Western Living AB, May 2019

WESTERN LIVING MAY 2019

B.C. & ALBERTA L VOLUME 48 L NUMBER 4

Retreat Yourself Gorgeous baths and Great Hideaways

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styling Studiopepe / photography Andrea Ferrari

Vieques 2011 / Waschbecken, design Patricia Urquiola Vieques 2008 / Badewanne, design Patricia Urquiola Sen 2008 / Armaturen, design Gwenael Nicolas, Curiosity Revolving moon 2018 / Spiegel, design StudioPepe

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61 DESIGN

17

One to Watch

“We created privacy where none existed.”

–Garret Werner

80

18

Shopping + Openings

Moody ceramics, modular seating and more noteworthy new pieces and places.

22

Great Spaces

A trip to Paris inspires the interiors of a dreamy Edmonton diner.

24

Wall Coverings We Love

Today’s hottest paint and wallpaper options pair depth with delight.

FOOD

55

Bites

An out-of-this-world cake recipe, worth-the-risk wine picks and more.

61

Keep It Simple

Simple, sophisticated recipes that pull together with 10 ingredients or less.

TRAVEL

69

The Local

FEATURES 27

Soak It In

18

Good luck finding a seat in Tofino Brewing Co.’s buzzy new tasting room.

71

Ohm For a Holiday

Ten bathrooms we love, designed to make the morning routine a beautiful thing.

Come to Yasodhara Ashram for the architecture, stay for the peace of mind.

46

80

Private Appeal

Oversized windows and stunning landscaping create a Vancouver home that feels miles away from the city.

Desert Detox

There’s something for everyone (from hyper-hydration to tarot cards) in Scottsdale’s extensive spa scene.

PLUS

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CONTENTS 1 0 m a y 2 0 1 9 / westernliving.ca

Trade Secrets

From a basement room, architect D’Arcy Jones offers a fresh perspective.

Cover: Melanie Finkleman; this page: Joya Spa: Trey Hill; Seared Tofu with Greens and Crispy Chickpeas: Tracey Kusiewicz

46

Shannon Munro’s elegant, retro-tinged jewellery design is pure romance.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

FINDING YOUR HAPPY PLACE

Q& A This month we asked our contributors, what’s your happy place?

Ayesha Habib “One to Watch” page 17 My happy place is definitely anywhere warm and preferably within walking distance of the sea. Settle me in at a beachside cafe with a cold beer, a book and lots of people to watch and I am utterly content.

Tracey Kusiewicz, “Keep It Simple” page 6 1 My happy place is at the cabin at Deka Lake where I spend most of my summer unwinding.

I love to make jam from the local Saskatoon berries—it takes an entire day, but it’s cathartic.

A sunset swim in the lake is truly magical: you can’t feel anything other than gratitude.

BEHIND THE SCENES

This is me discovering my new happy place at the Yasodhara Ashram in the Kootenays. Set on 85 acres, the ashram feels like a secret waiting to be discovered—just like this bench was, perched on a high point of the property with a breathtaking view of Kootenay Lake.

VISIT

anick a quin, editorial director anick a.quin@westernliving.ca 1 4 m a y 2 0 1 9 / westernliving.ca

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Anicka Quin portrait: Evaan Kheraj; styling by Luisa Rino, makeup by Melanie Neufeld; outfit courtesy Holt Renfrew, holtrenfrew.com.

Follow Anicka on Instagram @aniqua

There’s a scene in Home for the Holidays— one of my go-to cozy blanket-type movies—in which a daughter (played by Claire Danes) coaches her mom (Holly Hunter) on how to deal with the inevitable intense moments that are going to arise during an upcoming visit back home. “Remember the fish, mom,” she tells her, referring to their shared “happy place”: a relaxing and gorgeous snorkelling trip they once took together.

I’ve got a few visions of that type stashed in my own memory bank for the days when I need them. I spend a week each summer at a cabin in Powell River, B.C., and on a recent tough day I dug out a PR T-shirt to metaphorically transport me to those warm afternoons of beach books and late-night campfires. There are also the perfectly buttery, shattered flakes of a croissant paired with a café crème that I had on a morning patio in the South of France, which I can picture when I need a little pick-me-up.

And, as I describe in the story I’ve written for this issue, “Ohm for a Holiday,” page 71, I now have a new tool in my arsenal, thanks to a few days I spent in an out-of-the-way ashram in the Kootenays while in search of a stunning piece of architecture. A weekend of ohms and quiet moments in a Patkau Architects-designed temple is a transporting experience I’d recommend to anyone.

It’s no coincidence that we’re featuring retreat stories this month—it’s the same issue in which we’re spotlighting our favourite gorgeous, spa-like bathrooms (page 27). I’m particularly in love with the grotto-inspired space that Jennifer Heffel designed for a Vancouver family, with a Japanese soaker tub tucked into a corner overlooking the garden. As these homeowners and designers so aptly demonstrate, you don’t necessarily have to travel far to find your own mental picture of happy place—it can also be that perfect spot at home, too.

So whether you draw those “remember the fishes” moments in your life from faraway vacations or from down the hall, I hope yours are as uplifting for you as mine are for me—and that they serve you well in every emotional pinch.

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O N E TO WATC H

Crown Jewel Shannon Munro, Jewellery designer Personal stories eloquently worked into metal are at the heart of jewellery maker Shannon Munro’s work. A great piece of bling is one that “evokes feelings in the wearer,” says the Victoria-based artist, who handcrafts one-of-a-kind accessories using high-quality, long-lasting materials. Inspired by significant moments in her life, Munro’s organically shaped rings, necklaces and bracelets tell a tale beyond their aesthetic beauty: a gold-plated sun pendant that gives nod to the summer day she met her partner; a ’60s- and ’70s-inspired collection made up of hoop earrings and sterling-silver stacked rings that pay homage to her mother and other powerful female forces. Munro finds joy in fostering a connection between the wearer and her jewellery. “I’m most proud to hear that my jewellery brings people happiness,” she says.—Ayesha Habib

Lillie Louise Major

All That Glitters

Shannon Munro wears the Rossa ring, a sculptural piece crafted from sterling silver and inspired by, in her words, “true love.”

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MINOTT

DESIGN // SHOPPING

Anicka’s Pick Silvia K Ceramics platter

$230, available at providehome.com Designer Kelly Deck once told me how important she thought it was to include pieces in your home where you can really see the maker’s handiwork— something truly handmade and organic, a concept I’ve really grown to appreciate myself. This line of ceramics from British ceramicist Silvia K takes inspiration from her Slovak heritage, each piece a contemporary interpretation of historical objects.

They’re simple and beautiful—and, frankly, I’m pretty in love with the leather handles.

For more of Anicka’s picks, visit westernliving.ca

BY LU C Y L AU

Dark Matter

The moody ceramic vessels (from $180) by the Cali-based, women-led Brave Matter introduce a handmade touch—and intriguing textural element—to formal and laid-back tabletops alike. providehome.com

Sleep Easy

Sömn, the sister brand of Vancouver boutique Örling and Wu, makes its mark with a line of ecofriendly natural-flax linens (pillowcases from $45; sheets and duvet covers from $120) that promise endless nights of deep sleep. orlingandwu.com

Face to Face

Invest in some face time with a limited-edition ceramic mask ($280) from up-and-coming Dutch studio Somée. The quirky, tongue-out piece is handcrafted in Amsterdam—making for a one-of-a-kind addition to any space. espacedonline.com

Get Lit

The multifaceted shade of Kartell’s iconic Battery lamp ($337 for crystal base; $387 for gold or chrome) allows light to dance whether you’re inside or out—the latter made possible due to the product’s rechargeable body and eight-hour battery life. robertsweep.com; livingspace.com

NOTEWORTHY New in stores across the West.

