Project details provided by Alexis MacKay-Dunn. Photos by Janis Nicolay.
This home was designed for a multi-generational family that has roots in Vancouver but lives abroad the majority of the year. The design was intended to be turn key for the owners and all their family members, to feel at home but also on vacation. DesignLaB dove deep with custom built-ins through the whole home to maximize space and storage for the family. There are six bedrooms in total all with the same functional, base-design scheme in mind: built-in beds and wardrobes. However, each bedroom was customized with its own personality that was brought in through specialty lighting fixtures and personalized drapery and upholstery materials. One of the key design goals was we wanted the home to feel warm like home, but also sleek and easy like a hotel. The main, open concept living space is the highlight with custom white oak detailing that captures your eye, and is replicated on a curved wall and also on the ceiling above the kitchen. The detail draws the eye through the space and up to the high ceilings while also giving that much desired warmth.
This project was also unique on a personal level for the interior designer, Alexis MacKay-Dunn. Alexis managed this design project through an incredibly turbulent time in her personal life. She was given the plans by the architect, Alexandre Ravkov, after having her firstborn son (now 3.5 years old)! The project itself lasted through new motherhood, COVID-19, a second baby (daughter who is now 1.5 years old), and a new kidney!
Alexis was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease while pregnant with her son. Knowing she would eventually need a kidney transplant, Alexis decided to keep moving forward with work, normal life and eventually trying for her second child. Upon conceiving her second baby, her kidneys had deteriorated significantly and her priorities had to shift away from work. Fortunately the design of this home had for the most part been completed by this point, and was at a stage where site questions were popping up here and there, but she was able to focus on her health and put the project in the hands of the contractor while remaining available for questions as needed. Once her daughter was born, Alexis went into kidney failure and found herself in dire need of a transplant. Alexis was able to secure a living donor while receiving dialysis treatment, a true miracle as many Canadians wait years to find a ‘match’. She had a successful transplant one year ago in summer 2021, when her daughter was six months old. Since this time, Alexis has been able to wrap up this project for her out of town clients – a true labour of love – and now looks forward to what’s next. Alexis is incredibly proud to have pulled off the design for this gorgeous, new build home, which is truly a pied-a-terre oasis in the city!
Alexis credits a number of additional people and companies for helping bring this project to life, including luxury furniture sourced from Vancouver-based Once A Tree Furniture, builder Ronse Massey, architect Alexandre Ravkov, landscape architect Ron Rule, and custom millwork throughout by TMW Custom Millwork.
