This fabulous beach house retreat was designed by Johnson + McLeod Design Consultants, located on Pender Island, near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Pender Island is about a 1½-hour ferry ride or 15-minute seaplane ride from Vancouver. The project encompassed the renovation of a 1968 home, which is comprised of 2,800 square feet (260 square meters) of living space with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The designers respected the original home’s spirit while honoring the beautiful natural environment that surrounds it — “it’s a fresh Pacific Northwest take on midcentury modern.” The clients wanted the home to function as a place for escape and entertaining.

From the start of this beautiful renovation, the designers were focused on transparency and light, and bringing long sight lines through the space and out towards the stunning vistas. Maintaining continuity throughout the interiors was of utmost importance to the design. One of the ways that the designers achieved this was through the use of running planked floor tiles comprised of Italian porcelain, which simulates wood. Radiant heat flooring was also installed. The flooring is also used as a feature wall behind the media center to add warmth to the space.

Floor to ceiling windows were used in this space to enjoy views out to the ocean for spotting sea life. A vaulted ceiling was painted white to help keep the space bright and airy and to hide any uneven surfaces left behind from the renovation.

The furnishings are a mix of expensive designer pieces like the Eames lounge chairs and a custom glass coffee table mixed with some less expensive items. The chevron poufs were a fabulous find from West Elm.

A beautiful sunken living room is accessed via metal and teak steps with a glass railing enclosing the space. The porcelain flooring has been carried into this space as well as similar style furnishings and wall colors to keep a harmonious atmosphere.

The renovation process included taking down walls to create one open living space. The dining area was part of the new design scheme, with a table from Crate & Barrel, Eames dining chairs and pendant lighting strung at various lengths to add interest and drama to the space.

The lengthy picture window in the kitchen adds plenty of natural light to the space, with custom teak cabinets designed in a horizontal grain.

The bedrooms were simply designed for a peaceful retreat and to focus more on the views outside.

A cleated headboard was devised to give some flexibility to this bedroom that has two twin beds. They can be put together or separated depending on who the overnight guests are.

A view out from the sliding glass doors in the bathroom shows the interior inspiration for the project, the lichen-covered rocks. All the bathrooms are of a similar size in the home, with the same porcelain tiling that runs throughout the home and vanities comprised of teak with Caeserstone counters in a dark grey hue.

As you can see from this image, the residence is nestled a large hunk of rock that extrudes out onto the Swanson Channel.

Photos: John Sinal Photography