Interior designer in East Vancouver

East Vancouver is a renovation market before it is anything else. Most projects start with a house that has been lived in for decades, a plan that no longer fits the family and a lot that is narrower than anyone would like. The design work is about getting more out of the footprint that is already there.

The Vancouver Special is the east side's signature house. The plan is simple and the structure is forgiving, which makes it a good candidate for an opened main floor, a better stair and a proper suite on the ground level. We draw the structural changes and the interiors together, so the engineer, the city and the trades all work from one set.

Older character houses around Mount Pleasant, Grandview-Woodland and Strathcona ask for a lighter hand. We keep what the house does well, such as its proportions, trim and front rooms, and rebuild the kitchen, bathrooms and basement to current standards behind them.

Narrow lots shape every decision. When a house is only one room wide, circulation, storage and daylight compete for the same wall. We draw the furniture first and the walls second, so each room is sized for what has to fit in it.

Secondary suites and laneway houses are part of how many East Vancouver households work, for family or for rental income. A suite has its own requirements for exits, separation and services, and we plan it on the drawings from the start instead of fitting it into whatever space is left over.

Vancouver administers its own building bylaw, so drawings are prepared to the City of Vancouver's requirements, not assumed from another municipality's. We confirm what the city will ask for before we quote a drawing package.

Vancouver now allows multiplexes on many residential lots, in step with BC's small-scale multi-unit housing legislation. Several homes on one lot means every unit plan is tight, and the interiors have to be resolved early because there is no spare floor area to absorb a late change.

Kitchens in older east side houses are usually small and closed off at the back. Whether to open one up is a design question and a structural one. We show you both versions on paper, with what each involves, before you choose.

You can hire us for the design alone or for the whole renovation. If you have a contractor, they receive drawings and specifications they can price from. If you do not, we work alongside licensed contractors and trades and coordinate the work for you.