The Remaining Raw Canvas

Most of this home already reflected the homeowners’ taste. This room was an exception. It was the last space that still felt mostly original, largely untouched, and disconnected from everything around it. 

They knew they wanted it to feel better. The direction came from a conversation about where they were from. Their roots in Canmore and their connection to the mountains became the guide for everything that followed. 

Rebuilding the fireplace

The original fireplace came out. The trim came out. The room was rebuilt around a cleaner, more functional fireplace wall. The new design included a custom mantle in white oak, a granite hearth with mitered edges, a subway tile surround, and a custom wood slat feature above the mantle. Gimbal lights were positioned to draw attention to the fireplace wall without flooding the room with light.  

The Three Sisters detail above the fireplace was the most personal part of the project. It referenced the three peaks that define the Canmore skyline, and it gave the room something no catalogue selection could: a detail that belonged specifically to the people who lived there. It also gave the fireplace wall a clear focal point that the room had been missing. 

The Bar Nook & Kitchen Corner

The bar nook and adjacent kitchen corner were part of the same project. Upper cabinets were removed and replaced with live-edge floating shelves with LED lighting routed directly into the shelving. Additional floating shelves were added to the kitchen corner. The warm wood tones in the shelving connected back to the white oak at the fireplace, which kept the room from feeling like a collection of separate decisions. The bar nook became a more functional and inviting place to entertain. 

The mantle, hearth, tile, wood slats, lighting, and Three Sisters detail all had to work together as one composition. When personal details are grounded in good planning and careful execution, the result is a room that feels finished rather than decorated. This one did.