THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
It’s no surprise that a designer wife and contractor husband are a dazzling home renovation dream team, but how they make their place so comfy and collected is rooted in their histories.
A designer wife and contractor husband build themselves a comfy house from scratch
Itwas a financial decision that initiated Rebecca and Peter Lapres’s “great creative adventure.” Three years ago, they were living in a 70-year-old house on a large piece of land on Vancouver’s west side when they took heed of the escalating real estate prices and decided to cash out and relocate to the city’s relatively less expensive east side. “We didn’t think it was a good idea to have so much money tied up in a property,” says Rebecca.
They discovered an old neglected teardown on a standard-sized lot in an up-andcoming neighbourhood and bought it right then and there. Why, you might ask? Well, Rebecca is a principal at Riesco & Lapres Interior Design, and Peter is a residential contractor and home builder. So the duo, a veritable dream team of home building, knew they could create a house from scratch that perfectly suited their busy family (which includes three children, three cats and a dog). The seven-month process resulted in this 2,900-square-foot three-storey urban cottage teeming with charm.
A passion for everything time-worn and timeless inspired Rebecca to design a space that combines aspects of a previous era, including a strong respect for craftsmanship, with a refined feel. “I don’t see any reason for having to go modern if you’re building a new
house,” she says. “We wanted ours to feel more established and traditional, but with a fresh look.”
Eschewing contemporary architecture also meant bucking the trend of open-concept floor plans. Having lived in London for about two years, the couple became accustomed to narrow Victorian rowhouses that were tiny but still boasted separate rooms. For Rebecca, it was important to define formal and informal spaces, and to create cozy nooks where one could get away – resulting in plenty of wall space for art and furniture. It’s a practical sentiment, but it also appeals to the designer’s sense of playfulness and creativity. “I like interiors where there is a bit of mystery; where you wonder, ‘What’s around that corner?’” she says. “And you find little surprises and quirky touches that feel like an aha! discovery.”
A place full of surprises and discoveries is in fact the perfect description for this house, which reflects the couple’s adventurous lives and sense of wonder. Furnishings and accessories were amassed over time – there are gifts from friends and relatives and items found at vintage stores and junk shops or during their stint in Europe – and most have a story. The rug in the kitchen, for example, was found in the ’80s during the nine months the couple lived in Turkey; the pottery pieces on the living room mantel were created by Rebecca’s late great-aunt, Hilda Ross, who taught in the fine art department at the University of British Columbia; and the entryway cabinet, which is used as a purse closet, came from the “beach shack” the pair rented while this place was being built. “There was an Englishwoman living there before us,” explains Rebecca, “and she sold me the cabinet for $150!”
This refined eclecticism – inspired by the rich, saturated sense of history Rebecca loves about London and by her outdoorsy West Coast ethos – fits the duo to a T. “I liken this house to the way I feel when I’m wearing very comfortable clothing,” she says. “There’s no stretch for me. I’m not pushing any boundaries. It’s simply my definition of home.”