DREAM HOME, WITH A TOUCH OF FRANCE
Oasis on Vancouver Island takes its cues from the French seaside,
A canoe in the kitchen. Douglas fir lining the ceilings. A panorama of water, wildlife and distant mountains. This west coast house in Victoria is unmistakably Canadian.
And, yet, the inspiration for the breeze-blessed, sun-bathed oasis was the French seaside.
“We spend a lot of time in the south of France, in a rural area close to the sea,” explains Marje Clews, who built the residence with her husband, Len Atkinson,10 years ago. “We wanted to recreate that same lifestyle.”
The couple also felt strongly that the natural beauty of the surroundings should be an integral part of their south-facing home, nestled in a bank overlooking Gonzales Bay on the southeast tip of Vancouver Island.
“You feel like you’re in nature no matter where you are in the home,” Clews says, drawing attention to oversized retractable doors that blend indoor and outdoor spaces.
And about that canoe: The 15-footer, made in Ontario from a variety of woods, is mounted like a piece of art above the kitchen cabinets.
“When we moved in, it was perfect for that spot,” Clews explains. Discovered by Atkinson in a local canoe and kayak store many years ago, the craft has never touched water, she adds.
Nevertheless, it looks right at home moored in the bright, sun-dappled space where the open kitchen, dining area and family room flow smoothly into one another.
All three levels of the house are so well-illuminated naturally that “you don’t even need to turn on the lights,” real estate agent Jason Binab observes.
The dawn-to-dusk radiance highlights the “exceptional craftsmanship” of Victoriabased architect Peter de Hoog, says Binab, managing partner of The Agency’s British Columbia offices.
The eye is drawn to the fine details of de Hoog’s “urban masterpiece,” according to Binab, whose listing for the home notes its polished concrete surfaces, exposed wood detail and high-end fixtures.
“It’s very rare to find a modern home that looks so unassuming from the street (and) that offers this kind of warmth and attention to detail,” he tells the Star over the phone.
Clews credits a “collaborative effort” with de Hoog for the design of the house, which the architect calls a “contemporary jewel box crafted in concrete, glass, metal and wood.”
She lists all their must-haves: quality finishes and comforts, sophisticated detailing, warmth and an indoor/outdoor connection, all wrapped in “nature’s palette.”
While she loves the “exceptional views from every terrace,” they are both a distraction and inspiration, remarks Clews, a graphic designer, of vistas that stretch from the bay all the way to Washington state’s Olympic Mountains 50 kilometres away.
“I love the livability of it … and the way it’s lent itself to incorporating nature,” Clews says of her home. “It’s been like a sanctuary — warm and very inviting.”
While not “big party types,” she and Atkinson, who have travelled extensively, enjoy hosting intimate gatherings. She’s even had people in for exercise classes, Clews says, describing the resort-type infinity-edge lap pool, sauna and steam shower.
Now that she and Atkinson are both retired, they’re charting a different course for their lives, necessitating the search for new home owners.
“It’s bittersweet,” Clews says. “We love our place.”
But while they may be leaving, the canoe is a permanent fixture.
“We’re prepared to give it up,” she says.