The vision for Ocean Bluff was to create a luxurious oceanfront property that complemented the natural beauty of its surroundings. Awarded in January 2016 and completed in January 2020, the project began as a partial renovation and evolved into a whole gut, remodel and addition onto a 10,000-square-foot home in South Surrey. It features an open floor plan to create multi-use spaces and is outfitted with custom designed furniture and thoughtfully curated artwork.
Ocean Bluff has attracted international attention and multiple awards. The materials and finishes in the home were carefully selected to tell a design story: each room is unique yet complementary to the next. The open layout of the home called for thoughtful layering of lighting, materials and furnishings that would be enjoyed from all angles of the floor-plan.
A U-shaped driveway brings you to the front door, which has enough overhang to allow a passenger drop-off without getting wet in the rain. Visitors are immediately greeted by an open (double-height, 20 foot ceiling) foyer that spills directly into the central living room.
The living room ceiling drops to an above-average ten-foot height while the Starphire glass floor-to-ceiling windows showcase the home’s stunning ocean view. All the glass in the home is Starphire – a low iron glass with super high-clarity. The marble floor in the foyer and living room was locally mined on Vancouver Island.
The nine-foot open-flame fireplace is custom made and the 12-foot slab of marble above is Statuario marble from Italy. A modular sectional sofa and two armchairs provide seating on a gorgeous, custom-designed rug that ties the room together. On the hearth is a solid bronze bundle of firewood sculpture by world-renowned, Vancouver-based sculptor, Marie Khouri.
Vancouver Island marble in the living area transitions to beautiful European white oak that was oil finished on site. The lighter coloured flooring runs throughout the home reflecting the light from above. Built by one of the three mill workers on the project, the centrepiece of the room is the custom designed 14-person dining table. The lighting above is a Brubeck model light that has been reshaped and resized to fit the table’s span. Finally, the glass wall slides open three panels wide to allow access to the covered patio area with fire-pit.
A unique design feature here is the use of 16-inch pre-made plaster blocks artfully stacked to fill in the wall that abuts the hallway; they allow visibility into and out of the dining space. Speaking of the walls, quarter sawn black walnut paneling is used here and in every other room of the house.
Before you reach the kitchen, a full self-serve coffee bar greets guests with a built-in coffee machine, sink and faucet with instant hot water for tea, microwave, fridge drawer and storage. Adjacent to that is the only staircase in the home; there are two lifts in other areas to bring you up/down. The home is fully automated where lighting, audio/visual, temperature, fireplaces, and more are all remotely controlled by the touch of a button.
The wall adjacent to the stairs houses the refrigerator, freezer, a wine fridge, and a hidden door…to another kitchen! A second prep kitchen, complete with all appliances and more counter space hides behind a door to get the cooking done out of sight. All of this is hidden behind soft-to-the-touch fingerprint-resistant Italian laminate panels in a black matte finish.
In the main kitchen, Statuario marble covers the backsplash wall, and there are three ovens (microwave, convection, food warmer) and a 48-inch cooktop range. The kitchen island has an impressive four-foot wide sink and adequate seating for a small gathering. The Italian marble here is coated with a sealer so it doesn’t stain or etch over time. Crescent pendant lights and recessed LED lighting illuminate the kitchen from above.
From the kitchen, the adjoining family room has ceilings that open to 20-feet again. The room is effectively split in two by a double-sided couch; one can choose to sit facing the gorgeous fireplace surrounded by the Vancouver Island marble and set into a split-face marble wall – or face the other way to watch television, which is mounted on a custom black walnut panel wall.
Opposite the family room, on the other side of the kitchen, is a whole area unto itself that includes a light powder room, wine room, the primary entrance, a laundry/mud room, storage room, the first of two lifts, and access to the 5-car garage.
The other half of the first floor includes the study, a full bedroom suite, the dark powder room, a second lift, exercise room with full spa/sauna, and indoor pool.
Madeleine and her team are especially proud of the level of detail that went into every inch of the study. One of the standout features is the custom designed and fabricated wall paneling: the familiar black walnut back panel houses an applied brass and wenge frame over a burled walnut panel. These panels are repeated throughout the room, and the framing style is used again in the glass cabinets and inset shelving that displays a collection of souvenirs and collectibles. The unique centre design in the ceiling was assembled in place; every piece of wood that fills in the white raised design pattern was individually stained to match the black walnut walls and put in place by hand, like a jigsaw puzzle.
The master bedroom commands roughly half of the upstairs space. The bed is custom made from black walnut and features plenty of shelf space for books and a television that telescopes out of the foot board. The bed faces the giant glass windows to offer a stunning view of the ocean every morning upon waking.
Carrara marble from Italy lines the entire floor of the master ensuite, framing for the tub, the fireplace wall, vanity backsplash, and the entire shower. The non-marble walls are a hand-troweled plaster finish. Black walnut millwork pairs beautifully with plumbing fixtures from Italy.