Soft Spot

Plush and compact, Sancal’s marshmallow-like Elephant poufs (from $700) offer a place to rest or tie your shoes. Pick from three sizes—or combine the trio to create an extended but modular seat—and opt for the built-in wooden tray, which serves as a handy spot for coffee or tea. pompandcircumstance.ca

Flip Off

Crafted from natural wood but equipped with a sound-activated LED system and the latest in “flip” tech—simply turn the object over to shut off the alarm—the Gingko Flip Click clock ($69) combines tradition and innovation. designhouse.com

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DESIGN // SHOPPING

OPENINGS

Mat About You

Hot new rooms we love.

Designed in the chilly, precipitation-heavy climate of northern Norway, Heymat’s recycled-fibre outdoor mats (from $225) are built to withstand the elements. Their playful prints, like the colourful Mix Gem, shown here, help combat gloom, too. litchfieldtheshop.com

BY Y U L I I A M O S TOVA

City Slicker

Like its name suggests, the New York armchair (from $2,595) by Saba Italia exudes a certain Big Apple cool. Reversible cushions— plus shiny chrome or painted legs—allow for maximum versatility. broughaminteriors.com

Calgary Canary Goods Calgary’s only dedicated zerowaste market has set up shop in Kensington. Situated in a shared studio space, the store offers refills on personal-care and household cleaning items like shampoo and dish soap, as well as eco-friendly and Canadian-sourced products such as stainless steel straws and compostable toothbrushes. The shop will operate here from Thursday to Sunday until founders Lisa Watts and Tara Meyer secure a larger, more permanent space. canarygoods.ca

VANCOUVER Le Labo Thanks to its wabi-sabi aesthetics and scents-havesoul philosophy, New York City-based vegan perfumery Le Labo has a cult following around the world.

The brand’s first Western Canadian store looks right at home in Vancouver’s Gastown, where guests may experience the mystique of fragrance making with Le Labo’s full range of blended-on-the-spot perfumes, plus bath oils, laundry detergents, candles and more. lelabofragrances.com

Open Sesame

2 0 m a y 2 0 1 9 / westernliving.ca

Break Up

A series of tall branches, or the object of a Thanksgiving tradition—whatever you see, there’s no doubt that Frost’s Wishbone hall stand ($1,173) provides a poetic place to hang coats and bags. banburylane.com

Calgary Lovenote Bride Vancouver-based designer and former WL Designer of the Year Gaby Bayona brings modern bridal wear to the Inglewood ’hood with a dreamy design studio and boutique. Look for timeless, flowing gowns with distinctive details like tulle sleeves and rose-gold skirts—the majority of them, including those from plus-size line Halseene, handcrafted in Western Canada—as well as accessories such as dramatic veils and dainty headpieces. lovenotebride.com

Canary Goods: Bryce Meyer

Show off barware and trinkets or conceal clutter—the choice is yours with the Audacious cabinet ($1,599), designed

by Jonas Søndergaard for Umage, which features curvy (and soft fabriccovered) tambour doors that close all around. omgitssmall.com

1706 WEST 1ST AVE ARMOURY DISTRICT VANCOUVER 604 683 1116 LIVINGSPACE.COM

DESIGN // GREAT SPACES

BY LU C Y L AU

LABOUR OF LOVE

A trip to Paris inspires the interiors of a dreamy diner.

Punches of black and brass balance a delicate palette of blush pinks, which shine in details like the Chromatica tiles by Stone TIle that decorate Wilfred’s bar-front.

MORE INSPIRING SPACES Find more great rooms to pin and save at westernliving.ca

Shaun Hicks

Pretty in Pink

Wilfred’s may brand itself as a diner, but we can bet you’ve never seen a diner like this: bright, romantic, dreamy and saturated in more millennial pink than an Instagram-friendly baby shower. The muse? Paris, the City of Love, where co-owner Shaun Brandt spent three months with his family prior to opening the restaurant in the Edmonton Brewery District last summer. “We were just very inspired by the lightness and some of the details in the spaces over there,” he says.

Working with Makespace Group, Brandt sought to create a cozy, intimate feel that borrowed from the French city’s food scene without compromising Wilfred’s diner DNA: a custom toffee-hued banquette runs along the length of one wall, welcoming parties of all sizes, while a series of leather-upholstered stools at the whiteoak bar invites guests to stay a while. Elsewhere, you’ll find white-painted brick—a new feature made to look restored in the 110-year-old building, which previously served as the administrative office for the block’s now defunct Molson Brewery—and plenty of chic black and brass details (such as a bespoke lighting fixture by Vancouver designer Matthew McCormick) peppered throughout.

The pièce de résistance is a mural by local artists Judi Chan and Keith-yin Sun of Vanguard Works that depicts anthropomorphic giraffes, poodles and other critters—including Wilfred the bear, the imaginary town’s mayor—hanging out at a lush, greenery-filled park. Comprising multiple watercolour paintings that have been scanned, printed and applied as a wallpaper, the fantastical illustration warms up Wilfred’s otherwise clean and streamlined look, and captures the attention of adults and tots alike. “You couldn’t imagine the restaurant without it, now that it’s up,” notes Brandt.

2 2 m a y 2 0 1 9 / westernliving.ca

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DESIGN // WALLCOVERINGS WE LOVE

BY B A R B S L I G L

AU NATUREL

Earth Tone

Sherwin-Williams’s 2019 colour of the year is Cavern Clay ($43 per gallon), a rosy terracotta inspired by the American Southwest. Think hues that coat high plains and deep canyons, dusty leather and sun-bleached textiles… and something you might find on a Georgia O’Keeffe canvas. sherwin-williams.com

Pantone’s colour of the year for 2019 is Living Coral, a bright yet soft hue that stems from nature.

Used in the newest paints, wallpapers and even wall tiles makes colours and prints that are deep, nourishing and delightfully energetic.

Wow Factor

Reach out and touch that wall. The Subway Lab collection (from $9.95 per square foot) by Spanish ceramics label Wow is a series of tactile tiles that are both architectural and organic, from Dome in ice white to Stripes in graphite stone. juliantile.com

Into the Woods

Bring forest bathing indoors with Bolta’s Wicked Woods (price on request). Dreamy and atmospheric, the vinyl wall covering comes in shades like dark Moonlight and shimmery Oz Dust that mimic light filtered through trees. crownwallpaper.com

Bare Bones

Newwall’s latest wallpaper collection is a collaboration with artist Laura Berger, who’s inspired by human interaction with and within nature. The whimsical pieces are a romp upon the wall in iterations called Field Nude and Field Warm. newwall.com

Holi Day

Of Farrow and Ball’s nine new paint colours, the happiest is Rangwali (from $110 per gallon).

An exotic pink, it is named for the Holi festival of colours in India, during which brilliantly hued powders are thrown in giddy celebration. farrow-ball.com

2 4 m a y 2 0 1 9 / westernliving.ca

designer’s pick

Aly Velji

Flight series

by Phillip Jeffries (price on request), phillipjeffries.com

“This wallpaper is simply stunning—the look of hand-embroidered cranes flying against a deep emerald sky is so moody and dramatic. I also love the Eastern motifs mixed with a more modern design.”

Aly Velji of Alykhan Velji Designs, Calgary, aly veljidesigns.com

Aly Velji: Ania & Tyler Stalman

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HOMES S T U N N I N G B AT H R O O M S L E N D O W M E N T L A N D S B E A U T Y

Soak It In

It’s the ultimate splurge room. Ten bathrooms we love, designed to make the morning routine a beautiful thing.

by Stacey McLachlan and Anicka Quin

Phil Crozier

Blue Beauty

With the luxury of space (it’s nearly 300 square feet), this Calgary bathroom, designed by Stephanie Brown, is equipped with both a rainshower big enough for two and an undermount Bain Ultra tub, along with his-and-hers vanities and a make-up table. For more on this room, turn to page 45.

