I worked on a fascinating project over the last few months. It involved raising the profile of a Vancouver heritage house that had a complete interior renovation in Edwardian style mixed with modern elements for three floors of luxury executive offices.

One of my favourite parts of the renovation is the high ceilings, walnut wood floors and the original stairwell that cascades up through the middle of the house. The house has a very rich history beginning with its incarnation in 1892 for Sir Dr. John Reid, honorary physician to the Queen of England, and his wife Lady Georgina Reid, founder of the Vancouver Council of Women. Then from 1900 to 1910, Fairview House was home to Sir Walter C. Nichol former owner and editor of the Province newspaper and 12th Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia.

Vancouver Heritage House - Fairview House 2012

The opening ceremony to celebrate the completion of Fairview House’s interior renovations took place on March 13th. About 80 people attended between 5:30 and 7 pm with a mix of family, friends, renovation teams, customers, media and bloggers.

David Kaplan, owner of Fairview House was a delight to work with as were his internal team members – Carla, Bryan, Mark and David.

Thank you to photographer Al Harvey for being committed to taking photos throughout the renovation.

Thank you also to the following media and bloggers for writing about the opening event:

• Ariane Colenbrander – see blog post http://arianecdesign.com/the-restored-fairview-house

• Sarah Rowland with 24 Hours – see “About Town” column http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/Columnists/SarahRowland/2012/03/18/19519081.html
  and photo gallery http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/gallery/2012/03/18/19519086.php?img=4

• Phylicia Torrevillas with Metro Vancouver – see article http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver/local/article/1123828–extreme-makeover-heritage-edition

• Reporter Andy Ivens and photographer Mark Van Manen with the Province Newspaper-see article http://www.theprovince.com/Fairview+House+gets+lease+life/6298954/story.html

And thank you to Nancy Ho being our onsite tweeter.

Fairview House owner David Kaplan and architect Michel Laflamme

More Photos

To view photos of the final renovation click here.

Click here for photos of the stages of renovation.

For photos of the opening event click here.