In a city where renovations often lean modern and open-plan, Caroline Haselden knew she wanted something different for her family's circa-1926 Dutch Colonial in Vancouver's Shaughnessy neighbourhood.
A Unique Vision for a Character Home
"As much as I can appreciate and admire a West Coast modern aesthetic, I knew that I wanted something to reflect more of who we are," says Haselden. "Something a little more eclectic and mixed."
Haselden and her family had moved from the U.S. a few years prior. They purchased homes in Vancouver and Whistler around the same time, then turned to local interior designer Gillian Segal to renovate both properties.
"It was a really interesting and fun exercise, working with the same client on two projects in two different locations at the same time," recalls Segal. The Vancouver house was plenty of project on its own: a 4,000-square-foot character home in the city's prestigious Shaughnessy neighbourhood.
A Family with a Rich Backstory
The home appealed immediately to a family with a wide-ranging background and a soft spot for older homes. Haselden grew up in Mississippi, and her husband hails from Charleston, South Carolina. They had also lived in New York for a decade before relocating to British Columbia.
"We've never bought or built a new construction, and we've done projects in various places in the 21 years we've been married," says Haselden. "I just like the character … I think it makes spaces unique."
Preserving Character, Enhancing Function
Segal set out to bring the home up to "modern living standards," making it more functional for the couple, their three children, and their dogs, while retaining the character they had fallen for in the first place.
On the main floor, that meant forgoing an open plan: the home's living and dining areas retain their original, partitioned configuration. Also intact are original oak floors with walnut inlays on the main level. "We wanted to keep the original floors, even though they're not perfect … [Gillian] totally got that," says Haselden.
Conversational Groupings in the Living Room
To contend with an unusually long living room, Segal carved out two sitting areas that suit how the family likes to relax and entertain, creating a cohesive space with "conversational groupings."
"When you have a party and you have 20 people over, you're not sitting around in a circle; you're having little offshoot conversations," says Segal.
The first cluster centres around a custom fluted Masana Stone fireplace. A speckled velvet loveseat, veined marble side table, and an almost medieval-looking metal sconce punctuate an otherwise soft palette of creams and greys. Artwork from Vancouver's Bau-Xi Gallery hangs nearby.
The second grouping, backing onto the first, feels more playful, with an art deco-leaning maroon velvet sectional, rose-toned accents, and a swooping Krane pendant light from Roll & Hill.
Dining Room and Lounge
With millwork and mouldings painted in Farrow & Ball's Green Smoke, the dining room pairs a Lindsey Adelman chandelier with striped Lawson Fenning chairs, set around a weighty, rectilinear table.
A sunlit lounge area extends off the living room, with four low-profile lounge chairs arranged around a round coffee table, bordered by bay windows. A custom buffet complements an antique iron garden cart — now a bar — which Segal spotted and picked up on a trip to Los Angeles.
"Gillian loves to mix newer things with old things, and she was really good at finding vintage pieces," says Haselden.
Home Office and Personal Touches
The home office is colour-drenched in Farrow & Ball's Oval Room Blue No. 85, with built-in millwork, sheer drapery, and a contemporary take on a bearskin rug by Christopher Farr.
Throughout the home, Segal's design reflects the family's eclectic story, blending vintage finds with custom pieces to create a space that is both functional and deeply personal.