Ema Peter

HOMES // BEST BATHROOMS

2 8   m a y 2 0 1 9 / westernliving.ca

ELEVATE A BEACH HOUSE VIBE. The natural inspiration for this home in Crescent Beach, B.C., is of course, the waterfront it overlooks. But designer Robert Bailey wanted to elevate the typical beach house vibe with a careful selection of materials and a cool palette.

“Maybe a little more dressed-up beach than casual beach,” he laughs. Wide-plank French oak floors and vaulted ceilings provide a warm and natural base to the room; luxe travertine tile lines the walls, and a freestanding Carrara marble bench in the shower provides a spot to drink it all in. The Carrara marble counter has the appearance of a heavy Parsons table with its waterfall end gables—a statement piece in the room—while the millwork cabinetry underneath is set a distance below it, designed to feel like a furniture piece as well. And to welcome that beachy air into the space, the folding wall of windows opens the room right out on to the terrace.

HOMES // BEST BATHROOMS

This white bathroom feels anything but staid—yet its careful balance of patterns keeps the space feeling as calm and soothing as a spa. Designer Jack Brown of Vancouver’s Jack Brown Interiors brought in more than one kind of marble into this master ensuite, a design that’s classic and timeless. “In the old world, you would have a four-inch border, and then have an infill field pattern,” he says. Here, Brown used a white Dolomite marble as the border tile on the wall, while the floor and shower feature Calacatta Gold and a Bardiglio marble basketweave mosaic. It’s the details that hold it all together: the marble border around the shower, for example, is the same material used on the countertop. “Texture, scale, proportion and obviously a little colour—that to me is what gives depth to a space,” says Brown with a chuckle. “And really, it sounds way more technical than it is!”

3 0 m a y 2 0 1 9 / westernliving.ca

Kassandra Utzinger

LAYER IN PATTERN AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO COLOUR.

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HOMES // BEST BATHROOMS

CARRY A LITTLE ROCK ’N’ ROLL TO THE BATHROOM.

Melanie Finkleman

Designer Melanie Finkleman of Hazel and Brown worked with a couple on the renovation of this home in the historic neighbourhood of Shaughnessy in Vancouver, and her vision of a black and white master ensuite, with punches of gold throughout, granted their wish for a room with a “hotel feel with a little edge in it,” she says.

Cerused oak French doors create a welcome transition from the formerly old-world home to its new modern design. The Amiata bath from Victoria and Albert holds centre court in the room, though its black exterior is anything but expected—and the ideal match to the powder-coated metal-framed shower nearby, a little Brooklyn loft by way of Vancouver. A gold Visual Comfort light sparkles overhead, while two wooden stools— one for a towel, one for a glass of wine, perhaps?—offer a material connection to those gorgeous entry doors.

3 2 m a y 2 0 1 9 / westernliving.ca

1706 WEST 1ST AVE ARMOURY DISTRICT VANCOUVER 604 683 1116 LIVINGSPACE.COM

HOMES // BEST BATHROOMS

The ensuite in this 1930s home in Vancouver’s Shaughnessy neighbourhood was always a decent size, if a little gaudy after a previous reno. “When a home has been in Shaughnessy that many decades, it’s been renovated a multitude of times,” says designer Kelly Deck, whose team at Kelly Deck Design created the beauty of a bath that it is today. The primary focus for the design was to bring some unification throughout the home in the form of an oval motif. That rings strongly here in the millwork on the cabinet doors, on the applied moulding on the ceiling—and even in the mural pattern of the marble tile on the floor reflects the oval.

In addition to the crisp, white, oh-so-pretty aesthetic, Deck has also created a very functional space for the homeowner in the mornings: her dressing room lines the walls. The team removed the small closet that was once in the room, and created a new design that’s tailor-made for the homeowner: each cabinet is carefully planned and measured for her wardrobe—her skirts, coats and more have their own dedicated space. “It’s all very tidy,” says Deck.

“Everything is done with great care to her needs.”

3 4 m a y 2 0 1 9 / westernliving.ca

Ema Peter

BRING THE DRESSING ROOM INTO THE MASTER BATH.

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HOMES // BEST BATHROOMS

FIND A HAPPY MEDIUM BETWEEN RUSTIC AND REFINED.

Phil Crozier

An eclectic sensibility can sometimes be a challenge for a designer—how to balance a client’s love for both modern design and a more rustic palette? In this Calgary powder room, designer Stephanie Brown created an elegant space that finds that happy medium. As an ode to reclaimed barn board—one of the client’s loves—Brown opted for new tongue and groove wood panelling on the walls, stained a taupey grey to achieve that vintage tone.

To “dress it up a little more,” says Brown, she paired it with a pretty, subtly patterned and slightly metallic wallpaper.

The marble vanity brings in that bit of modern the client loves, and polished nickel accents throughout add a touch of sparkle. And, in a bit of design mastery, a slightly awkwardly placed window looks like it was always meant to be there, with the vanity mirror fitted right up against it.

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789352-X

Furtado Contracting Ltd.

WHERE QUALITY IS NOT A THING OF THE PAST

At Furtado Contracting we focus on providing the highest quality of work and building materials. Our reputation is built on trust, respect and communication.

From custom homes, additions to large or small renovations, we take pride in what we do and never overlook any of the details. Furtado Contracting is a family owned and operated business and was established in 2009.

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www.furtadocontracting.ca DESIGN AND BUILD CUSTOM HOMES | ADDITIONS | RENOVATIONS

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HOMES // BEST BATHROOMS

DON’T LET AN AWKWARD SHAPE STOP YOU.

Ema Peter

The unusual angled walls in this bathroom were on the plans when Jennifer Heffel of HB Design came on board to work on the interiors.

“We had two choices,” she says. “We could back-frame it away and make it smaller, or just go with it and make it really interesting.” Not surprisingly, Heffel went for the latter, and came up with a concept that feels indooroutdoor in design. “They wanted a bathing room, but all indoors,” she says. A Japanese-style tub fits into the awkward corner, and the space overlooks a private garden. Water for the tub spills out from a Monashee granite boulder from Adera Stone; another boulder acts as a stool or resting spot for shampoo and soap for the adjacent shower. A soft, washed-out ochre-coloured tile lines the walls, creating an almost desert vibe in the room. “It became a very natural space,” says Heffel. “Sort of like how you would feel if you were in an outdoor bathroom—which we couldn’t do in Vancouver.”

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EMBRACE THE VIEW FROM EVERY ANGLE.

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It’s like they say: when you’ve got it, flaunt it. So when designer Jane Dabrowski of Vancouver’s Paramax Homes was tasked with designing a 220-square-foot bathroom with a full window wall, she put the stunning tree-top views front and centre. Polished black marble slabs from Margranite on either side of the window frame the sweeping views (and the slick Victoria and Albert tub that takes centre stage), while large-format, high-gloss white porcelain tiles from Julian Tile reflect and amplify the natural light streaming in. A curbless open shower area and its glass divider create a seamless layout: no distractions here from the main event. “We wanted to take advantage of the view from every angle,” says Dabrowski.

Tracey Ayton

HOMES // BEST BATHROOMS

Only 19 Luxury Hillside Lakeview Homes Remain Act now for best selection on the remaining homes The word is out that The Cottages on Osoyoos Lake is the best new home community in the Okanagan Valley.

The Cottages includes a community centre with a gym, two pools and hot tubs as well as our private sandy beach and boat slips, there’s something for everyone. With over 220 homes sold, the remaining opportunities won’t last long.

