Fred and Stephanie
1908 New West home: kitchen renovation
I’ve known Fred and Stephanie – also known by the delightful nickname “Frephanie” – since around 2005. We met at the Commodore Lanes bowling alley, where we competed together in an off the street walk-in bowling league for several years. Fred and I even went on to form a blues rock band with 2 other members of the league. We called the band “Off The Street”, in honour of how we met. (You can listen to our song, “At The Madhouse”, on SoundCloud!)
Fred and Steph are the type of folks who are instantly likeable. Stephanie’s proud Italian heritage is evident in her vivacious personality, her generosity of spirit, a no-BS attitude and the kind of gregarious laugh that can make anyone smile. She loves to entertain, loves music and is a fervent Vancouver Canucks fan, even painting her nails blue and green to support her boys. Fred is a gentle soul, soft-spoken and laid back. He’s genuinely curious about other people and in sharing anecdotes and interests, and is extremely kind and responsive. Below Fred’s unflappable exterior is a sharp wit and a cheeky sense of humour. It’s safe to say that “Frephanie” are a typical case of opposites attract, and the balance between them creates a warm and welcoming energy that’s a pleasure to spend time in.
When Fred and Steph contacted me to work on their outdated kitchen, I was absolutely thrilled. Of course I wanted to work with my friends and help them design their dream space, that was a given. But I was also eager to recapture some authentic period style for their 1908 home. I knew they would be open to fun colours and unusual details, and to honour the age of their home and its original character.
Previous owners had made some effort to renovate the kitchen, but Fred and Stephanie like to joke that they probably never cooked a single meal there, as the entire layout was poorly planned and executed. Fred did an admirable job DIYing some additional storage, and they used furniture pieces to the best of their ability to make the existing space more functional. Due the to age of the home, the doorways were also quite narrow, so accessing the only bathroom created a traffic jam near the back door during holiday parties and summer BBQs. For someone who does a lot of entertaining and loves to cook feasts for family and friends, Steph needed a more usable space that didn’t cause a bottleneck when people come to visit her at the stove or grab a drink from the fridge. Relocating the fridge, opening the passageways and centring the sink not only enlarged the usable workspace in the kitchen, but creates better flow for folks to move through the house during a get together.
From the beginning, Stephanie was enamoured of Motawi artisan tiles, and collectively we knew they would set the baseline for the rest of the design. After selecting the “Summer” landscape series as our principal motif, the colour palette fell into place quickly. Benjamin Moore’s “Herb Garden” coupled with Sherwin Williams’ “Irish Cream” is our anchoring pair, with grey-blue tones pulled from the Motawi tiles to accent. Oiled bronze metal finishes speak to the age of the home and add a heritage feel, and a corner of unexpected wallpaper adds a sense of whimsy.
Before and after photos on this project really speak for themselves and the impact of the changes made. This kitchen design is a personal favourite, and undoubtedly a feather in the WolfHeart cap. I am deeply grateful to Fred and Stephanie for their trust throughout the project, at to Stuart and his team for the impeccable project management and troubleshooting. It’s never easy working on a 100+ year old home, but the tradespeople and contractors really came through for us. Fred and Stephanie love their kitchen, and I couldn’t be happier or more proud.