SALT SPRING HOME, BRITISH ELEGANCE
Couple wanted to go full West Coast when they moved to Salt Spring — but the universe had other plans
When Louise and Taylor Devlin moved from a thriving market town in south Cheshire to a small Gulf Island off the west coast of Canada, they imagined they would live in a typical West Coast home, perhaps a log cabin, with vaulted ceilings and forest all around. “But we somehow ended up with a classic rancher that looks terribly English,” said Louise with a chuckle.
In England, they enjoyed small gardens and planned to find a similar small property once on Salt Spring, but, again, the universe had other plans. “We found anything but, and now have 1.6 acres that include a potting shed, a studio, gazebo, pond, a kitchen garden, cutting garden and workshop.”
How have they managed to blend traditional English elegance with West Coast island style? It’s no problem for Louise, who is an expert in creating gorgeous surroundings. She spent 20 years working in England and Germany for Harrods, the world’s most famous department store visited by 15 million customers a year who want to see it’s glamorous displays and experience it’s fine brands.
Louise’s Ottawa-born husband experienced his future wife’s design brilliance the day he met her in England 12 years ago. Then a UK airline captain, Taylor was looking for furniture, but spotted her instead, in a chic Italian store where she was then working. He quickly forgot about tables and asked her out for dinner, but his car broke down as he was about to pick her up after work.
“I had just parked the car and smoke started coming out,” Taylor recalled.
As the car was being towed he spied a nearby fish and chip shop and wine store so, trying to salvage the date, he rang Louise and suggested a picnic. She didn’t relish the idea of sitting on a bench somewhere, but suggested he pick up the food and meet her shortly.
By the time he arrived she had set a magical scene in the now-closed store with a stunning table, classic crystal and cutlery, flickering candles, exquisite linen, flowers and beautiful china. They dined in style and the rest is history.
Louise began learning about setting an elegant scene at an early age from a family friend who loved antiques. “The more you see the more you learn, and the more your taste develops,” she said. “I also used to go to exhibitions in places like Paris and Florence, while working as a buyer for Harrods. It was fun spending someone else’s money, and putting things together became second nature. When working in retail and doing window dressing, you need to make people stop and look. You do that by creating groupings, with odd numbers, with beautiful things that should just slightly touch each other.”
She had intended to be a teacher and studied languages in London, but during a gap year in Australia worked with a fashion designer and developed a taste for it. At 24, she joined Harrods’ executive management program and began to learn all about fabric, food, fashion, furniture, marketing and merchandising. “We were sent to a college in London and it was absolutely fantastic.”
Four years later, the company partnered with duty-free specialists Heinemann to set up Harrods franchises in European airports, “and because I spoke German, Harrods sent me to Germany. I was based there for 15 years with Harrods Heinemann, buying from a lot of different companies.”
While in Germany, she became addicted to English house and garden magazines — “It was like sipping a glass of wine” — and she brought cases of them to Salt Spring too, in a 40-foot container filled with all the furniture and art from their 1590 weekend cottage in Berkshire and 1820s townhouse in Cheshire.
Their new 1970s island home had been built for a couple in their 50s, and was well kept, but had avocado green walls, pink laminate floors and orange carpets, so a major renovation was soon underway. They didn’t use an architect, as Taylor and Louise did a lot of research themselves, and then hired Helset Design to draft plans and Wilco Construction for the renovation.
Taylor, who flew for the Royal Air Force before becoming a commercial pilot in the UK, took the place apart and did a lot of the demolition. He also built many of the small cabinets, did all the painting and had huge input in the kitchen because he loves to cook and bake.
The reno began with ripping out all 26 windows and enlarging and lowering them. The windows were replaced with Low-E glass because the home faces south and on sunny days it bakes. “That was the best investment we made,” said Louise of the $14,000. Adding the new windows keeps it cooler in summer and warmer in winter. (Low E stands for low emissivity and is achieved with a microscopically thin coating that minimizes the amount of ultraviolet and infrared light that passes through the glass, causing heat, as well as fading of wall coverings and fabrics).
All the ceilings were textured and, after speaking to their electrician, rather than removing the stucco, they dropped all the ceilings and re-drywalled. This made room for electrical and plumbing improvements and was “much less expensive and easier,” said Taylor.
The owners replaced all the floors with light oak and travertine tile in the kitchen, choosing an inexpensive tile from Home Depot that cost only $5.99 a square foot. “The trick is to use the right colour grout, not too light or too dark,” said Louise who chose a pewter shade. “And you want to make it look worn, so you don’t want it filled to the top, you want to leave a few holes.”
They added all new trim and reconfigured much of the house too, leaving only one of the original interior walls totally standing.