With eight different home plans to choose from ranging is size from our modest 1,300 sf meadow homes to the exclusive 3,000 sf Meritage plan, there really is the perfect home for you.

We have several unique homes under construction and all homes can be customized to suit your needs. Please contact our sales team at 1.855.742.5555 or visit our website for a full tour.

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HOMES // BEST BATHROOMS

PAIR MATTE AND GLOSSY FINISHES IN THE SAME SPACE.

Rob Moroto of Calgary Photos

For this ensuite in the new Legacy on Dunbar development in Vancouver, designer Scott Trepp steered clear of the classic “white and bright” in the space. “There was a concerted effort to remove the sterility that often comes with these bathrooms,” says Trepp. Opting for rich, luxe tones in the millwork and stone—that feature wall is made from travertine slabs—offered the added benefit of providing a striking counterpoint to bright white items in the room, like the Acritec bath. And then there’s the sheen: each material in the room was carefully considered, and while the natural red oak and limestone flooring was given an intentionally matte and honed finish, the travertine and the antiqued Florentine silver wallpaper are polished and metallic. “The things that were meant to be the real features, like the travertine, now pop,” says Trepp. “That polished finish really gives it a more luxe feel.”

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THE REAL THING

Photo credit: Ed White Photographics

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HOMES // BEST BATHROOMS

Phil Crozier

Half of a designer’s job is coming up with a great idea; the other half is convincing the client to actually do it. For the Vancouver couple working with designer Vanessa Stark, a black-as-night Kohler Iron Works bathtub was not exactly what they’d had in mind when they approached her about creating a serene ensuite oasis. But Stark nudged them to take the risk, convinced that large-scale dark elements would give the space a focal point and enhance the lightness and brightness of its 112 square feet. “They were pretty courageous,” laughs the principal of Vancouver’s Chambers and Stark. “It can be difficult for people to get used to the idea of dark colours in a small space.” But once it was in place, they loved the dark drama—which made it no problem for Stark to install a Pacific Rim Cabinets vanity in a rich navy, too (opposite).

Janis Nicolay

BRING THE DRAMA WITH DARK COLOURS.

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INCLUDE A PLACE TO PERCH. There’s so much to love about this dream bathroom from designer Stephanie Brown. The inset penny-round mosaic marble tile on the floor adds a bit of glamorous sparkle, while the cool blue accent tiles on the wall—a stunning backpainted glass that the homeowner discovered—brings a watery element to the room. And the finishing touch? That linen-upholstered bench provides a perfect resting spot in the room. “The homeowner told me she loves to relax and have a bath, and the kids want to sit and chat with her,” says Brown.

“It gives family members a spot to perch and hang out.”

PRIVATE APPEAL

Floor-to-ceiling glazing paired with thoughtful landscaping results in a Vancouver home that feels like it’s miles away from the city.

by anicka quin photographs by David O. Marlow

Place of Purpose

Light travels through the main floor of this home on the UBC Endowment lands thanks to its careful placement on the landscape. The homeowner is also an avid art collector, so the placement of each piece was built into the design of each room.

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HOMES // PRIVATE APPEAL

F

or the average person, it would have been difficult to imagine that the resort-like, secluded home on this property in UBC’s Endowment Lands could exist here. When the homeowners purchased the original property, a ’50s rambler was perched near the top of the lot, and the rest of the land was overgrown, steep and inaccessible. You might spot views of Burrard Inlet—a big part of the appeal—but also of your neighbours. There wasn’t a lot of privacy.

The homeowners knew they were looking to build their dream home, and discovered the firm of Garret Cord Werner Architects and Interior Designers through Garret Werner’s brother, Darren, whom they’d already brought

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on to be their builder. Though he’s now based in Seattle, Werner grew up in Vancouver and once worked with the late Robert Ledingham. (In fact, his journey south was thanks to Ledingham—Werner was charged with opening up the legendary interior designer’s operations stateside.)

Taming the landscape was going to be a huge part of making this property work, and Werner’s design process was made for this kind of task.

“My approach, the way I approach most of my projects, is to look at them in a very holistic process,” says Werner. “I look at architecture, interiors and landscape as one cohesive unit. And at the very beginning is the

Float House

The home is designed as two pavilions on the main floor.

Clay koi ponds are right up against the homeowner’s main-floor office, giving the appearance that the room floats.

HOMES // PRIVATE APPEAL

Green Getaway

The extensive landscape design was integral to the design of the home— every plant seen here was selected by the designer and landscape architect Ron Rule.

landscape—how to sculpt it and make sure the project is a part of the land.” Too often, says Werner, homes can feel as if they were dropped onto the land from space. “I wanted it to become a part of the land, for the landscape to be an integral part of the home design.”

And so while older, perimeter trees were maintained, the scrub that had overtaken the property was removed and replaced with clay koi ponds, Japanese-inspired plantings, hardscaping and an infinity pool. And, perhaps just as importantly, the team worked with landscape architect Ron Rule to create the solitude that this property was capable of through strategic plantings. “Everywhere you looked, you saw neighbours’ houses,” says Werner. “We created privacy where none existed.”

That sense of cozy seclusion is almost spa-like: Werner has created an oasis, with moments designed for contemplation and relaxation. The home itself was designed to face out onto this landscape, constructed from two pavilion-like components connected by a central dining

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area, so that light and those vistas could carry through it on many sides. At the front of the home, a koi pond surrounds both the main entrance—where a floating, blackened stainless-steel staircase rises up to the bedrooms on the second floor—and across the water, the home office, where one can sit in leather Minotti chairs and watch the fish swim by. (Even in the work-focused spaces, there are intentionally integrated mindful moments.)

As the flow of the home travels to the back, the kitchen is both easily accessible to the back patio and pool, and to an adjacent outdoor kitchen, equipped with overhead glazing to make it inviting on even rainy Vancouver days.

And, opposite a small courtyard, a more casual living room leads directly out to an infinity pool.

The central dining area, which brings both pavilions together, features a fused glass wall that Werner designed in conjunction with local glass artists Nathan Allan Glass.

Floating over the wall is an unusual treatment, too: from a distance there appears to be a piece of drywall centred

Wining and Dining

In the kitchen (above right) a bronzed walking stick floats in an inset designed specifically for the artwork. On the lower level, chiselled grey marble lines the walls of the salon area just outside the wine cellar—home to 1,500 bottles (left).

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HOMES // PRIVATE APPEAL

Artistic Retreat

The dining room is at the centre of the home, and features a fused glass wall designed with Nathan Allan Glass. A piece of stretched fabric floats over the wall, providing space for artwork.

on it, though it’s actually a swath of fabric stretched over a steel frame. “It’s very beautiful and subtle,” says Werner, “and it lets the painting float against the background.”

And art is given serious thought and placement both indoors and out. Light frames each piece, with projectors recessed into the ceilings that are set to specifically capture and highlight the work. In the kitchen, a bronze walking stick floats in a niche designed for it, held with two bronze clamps and backlit so that it appears to float.

In fact, the warm cedar that Werner incorporated into the building design in the rafters and structural moments was selected to work with the art collection, particularly the totem pole visible outside the windows, and the large First Nations mask that hangs in the living room.

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Down on the lowest level of the home, a wine cellar hosts 1,500 bottles on blackened steel racks, while a boulder, craned in from the property, acts as a tasting table. In the nearby powder room, Werner had rock from the landscape sliced into thin sheets and lined the walls with it, creating the feeling that you are truly underground in this space. A steam room, sauna and pool change room are just steps away.

“The whole premise of this design is to feel like you’re living in a resort,” he explains. And with the natural landscape, the privacy of the design, the pool just outside the door and the home’s integrated architecture, the house truly feels as though it’s in a land that’s all its own—all the while feeling like it was always meant to be there.

