Design that appears effortless is often far from it.
As was the case for Angelo and Lindsay, who estimate they spent 10,000 hours creating their dream home in Laurier Heights. “It was three years — evenings, weekends, you name it,” says Angelo. “It was breakfast in the morning on our computers, looking at Dwell and other design magazines, saving pictures online — I don’t even know how many pictures we saved — of kitchens, of everything. And when we were in our townhome rental before the build, the house was just packed with samples. It took a lot of research.”
The result is “Floating Glass House,” a one-of-a-kind Scandinavian-style bungalow in Edmonton that Alair Homes — the builder behind the project — describes as having “a touch of Frank Lloyd Wright” (one of the most iconic modern architects of all time). And the house does appear to be floating, primarily due to the 10-foot cantilever roof-line — the most striking feature of the home — and the 54-inch by 24-inch steel girders that support the large roof overhangs. Natural light beams in from almost every direction thanks to a main floor that’s encased by floor-to-ceiling windows. The final design took almost a year due to permitting, and required five variances from the city alongside support from the community. When the City’s Subdivision and Appeal Board heard the case in 2017, it noted that “Neighbouring property owners were consulted through the design process and have provided overwhelming support for the proposed development.”
Lindsay left Edmonton at age 20 to study in Calgary and then Toronto, where she met Angelo, who hailed from Montreal. Angelo would eventually become an industrial designer for companies like Indigo and Canadian Tire. In 2018, with a new baby in the mix and one more in their future, the couple made the decision to settle in Edmonton, seeking a support network of family and friends. Designing a home that could accommodate social gatherings, both indoors and outdoors, was a top priority.
“It’s definitely an entertaining house. That was the goal,” says Angelo. Upon entry, the living room, dining room, kitchen and breakfast bar are open concept, but made into vignettes with intentional furniture arrangements and sleek, “touchless” cabinetry. The reflections from the glass, lack of baseboards, and minimalist finishings flow like a “waterfall,” as Angelo calls it, from the outside in. “Even when you’re outside, you see the paintings through the windows and you almost feel like you’re in a living room,” he says.
On the flip side, when preparing meals in the kitchen, there’s a sweeping view into the Palm Springs-style patio through a wall of windows — the largest windows Alair has ever been able to source from Duxton Windows & Doors. “One of the goals was really to get the feel like there are no windows at all, like there’s no divide.”
Angelo’s design background served him well, as he used Adobe Illustrator to create preliminary blueprints and then handed them over to principal designer, Sebastian Mielczarek of Design Two Group Inc., to build the official drawings. Design Two Group, known for progressive mid-century and prairie modern design, has designed more than 500 homes. “We love [Design Two Group’s] outside-inside design,” says Angelo. “So, just to have him say, ‘OK, this is what you want, this is what’s going to work based on what you’re telling me,’ was great. It’s a mishmash of things that have been done before, of things that we liked. And I think where everyone did a really good job — us, Alair, and Design Two Group — was bringing all those different ideas together so it’s not a Frankenstein house. I think it looks pretty cohesive.”
One of the challenges of building the home was finding materials that were progressive enough to withstand some of the elements, like putting drywall outside. “With great architecture comes increased challenges and this home proved it,” says Graeme Bell, regional partner of Alair and Top 40 Under 40 alumnus. “We were really inspired by some designs coming from warmer parts of California, or other coastal cities. However, in Edmonton, that inspiration needs to be modified to handle our winters. So, fundamentally, to see this design modified to suit a winter city is a huge feature everyone on this project can celebrate.”
Angelo describes the bedrooms as more functional than the rest of the house, meant for sleep and little else. But that doesn’t mean the rooms weren’t just as thoughtfully designed. Across from the foot of the bed, the main bedroom has a large picture window that peers into a private, leafy garden — no curtains necessary. If you binged The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes on Netflix during the pandemic, you’d note that this design tactic used in traditionally private spaces — like bedrooms and bathrooms — creates a kind of intimacy with nature that many of the most magical homes embrace. “We wanted to create a cabin in the woods,” says Angelo.
In the future, Angelo and Lindsay intend to cover many of the large white walls with art, and perhaps a living wall over the stairs, but they’re in no rush to make their selections. Patience — and determination — is all a part of the process: “We did make some compromises with the house, but not right away. It was the same with the furniture. That’s why it’s taking so long with paintings. What do we want to say? Do we want colour? It’s been two to three years with the artwork.”
When Angelo and Lindsay look around at their home, there’s a clear sense of pride, and of peace. “We’re the ones who came up with most of this. We did this. And it all makes sense. But,” he says, “we’re ready for a vacation.
Architect, Design Two Group; builder, Alair Homes; cabinets, Interiors on Main (Camrose); countertop, Urban Granite; drywall, Ideal Contract Services; electrical, Blue Collar Electric; lumber, Nelson Lumber; flooring, Divine Flooring; HVAC, Merlin Heating Installations; plumbing, Richfield Plumbing & Heating; carpentry, Laker Carpentry; windows, Duxton Windows & Doors
This article appears in the December 2021 issue of Edify
