Sneak a Peek at Two Gorgeous Homes on the Vancouver Modern Home Tour

Consider this your pre-game for next weekend’s tour.

The Vancouver Modern Home Tour is September 15, which means your opportunity to sneak a peek inside the city’s most beautiful modernist homes is just around the corner.But if you can’t wait to peep these spaces in person, we’ve got you covered:  Synthesis Design, a Vancouver-based firm with two projects featured on this year’s tour, agreed to share a little taste to tide you over.Both of these Synthesis houses are stunners, but each has its own unique flavour: one, a gorgeous modern waterfront home in Deep Cove, and the other, a magnificent modern penthouse that shows modern living is not restricted to houses.

The Modern Penthouse

Designed for a client who loves to host, this open and functional two-level condo feels bigger than its 1,555 square footage thanks to high volumes of space. Smart storage options—”a place for everything and everything in its place,” says Lindsay Eby, senior designer with Synthesis—ensures that the penthouse remains uncluttered. With all utilitarian items tucked cleverly away, the space becomes a backdrop for the homeowner’s art collection and frames views of the harbour. (Photo: Nicole Gurney Photography.)”On the main floor, the angular architecture and soaring ceiling heights of the living room were design elements that were existing but unexploited,” says Eby. A modern, vertical, wood-burning fireplace was designed to draw the eye upward. In the kitchen, the hood fan is recessed into the ceiling and the chandelier transparent so as not to block the view of the ocean or act as a separation between the chef and their guests. (Photo: Nicole Gurney Photography.)The upper foyer gets a touch of whimsy, thanks to an owner-sourced, cloud-like light fixture. “Creating these moments of pause and artistry help to elevate any space and make it more dynamic,” says Eby.“Repeat clients are a luxury in the design business and Nancy is a perennial client.  Knowing each other and reading each others thoughts allow for the design to flow easily and with fluidity,” says Lynda Krahn, principal at Synthesis Design. (Photo: Nicole Gurney Photography.) (Photo: Nicole Gurney Photography.)

Waterfront Living

Meanwhile, for this 3,500-square-foot waterfront home, Synthesis was inspired by the protected bay of  Deep Cove and the vistas up Indian Arm. “The dramatic steep sloped site called out for framing views from every level,” says Synthesis principal Curtis Krahn.”The challenge was to create a balance between harmony with and dominance over nature.” (Photo: David Sutherland.)The steep sloped site afforded the team the opportunity to create spaces below spaces that would normally not be possible, carving out a studio space for the homeowner below the garage that commands some of the best views of the property. “This is no basement!” laughs Krahn. (Photo: Ema Peter.) (Photo: Ema Peter.)The roof of the house is the first visual introduction to the house as you descend 64 serpentine stone stairs to the entrance. Modelled after a curvilinear golf green, the roof attracts birds, regulates the building envelope temperature, absorbs pollutants—and is beautiful, to boot. (Photo: Ema Peter.) (Photo: Curtis Krahn.)Want to see these beautiful homes—and three more—on next weekend’s Modern Home Tour? VanMag readers can take $5 off their ticket with the promo code VANMAG18.