Michele Holmes & Debra Bartlett Disc er Vanc r Island

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10995 Boas Road

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FOOD

F R E S H R E S TA U R A N T S L B E S T B O T T L E S L Y O U R N E W G O -T O R E C I P E S

R EC I P E

In a Galaxy Far, Far Away…

It’s not many parents who would turn their kid’s obsession with fruit into an opportunity to bake a cake. But if you happen to be a dessert queen always looking for your next source of sweet inspiration, you might not be able to resist the muse of a blueberry-loving toddler. Or at least that’s the situation that befell Vancouver cake queen Tessa Huff as she prepped her second cookbook, Icing on the Cake. “If it were up to my son, he’d survive on blueberries alone,” she laughs, “so I knew I had to include a blueberry cake in the book just for him.” The result is this dreamy Blueberry Galaxy Cake, which features a lemon poppy-seed base covered in vanilla and blueberry buttercream and mesmerizing watercolour frosting—the perfect middle ground for fruit fans and sweet-tooth moms alike. Turn to page 58 for the recipe.—Stacey McLachlan

Tessa Huff

Painterly Perfection

The watercolour effect here is achieved via gel food colouring and some clever spatula work— modern, colourful and way easier than frosting roses.

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FOOD // BITES

Food news to chew on.

IN THE KITCHEN Cook Look When it comes to appliances, looks aren’t everything—but if it’s a workhorse and a looker? Well, we’re not complaining. Take the sleek white oven range from Café Appliances (a new boutique line from GE), which features six burners and customizable knobs and handles: it’s a doubleoven dream for chefs and designophiles alike. From $3,000. cafeappliances.com

Piece of Pie It’s not delivery, it’s Monogram—or, rather, the brand’s sleek, self-ventilating pizza oven. Choose from Detroit-, Neapolitan- and New York-style pie, all baked to pizzeria-quality perfection, thanks to three preloaded settings that will make dinner prep easier than picking up the phone. From $16,449. midlandappliance.com

Chorizo and Co. Île Sauvage Brewing

2960 Bridge St., Victoria Who Brewmaster Stephane Turcotte, one of only 11 Advanced Cicerones in Canada.

Why we’re excited Sip wild and sour beers in the newest, warehouse-iest addition to the Rock Bay block. Fermentation nerds, assemmmmble!

Ilesauvage.com

807 Fort St., Victoria Who Chorizo is re-opening after big renos with new owners, both Stage alumni: Stephen Quigley and Dave Brooks.

Why we’re excited With new proprietors, a new look and a new menu, Chorizo steps back onto the scene with a fresh perspective. Expect Spanish(ish) tapas served in a dark and cozy industrial space. chorizoandco.com

Flourist

3433 Commercial St., Vancouver Who Artisan flour miller and dry-goods supplier Grain rebrands to open a brand-new café, bakery and mill.

Why we’re excited With flour stone-milled on site, the bakery’s pastries will be some of the city’s freshest, and with design firm Ste. Marie overseeing the interior branding, it’s the kind of spot that’ll remind you to stop and smell the flours. flourist.com

NEAL M c Lennan’S WINE PICK

Risky Business Pinot gris grows well in the Okanagan, and consumers enjoy drinking it. That statement seems obvious now, but when Gray Monk’s George and Trudy Heiss first planted the grape back in 1976, they were nuts. Not only did they have no idea if it would grow, they had no idea if anyone would buy it even if it did—and that sort of folly is vital to an emerging wine region. When I see Moon Curser growing arneis, dolcetto, tannat or touriga nacional, I can’t help but think they’re spiritual descendants of the Heisses: busting first through the wall and then convincing the public to take a chance on a grape they’ve likely never heard of. But what a reward you get when you take that leap. A 2012 bottle of their touriga bristles with energy and blasts of chocolate and ripe plum; the arneis features green apple notes that are both crisp and waxy at the same time while draped in soft florals. The dolcetto tastes more like its Italian forebears, but given that good Italian dolcetto is so hard to find in this market, it’s still a godsend. Most importantly, each tastes like nothing else in the Okanagan. High risk, high reward.

Île Sauvage: Hannah Charnock

BITES

openings

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FOOD // BITES

recipe

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the sugar-zest and mix on medium-high until light and fluffy (3 to 5 minutes). Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.

Blueberry Galaxy Cake MAKES ONE THREE-LAYER, EIGHT-INCH CAKE; SERVES 12 TO 16

Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake 1½ cups cake flour 1½ cups plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 4 tsp poppy seeds 2 cups granulated sugar Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon ½ cup sour cream ¾ cup milk 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 6 egg whites, gently whisked to loosen ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Whipped Vanilla Buttercream 2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature 7 to 8 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted if needed 4 tbsp whole milk 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Blueberry Buttercream 1 large recipe whipped vanilla buttercream 1 cup fresh blueberries Juice of 1 medium lemon

For Assembling and Finishing Gel food coloring (blue and lavender) ½ cup mixed fresh blueberries and blackberries Gold and/or silver lustre dust Sugar pearls, dragées, and/or sanding sugar, for sprinkling

MAKE THE LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the poppy seeds. In a small bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together between your fingertips until fragrant. In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the sour cream and milk.

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Turn the mixer to medium-low and add the vanilla.

Add the egg whites a little at a time, mixing until each addition is incorporated before adding the next. Add the lemon juice and mix until combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.

Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. After the last streaks of the flour mixture are combined, mix on medium for no more than 30 seconds.

Evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans.

Bake for 23 to 28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from the pans. Allow the cakes to cool completely, right-side up, on the wire rack before removing the parchment. Level the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife as needed. Set aside.

MAKE THE VANILLA AND BLUEBERRY BUTTERCREAMS In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer), beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

With the mixer running on low, slowly add all but 1 cup of the confectioner’s sugar, along with the milk and vanilla. Once incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium-high and mix for 3 to 5 minutes, until the buttercream is white, fluffy and smooth. Add the remaining 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar as needed, ¼ cup at a time, until the desired consistency is reached; the buttercream should be soft and spreadable, but not runny.

Whipped vanilla buttercream can be made in advance and stored in a lidded container or wrapped tightly in plastic at room temperature up to overnight, in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bring the buttercream to room temperature and mix until smooth before using. Makes 7 cups, enough to fill, frost and decorate 1 three-layer, 8-inch cake.

Put 2 cups of the buttercream into a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer for the blueberry buttercream; set aside the remaining buttercream.

In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries and lemon juice and bring to a simmer over medium heat (5 to 10 minutes). Strain the mixture through a finemesh sieve set over a bowl. Press down on the blueberries with a rubber spatula to extract all their juices.

Discard the solids in the strainer. With a handheld mixer or using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the 2 cups buttercream and 2 tbsp of the blueberry juice. Add another tbsp of

blueberry juice to deepen the colour, if desired. The buttercream should be vibrant in colour but not runny.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE Place one cake layer on a cake board or serving plate. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round tip with vanilla buttercream. Pipe a ring around the top edge of the cake to create a “dam.” Set aside about 3 tbsp of the blueberry buttercream, then fill the ring with half of the remaining blueberry buttercream and smooth out with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Top with a second cake layer and repeat; place the final cake layer on top.

Crumb-coat the cake with the plain vanilla buttercream and chill it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

DECORATE THE CAKE Set aside ½ cup of the vanilla buttercream, then frost the cake with the remaining buttercream. The final coat does not need to be perfectly smooth. Divide the reserved ½ cup buttercream between two small bowls; tint one blue and the other lavender. To decorate the cake with the watercolour frosting technique, use a small offset spatula to randomly add small dabs of the coloured buttercreams, including the remaining blueberry buttercream, around the sides and top of the cake.

