elementary school for when their daughters, Jude, 3, and 11-month-old Maeve are old enough to attend. (The family’s Boston terrier, Otis, remains illiterate.)

In short order, the vacation home idea was scrapped and

Craig and Kendra decided to put down permanent roots instead. They purchased land on Bowen in 2016, on the island’s oldest road, up a rugged trail and at the edge of a dense forest of fir trees. They couldn’t imagine anything more breathtaking.

“We have a tree that’s more than 600 years old. It would take three people to put their arms around it,” says Craig.

Designed by architect Peter Atkinson of Human Studio and built by Kennedy Construction, The Trail House, their twobedroom, two-bathroom abode, has a gable style that suits the unspoiled terrain. Windows framed in weathering steel blend in with the colour of the rocks on the property, but the reverse board-and-batten exterior offers dramatic contrast. “We clad the house in black-stained cedar to mimic a shou sugi ban burnt-wood look,” says Kendra, describing the textural Japanese treatment.

Completing the nearly year-long build was tough, says Craig, and it wasn’t without challenges. Shipping the ceiling’s massive heritage beams over on the ferry was a pain, and hauling them up the steep hill to the property, nearly impossible. “There were two weeks where we couldn’t build because of the snow and ice,” says Craig. “The contractors and delivery trucks couldn’t get up the hill.” Even accessing water required coordination because it had to be pumped up to the house from a shed.

Once the build was finished, Craig took over and the hard work continued inside; he did most of the interior finishing himself and managed the trades. Union Wood Co. painstakingly installed the

kitchen and built-ins, which has resulted in interiors that are a stunning blend of traditional craftsmanship and modernism.

Then Kendra’s work started in earnest; set against white walls, her distinct decorating choices — quirky antiques juxtaposed with more streamlined pieces, all underlined with moments of pattern — meld to exude an unbuttoned elegance, creating a modern family home that has a ton of soul and more than a little character.

These light-bathed rooms and expansive vistas are worlds away from downtown Vancouver, where Craig and Kendra continue to commute to for work. But in the contest between city versus island, they now know where their hearts truly lie. “On the ferry from Vancouver, you can often see the sun reflecting off our galvanized roof in the hills on Bowen,” says Kendra. “It’s a beacon leading the way home.”

Die-hard antique collectors, Craig Pearce and Kendra Patton found this metal cabinet in Seattle and added the wooden top. Twenty-footwide doors slide open to extend the living room onto the deck. “Jude rides her scooter right outside,” says Craig. Teal bowl, Ben Barber Studio; art by Andy Dixon.

ABOVE: Craig Pearce, Kendra Patton, daughter Jude and their Boston terrier, Otis, at the entrance of The Trail House, the 1,700-square-foot modern gable-style home they custom-built on half a hectare of steep, rocky terrain. RIGHT: The custom dining table is oxidized oak with an industrial-style darkened steel frame. In the kitchen beyond, a mix of materials, from the rough barnboard lowers to the floating oak shelves and antique hardware, has casual, eclectic appeal. Pendants, RH.

“The house is filled with different woods and black, grey and white so, in the kitchen, we wanted something colourful, rich and slightly traditional,” says Kendra of the green cabinets. The antique clock was her granny’s. Cabinet colour, Hunter Green (2041-10), Benjamin Moore.

LEFT: Minimal yet cosy furniture doesn’t detract from the beautiful view out the windows. The fireplace stores logs and has a sculptural quality. Fireplace, Kozy Heat Fireplaces; sofa, Van Gogh Designs.

BELOW: The black-stained cedar siding is punctuated by windows framed in weathering steel. The driveway was left rocky for a natural look. “We have the most amazing view of the water and mountains looking east toward Cypress Mountain, Horseshoe Bay and the Sea-to-Sky Highway,” says Kendra. Just outside the principal bedroom is an antique filing cabinet and painting that Kendra and Craig found on one of their first trips to the Round Top Texas Antiques Show.

The principal bedroom’s custom built-in is the couple’s headboard and wardrobe. Each side has a hanging rail and deep shelves for clothes. Kendra chose the moody paint colour because she got a kick out of its name: Deep Secret. “I thought that was pretty funny for a bedroom.” Built-in, Union Wood Co.; built-in colour, Deep Secret (CSP-625), Benjamin Moore. LEFT: A cleverly placed mirror in the principal bedroom bounces natural light into the space from a huge window on the adjacent wall. The dresser is fronted in rugged silvered oak. Chair, dresser, Union Wood Co.

ABOVE: The family bathroom is warm and modern, showcasing a metaltrimmed vanity, subway tile and a vintage runner. Rich brass accents hit an industrial note. Vanity, Union Wood Co.; sinks, The Home Depot; faucet, shower fixtures, Newport Brass; mirror, CB2; sconces, Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.