In honour of opening weekend at Whistler, I wanted to highlight a Custom Design Plan that we did for a Whistler Ski Cabin. This was a super fun project for clients who recently bought a condo in Whistler. The condo needed a little charm, a certain cabin ‘je ne sais quoi’.
Here is the mood board for the space. Sitt designer, Brianne Zugelder, went with a palate of blue, white, grey, with pops of yellow, giving it a modern Scandinavian look.
The Design Plan
Brianne took cues from our client’s inspiration photos that combine rustic materials, like wood, wool, leather and steel with modern touches, like chevron print and industrial-style light fixtures to create a warm, funky ski cabin that will surely be the envy of your friends.
The Details
Fireplace
The clients expressed a desire to modernize the fireplace surround. After taking a look at the current fireplace, we suggested replacing the current dated tile with Anatolia Ledger Carbon Stone. The stone comes in chunks and is pre-mounted and appropriate for fireplaces. This is a particularly interesting product - in addition to being a smoky, slate gray colour, which speaks to some of the rustic elements you were looking for - it’s also relatively easy to install of the tiles that already exist.
One of the simplest ways to do this would be to smooth a layer of mortar on top of the tile to create a smooth surface and then add the carbon stone on top. Alternatively, the original tiles could be removed, the cement/casing sanded down, mortar added and then the carbon stone tiles added. Either way, it is probably a wise idea to get a professional involved, given that fireplaces are a source of intense heat and appropriate products need to be used and care taken along every step of the way. There are also a number of different colour choices when it comes to the Anatolia Ledger Stone, which can be viewed here.
Rugs/Flooring
The existing flooring, low-pile wall-to-wall carpeting throughout the main living areas, is not ideal for the space. However, since low-pile carpet “behaves” more like hardwood flooring than plush carpet, area rugs can be layered on top to up the cozy factor and inject pattern, colour and texture. Area rugs also define the sitting and dining areas in an open floor plan. Our designer suggests two area rugs: the reversible zigzag Izmir Dhurrie Rug for the dining room and the Hexagonal Rug for the living room. Both rugs are from West Elm.
Furniture Placement
Generally, the furniture placement can stay the same. We like the large dresser in the living room in its current location under the stairs. This offers storage for board games and electronics, while being close enough to the front door to offer extra storage for gloves, scarves and toques.
Dining
To break up the knotty pine, brighten the space and create more of a Scandinavian look, we suggest painting the dining chairs Benjamin Moore White Dove and pairing them with seat cushions made by Sitt from army blankets with subtle yellow striping. The grey in the army blankets ties in with the greys in the area rugs, and the yellow compliments the blue and other yellow accents used throughout the space.
Living Area
Since the condo was purchased furnished, no new furniture is required in the living room; however, we suggest replacing the sofa chair with a thrifted wooden or wicker accent chair to break-up the matching generic living room furniture. A plaid throw blanket would look fabulous draped across this chair, as in the inspiration photo below. The side table stumps that Amanda made are the perfect place to put a drink or your feet, add texture and complete the rustic modern look.
TV The placement of a TV can often elicit differing opinions between those who want the TV to be seen, and those who want it to be hidden. Since the condo is a recreational getaway home, you likely had visions of friends gathered around the fire socializing, not sitting in front of the TV. That said, it can be nice to have a quiet evening to unwind and watch a movie or have friends over to watch a big sports game, so the decision was made to keep the TV in the living room.
Just a note, our own Custom Design Plan clients receive a full report, with far more detail about the room and the reasoning behind the selections within it. We like to think of this post as just a snippet of what we provide to our clients. We also make sure to hold off on posting these to the blog by a few weeks, just to make sure our clients have time to purchase any items they might need.
Are you interested in a Custom Design Plan? For more info about how to get your hot little hands on one of them, head over here to learn more.
The Shortlist
1. Stone- Anatolia Carbon Ledger. For a modern updates fireplace façade. Home Depot (pricing depends on location). 2. Branch Table Lamp- Clean, modern way to add a rustic touch to your space. West Elm $103.64US. 3. Hickory Flooring- Warm and rustic flooring with an aged appeal. Home Depot $27.75 psf. 4. Antlers- Paper-Mache animal antlers. Made entirely from recycled materials. West Elm $20- 30US 5. HBC Blanket- Oversized 100% wool fringed at both ends. The Bay $150. 6. Wooden Stumps- DIY. 7. Izmir Dhurrie Rug- Inside out, the reversible hand-woven rug is like wool underfoot- neat chevron design! West Elm $208. 8. Side Table ␣ Multi-layered birch and white oak for a pinstripe effect that intersects the white powder coated steel. CB2 $149. 9. Curtains- Light and flattering curtain with hidden gathering tabs. IKEA $59.99 per pair. 10. 3 Jar Chandelier- Lighted charm made of steel and glass for an industrial and rustic look in the kitchen. West Elm $208.32US. 11. Fabrics- shown here as throw pillows for the living room to add that extra edgy comfort and texture. Shown here are Burlap Chevron, Cleo Navy and Deft Plus One. Fabrics from Spoonflower and pillows made by Sitt $25-35. 12. Glass Terrarium- Hang the garden from the ground. CB2 $ 6.95 each. 13. Seat Cushions␣ custom seat cushions made from old Army Blankets. Sitt $25-35 each. 14. Ski sign art ␣ Ski Snowboard made to order custom vintage style bus scroll sign. Etsy $210US. 15. Hexagonal Rug- Well-worn weave to add a subtle pattern and color to the floor. West Elm $208.32. 16. Paint ␣ Distant Grey 2124-70. Benjamin Moore (pricing depends on location). 17. Painted Chairs- existing chairs painted Cloverdale EgoLogic Interior-Exterior low-VOC paint in eggshell finish, colour matched to Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17. Cloverdale retailers (pricing depends on location *discount available for BCAA members). 18. Metal Café Chair or similar - Shown here is the expensive version, but a cheaper option is available at Horchow for $159US and we are searching for more. This chair is to be used at the heads of the table for an eclectic look for dining. Tolix Café Chair, Pottery Barn $354.26.
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I can’t wait to see the interpretation of this in real life!
“Custom Design Plan – Whistler Ski Cabin – Sitt” was a remarkable
blog. If perhaps it possessed a lot more photographs this could
be perhaps even even better. All the best -Lashonda
HI Lashonda, thanks for the feedback! We will try to get images of the “after” shot soon.