Hold an icing smoother so that it is gently touching the side of the cake, as perpendicular to the cake board as possible. Spin the cake stand so that it rotates one full time around. Clean off the icing smoother and repeat. Fill in any gaps with any remaining buttercream.

Smooth out the sides of the cake until a watercolour effect is created.

Using a small offset spatula, smooth out the top of the cake by gently dragging any raised edges toward the centre of the cake. Gently place the edge of the icing smoother on top of the cake, or use an offset spatula held as flat as possible. Spin the cake stand and smooth out the top of the cake. Using a pastry brush or clean paintbrush, brush the berries with the gold and silver lustre dusts.

Arrange the berries in a crescent shape around the top of the cake. Sprinkle with sugar pearls, dragées, and/or sanding sugar as desired.

If eating the cake the same day as assembled, store it at room temperature until ready to serve. If assembled in advance, store in a cake box in the refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Store leftovers loosely covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

TIP Stir any leftover blueberry juice into lemonade or drizzle over ice cream!

Excerpted from Icing on the Cake by Tessa Huff, reprinted by permission of Abrams Books.

Photographs by Tessa Huff

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KEEP IT SIMPLE You won’t find any novel-length lists of ingredients here: just simple, sophisticated dishes that come together with 10 items or less (and still manage to pack in the flavour).

Spicy Peanut Dan Dan Noodles, see recipe on page 65

recipes by Julie Van Rosendaal

photographs by

Tracey Kusiewicz

FOOD // KEEP IT SIMPLE

Seared Tofu with Greens and Crispy Chickpeas, see recipe on page 65

Ribollita SERVES 4-6

Ribollita is a hearty Tuscan soup that’s made to resuscitate stale crusty bread.

Toast slices (with garlic butter, olive oil and/or cheese, if you like) or leave untoasted, whole or torn into pieces on top of the soup like a crouton, or nestled into the bottom of the bowl with the soup ladled overtop.

Vegetable oil, for cooking 1 onion, chopped 1 carrot and/or celery stalk, chopped 1 Italian sausage Salt and pepper, to taste 2 to 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock 1 can diced, stewed or whole plum tomatoes (398 mL), with juice 1 to 2 cups cooked or canned navy or white kidney (cannellini) beans, drained Handful of spinach or kale, torn Toasted crusty bread, for serving Grated parmesan, for serving Drizzle some oil into a medium pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat and cook onion, carrot and/or celery and sausage, squeezed out of its casing, until onions are soft and meat is no longer pink.

Add stock, tomatoes and beans and bring to a simmer; cook for about 10 minutes, until soup thickens slightly. Add in spinach or kale and stir for a minute or two, until it wilts and tenderizes.

Place a slice or a few torn pieces of toasted bread in each bowl, and ladle soup overtop. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

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FOOD // KEEP IT SIMPLE

Braised Pork Shoulder with Cheesy Polenta, see recipe on page 65

Seared Tofu with Greens and Crispy Chickpeas SERVES 4

Mild tofu takes on flavours well, so tossing it with chili powder and cumin, a curry blend or your favourite dry barbecue rub before roasting is always a good idea. Starting it in a hot pan will give it a crispier edge; otherwise you could roast it along with the chickpeas, as long as you don’t crowd the pan, which would keep it from getting crisp.

Vegetable oil, for cooking 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 pkg extra-firm tofu (250 g) 3 to 4 kale leaves 1 can chickpeas (540 mL), rinsed and drained 1 tbsp chili powder Salt, to taste Pour about ⅓ cup of oil into a small ramekin and add garlic; swirl it around to infuse while you preheat oven to 425˚F. Put the block of tofu on a paper towel-lined plate, top with a double thickness of paper towel, and put a skillet or other weighted object on top. (The more moisture you get rid of, the crispier it will get.)

Meanwhile, rinse and drain chickpeas well and transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with some of the garlicky oil and shake around to coat. Spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Slide into oven.

Cut tofu into ½- to 1-inch cubes and place in the same bowl. Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin and salt; shake to coat. Set a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add another generous pour of oil and cook tofu cubes, turning often, until they start to turn deep golden. Add to baking sheet, shaking the chickpeas around as you do. Return to oven for about 10 minutes, until both are crisp and golden.

Tear kale into same bowl, discarding stems.

Drizzle with a little more oil (just regular oil, if the garlic oil has been used up) and sprinkle with salt. Rub and scrunch the leaves up with your hands to coat. Cook in the hot skillet for a few minutes or lay over the chickpeas and tofu in the oven for a few minutes, until wilted and crispy-edged. Toss together and serve.

Braised Pork Shoulder with Cheesy Polenta SERVES 4-6

Braised pork shoulder with polenta seems fancy and complicated, but requires little effort; the oven does all the work of breaking down tough pork shoulder, rendering it incredibly tender and flavourful, and a pot of creamy polenta is easier than oatmeal, coming together in under five minutes.

Vegetable oil, for cooking 1-to-2 lb pork shoulder Salt and pepper, to taste 1 can whole plum tomatoes (398 mL) 1 cup red wine 2 sprigs thyme ¾ cup dry cornmeal ½ cup grated parmesan or aged gouda, plus extra for serving 2 tbsp butter Preheat oven to 300˚F. Drizzle some oil into a Dutch oven set over medium-high heat and brown pork on all sides, sprinkling with salt and pepper.

Add tomatoes, red wine and thyme to the pan, ensuring there’s enough liquid to come about ½ to ¾ of the way up the side of the meat—if not, add a little more wine or water. Cover and braise for 3 to 4 hours, or until pork is very tender. Pull pork apart with two forks, discarding the thyme stems. If you’d like to thicken the sauce, put it on the stovetop to simmer until the liquid reduces.

In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a simmer and whisk in cornmeal along with a big pinch of salt; cook for about 3 minutes, until cornmeal thickens. Add cheese and butter and stir to melt completely. Spoon polenta into shallow bowls and top with the saucy pork.

Serve topped with grated parmesan.

Spicy Peanut Dan Dan Noodles SERVES 4

These spicy noodles are named for the pole—or dan dan—street vendors used to carry the ingredients for the dish.

It’s usually spicy, and often made with peanut butter or sesame paste. ¾ lb ground pork Vegetable oil, for cooking 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tbsp grated ginger 2 to 4 green onions, chopped ⅓ cup peanut butter or tahini 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp rice vinegar or lime juice Pinch red chili flakes or a squirt of Sriracha ¾ lb fresh Asian noodles Chopped peanuts, for garnish (optional) In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, cook pork in a drizzle of oil, breaking it up with a spoon until no longer pink. Add garlic, ginger and half the onions and cook until pork is deep golden, with crispy edges.

Add peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, chili flakes and ½ cup water and cook, stirring, until peanut butter melts and sauce is smooth. Taste and add more soy sauce if it needs salt, or vinegar (or a squeeze of lime) if it needs more acid.

Add a splash of water if it seems too thick.

Meanwhile, cook or soak noodles according to package directions. Drain well and toss with pork mixture, and serve topped with remaining green onions and a sprinkle of peanuts.

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Partners

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May 28 & 29, 2019 @ Vancouver Playhouse

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Over its 20 year history, the DesignThinkers Conference has spanned massive changes in the communication design industry. From print to digital, visual identity to brand, websites to user experiences, design has evolved as new trends, technologies and philosophies transform the wider world. Join us in Vancouver this May to explore the innovations and disruptions that inform, inspire and influence design, consider its impact and re-imagine its role as we confront fundamental global challenges.

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Bigger, Better After nearly a decade of operating in a cramped, plywood-lined room under a strict, liquor-boardimplemented, 12-ounce-per-personper-day policy that discouraged lingering, Tofino Brewing Co. has both new digs and looser reins. In a high-ceilinged, West Coast casual tasting room on the other side of the warehouse, craft beer pilgrims share high-top tables with friendly locals, all in it for the long haul: with a dozen taps (plus several decent cider options), everyone’s happy to settle in and make a day of it.

Though the craft brewery can churn out 570 hectolitres of beer at a time, the local demand is so high (you’ll find it everywhere from the Hatch Pub to the Wick) that most of those bottles and kegs don’t ever leave Tofino. But when you’re in the heart of the action in the buzzy room, packed to the rafters with regulars sharing Mason jars full of snack mix and swapping samplers from tasting flights (is Kelp Stout a fair trade for a Spruce Tree Ale? Asking for a friend), we’re just surprised to hear that any of it makes it out the door at all.—Stacey McLachlan

Fill ’Er Up

The growler fill station provides a grab-and-go option, but it’s hard to resist sticking around for a tasting flight.

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2019-02-25 5:17 PM

25 5:17 PM

Ohm for a Holiday

Daniel Seguin

Writer Anicka Quin went to the Kootenay-based Yasodhara Ashram near Nelson to look at the architecture, but a welcome dose of wellness found her there too.

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TRAVEL // YASODHARA ASHRAM

M

y cabbie is thrilled that I’m heading to Nelson for the weekend. It’s 5 a.m., and I’m groggy

Curves Ahead

The design of the Ashram was done by John and Patricia Patkau, the Vancouverbased architects who enjoy a world-class reputation for their stunning use of natural materials in their projects.

and dragging myself into his backseat, headed to YVR to catch a puddle-jumper into the mountains. Small talk ensues and, inevitably, I share that I’m Kootenays-bound for a few days. “There’s an ashram there, you know?” he says. When I confirm that said ashram is, in fact, where I’m heading, he claps his hands in delight. “If you do yoga,” he says, “you’ll never be crying.”

The thing is, I have been crying a lot lately. In the past couple of months, one friend has started chemo, a cousin has seen her breast cancer come raging back and another has lost her battle, leaving her four-year-old son behind.

The randomness of who gets to be 85 and who must leave before they want to has me just generally pissed off, and I’m not convinced a yoga session or four over the weekend is going to shake that anger. But I don’t dig into that with my spiritualized cabbie. “That’s the plan,” I smile weakly.

To be truthful, my attraction to visiting Yasodhara Ashram this weekend is more architectural in nature: they’ve just built a new temple with arguably the greatest living Canadian architects of our time, John and Patricia Patkau. Perched on a rocky outcrop of Kootenay Bay, the Ashram is difficult to reach: from Nelson, B.C. (itself

a 90-minute flight or eight-hour drive from Vancouver), you drive a half hour, then take another half-hour ferry to arrive at the 85-acre property. But, from all accounts, their new Temple of Light is stunning. And laying eyes on a lotus-like design in the middle of the woods feels like the shoulder-dropping exercise I could use right now.

I arrive in the early afternoon, and drop my bag in a modest little room with a peek-a-boo view of Kootenay Lake. Despite my architectural mission, I’ve also signed up for a relaxation workshop, but it doesn’t start until tonight. I’ve got a little time for a ramble.

The Ashram itself—which these days hosts a couple of dozen full-time residents, and yoga students whose retreat times range from two to three days (like my own) to many months—was the brainchild of one German woman, Swami Radha, who studied under a guru in India in the late ’50s. That guru’s encouragement to bring yoga to the West evolved into this women-led retreat and study centre that practices the spiritual tradition of the Divine Feminine, with that kind of we-produce-our-own-honey Kootenays vibe that’s almost instantly calming.

It’s quiet here. They’re expecting a full house this weekend (about 130 or so people like me who are also looking for that dropped-shoulder moment in a number

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Breathe RIght

One of the pillars of a visit to the Ashram is ever-present yoga classes. They’re very low-key, notwithstanding they’re conducted in one of the most spectacular settings in the country.

of different programs), but I pass only a few guests and residents on my path. Some are crouched over the rows of kale, mixed greens and garlic scapes, harvesting a few handfuls for dinner; a few others appear to be hauling out undergrowth from a forested area. (I later learn they’re removing invasive Scotch broom.) And while the acres of apple orchards seem right at home here—they produced some 4,000 pounds of fruit last year—the flowering gardens are a surprise. Everything is in bloom and heavy with bees. It seems so… pretty for a place with such serious intentions.

I take a path that climbs a little, walking past a renovated barn (now one of the sleeping quarters) to discover a bench that’s been placed just out of the way—but, of course, not randomly. It’s perfectly positioned for a quietly framed view of Kootenay Bay below, the grounds of the ashram rolling out in front. I sit, and those shoulders drop just the tiniest bit. I catch a glimpse of the temple, starkly white and modern against the fairly ’70s-era scene laid out in front of me.

After taking it in, I return to what’s known as Mandala House, the main building on the property where meals are shared and my classes will take place. (The courses here are very reasonable—for a weekend retreat, it’s around $500, which includes three nights’ accommodation and all of your food.) The first night I’m told to bring a notebook and wear comfortable, modest clothing I can move in. Our

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instructor is Swami Jyotihananda, a tall, slender woman in her late 60s who looks a little like a modern version of Bea Arthur, and whose generally serious, mildly intimidating demeanour is transformed when she smiles to welcome the 15 of us in.

My fellow classmates aren’t quite what I expected.

There are a few lifelong yogis, for sure—those folks who come wrapped in jersey and seem to have really already nailed both inner peace and the elegantly messy bun. But there’s also a family of four from Calgary, whose 11-yearold son takes our writing and reflecting exercises so seriously I want to hug him. There’s a recently divorced entrepreneur who has sold his business in the U.K. and is looking to figure out what’s next in life. A quietly smiling guy in his 20s whose late father was an ashram regular, a 50-something woman whose perfect manicure and sparkly eyeshadow is as un-hippie as you can get, and another woman taking a sabbatical from her work as a restorative justice facilitator to travel with her family. They’re all looking for a bit of a come-down from whatever is eating at them back home.

Throughout the course of the weekend, yoga is just a small part of what we do here. We’re asked many questions, which we reflect on, sometimes through writing, sometimes by drawing pictures. What is a single word that expresses relaxation? (Beach time. Wait, that’s two words. Water?) What do I need to let go of? (Anger about

Yoga: Amy Allcock

TRAVEL // YASODHARA ASHRAM

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Circle Time

Another key aspect of the ashram is a variety of workshops where participants can talk through any issues they’re dealing with.

Here wellness is very much both physical and mental.

the unfairness of life and death, but also the feeling that I need to fix everything.)

We learn the Divine Light mantra, a recitation that sees us visualize light streaming down from above our heads and becoming part of us, and overflowing outward. And, little by little, I hear the words of my cabbie bubble up. My sad and angry heart moves just a little.

Nourishment comes in a literal form, too: though our meals are held silently and in reflection, it’s all I can do not to turn to the person beside me and exclaim, “Can you even believe this?!” Lunch is layed out over several buffets, and one spread includes bruschetta topped with garden tomatoes, the aforementioned garlic scapes and dill; rice noodle salad rolls with peanut sauce; rich yam and coconut soup drizzled with homemade pesto; and homemade biscuits or, for those in need of it, gluten-free pumpkinseed crackers. And an always-present garden salad topped with tahini lemon dressing.

After lunch, I have another window of time to myself.

A service in the new temple is on the schedule for tonight, but I want to experience the space on my own, first. An electrical fire in the roof caused severe structural damage to the original temple in 2014; it had been a more classic, dome-shaped design, and when it came time to rebuild, one member of the community started to cold-call architects. The Patkaus were on the list. And, more importantly, they were interested. They had a research arm

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to their practice that they thought the temple could be constructed under (read: the community might actually afford it) and wanted to test some of their theories around building prefabricated designs in curves, just what the temple was hoping for, too.

The structure is both spiritually significant to the local community—it’s designed with eight doors, signifying the eight major religions of the world, along with an aperture at its peak—and a truly stunning piece of architecture.

Eight petals curve together to form one dome, and each petal is made of eight panels. It was constructed in highly technical, prefab components in a facility right across the lake by Spearhead Inc., one of the few places in Canada that specializes in this type of design. (A little karmic “in” for the community.)

It’s everything I’d hoped it would be—the kind of hush you feel walking into an ancient European church, made modern. Asymmetrical windows frame views out and over the lake, while the aperture above floods in light by day, and is framed by hanging lanterns at night. I close my eyes, and recite one of the Divine Light mantras we were given earlier that day, picturing my struggling friends and family bathed in that light. It feels good. The logical side of me dismisses the fact that I’m “doing” anything. The side that’s opening up here, the one that believes a sacred space like this does have meaning—that side of me is grounded by this room.

Above: Laura Vanags; Cabin and garden: Amy Allcock; lunch: Andrej Galic; aerial view of garden: Daniel Seguin

TRAVEL // YASODHARA ASHRAM

Back to Nature

There’s no zipping out to the supermarket here: instead, everyone participates in the cultivation of the food that will be prepared into the communal meals here. Delicious, but eaten in silence.

The next afternoon we’re to meet in the garden to participate in “karma yoga.” It’s not a bonus downward dog session; to a layperson, it’s essentially a straight labour exchange—you’re given a task in the garden or on the property, and you contribute your time and physical work for a couple of hours. (One participant who came a day early had turned down the offer to cover his extra costs through a few hours of karma yoga. “I told them I hadn’t done yoga before, so I passed,” he laughed.)

The term actually comes from the concept of both giving back (karma) paired with a meditation (that’s the yoga). I’m meant to stay present and to think about what comes up for me as I tug out invasive grass that’s winding under the raspberry canes. Not much, at first, but when we’re told that time’s up and I have but a few feet left to fully eradicate my row from weeds, oh boy does something start to brew.

Does not finishing a task to my standards make it any less successful?

It’s a thought I twist with for a while.

Near the end of my weekend, I have a chance to speak with Yasodhara’s president, Swami Lalitananda—a former pupil of Radha who has been part of the community, on property and off, since the ’80s.

She’s soft-spoken and smiles easily, her short grey hair in curls atop her head, and she’s dressed in all blue—the colour they’ve chosen for the spiritual leaders here, a reflection of the water that surrounds this place. What, I ask her, do they want visitors like myself to get out of our experience here? “That there’s more to life,” she says. “We have tools to give people so they can find meaning—to take the time to pause and ask, where am I? What do I want to do in my life?”

Those questions settle with me for the weekend and, once I leave the ashram and head back to Vancouver, for the weeks that follow. Months later, I find one of my class drawings. It’s not what anyone would call art—or, for that matter, it’s not anything that anyone other than myself would comprehend. But there are my feet, stretched out toward the ocean. Sun pours down, and I’ve got a book by my side. Unexpectedly, the peaceful centre I discovered over that weekend at Yasodhara Ashram rises up in my chest for a bit. I will cry again, I know. But I’ve got a few tools in my arsenal to help me be okay with that.

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Inside and Out

Samantha Legge’s new Evalina Beauty collection is all about enhancing what really makes women beautiful: self-acceptance.

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Evalina_promoted_WL.indd All Pages

“I

’m wearing two different eyeliners and three kinds of lip gloss right now,” laughs Samantha Legge, digging through a canvas

bag bursting with makeup samples in her chic white-on-white Vancouver office. It may sound extreme, but product-testing all in a day’s work for the Evalina Beauty president and founder—in between prototype meet-

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Evalina's Beauty Director Ana Allen

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2/6/19 9:30 AM

TRAVEL // THE CHECK-IN

Desert Detox If Vegas is about blowing off steam, then Scottsdale is all about having steam blown on you—along with a host of other therapeutic pursuits. BY A M A N DA R O S S Civana

Adventure, as we know it, includes scaling epic mountains, wrestling dragons and going on exhausting chases.

But, as it turns out, there’s another kind of adventure in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Here, in this arid desert climate, with more spas per capita than anywhere else in the world, therapeutic experiences require equal parts bravery (angel card readings and animal communication), fortitude (those email messages can wait until tomorrow) and determination (to stay awake).

H Y D R AT E H A R D The pleasant haze produced at Well and Being Spa at the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess comes intravenously: the REVIV IV Wellness Therapy’s Ultraviv hangover recovery infusion is an IV packed with nutrients (minerals, antioxidants, electrolytes) aimed at combatting dehydration, inflammation and vitamin deficiencies all induced by a hard night out on the town.

O R A N G E YO U G L A D Alvadora Spa

Well and Being Spa

When it’s time to come down from the drip, head over to the Alvadora Spa at the freshly renovated Royal Palms Resort. This historic Mediterraneanstyle villa dates back to 1929 when it was first built as a private estate (being almost 100 years old qualifies you for heritage platinum status in this town), but its signature Citrus Grove facial is thoroughly modern. Harnessing antioxidants to combat premature aging for that healthy, youthful glow, therapists use the actual oranges that grow on the property as an essential essence in their arsenal.

Joya Spa

LO C A L M OT I O N In a brand-new three-storey spa at the Phoenician, you’ll rise stronger and more peaceful than ever—but first, you must be rubbed into submission. In the Sonoran signature scrub, massage and wrap, salt crystals get mixed with desert sage and wild lavender for a smoothing body polish, then handcrafted rose stones are placed on your back before a full-body massage with healing aloe.

Then there’s the “angel messages” and animal spirit guide classes at the environmentally focused Civana. Once a 1964 mid-century hideaway, this renovated resort works on principles of “sustainability, attainability and possibility.” Our holistic healer and “interspecies” communicator has us choose Tarot-like cards to connect psychically with a pet or generally find out what the future might hold. Quirky, sure, but sneakily rewarding, even to skeptics.

HEAD CASE If you need to get your head around all this, there’s the cranial sacral massage at the Joya Spa at the Omni Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Montelucia, where light, intuitive pressure gently relaxes and influences the central nervous system for better balance and alignment.

P E A K R E L A X AT I O N The Sanctuary Salt Stone experience at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain is a highly re-mineralizing massage that uses hand-carved salt stones from the Himalayas (no climbing needed!) to balance the central nervous system and reduce inflammation.

Depleted cells are nourished and meridians on the body are stimulated—that night, sleep comes like a charm.

Civana: Lisa Diederich; Alvadora: Michael C. Snell; Joya: Jeff Zaruba; Phoenician: Mark Boisclair

E M B R AC E T H E O U T-T H E R E

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Evalina_

YO U A R E A L R E A DY B E AU T I F U L L ET YOU R L IGH T SH I N E

E VA L I N A B E AU T Y. C O M C R U E LT Y A N D PA R A B E N F R E E

COMING SPRING 2019

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TRADE SECRETS

D E S I G N E D BY

D’Arcy Jones, D’Arcy Jones Architects Inc.

The Look

TK TK

The Look

FRESH PERSPECTIVE

Even a basement room can embrace the view.

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Who says a basement can’t feature great views too? Certainly not architect D’Arcy Jones, who let the light into this Vancouver home’s subterranean space by steeply sloping a rocky bank down from ground level, filling the resulting patch of land with lush greenery and then putting it all on full display through oversized, Douglas fir-framed basement windows. “The dark frame draws your eyes to the light,” says Jones. “It faces north and glows green all year round.”

Ema Peter

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