Sitting area with orange leather swivel chairs and a marble-topped coffee counter beneath cluster pendants, facing a wall of windows onto the wooded ravine.

SWANSEA

Forest Hideaway

White oak servery peninsula with a coffee station and stone counter beneath a woven pendant, opening onto the kitchen run and the stone fireplace beyond.

Client Goals & Needs:Overlooking High Park, this home gave the homeowners a rare connection to the beauty of the forest canopy. They wanted to bring that feeling indoors by extending the back of the house closer to nature and creating a cozy lounge where they could pause and savour the view over a warm coffee. The additional space also created an opportunity for a dedicated composer’s room, complete with a grand piano.

Project Type:Interior Renovation and Addition

Square Footage:3,500 sq. ft.

Location:Swansea

Services rendered:

Architectural design
Interior design
Construction

Kitchen run beneath a white plaster hood, with a marble slab backsplash and lit stone shelf, ending at full-height glass to the wooded garden. — Kitchen

Kitchen elevation with a gas cooktop and sink set into the stone counter, beneath a lit full-length stone shelf and marble slab backsplash. — Kitchen

Down the galley kitchen, the stainless refrigerator and wall ovens facing the cooktop run, with the dining table beneath its slatted pendant beyond. — Kitchen

Tall white oak cabinetry holding the stainless refrigerator and integrated wall ovens, looking down the kitchen to the garden glass and a rust swivel chair. — Kitchen

Galley kitchen seen from the servery, oak cabinetry and stone counters running to the full-height glass and a rust swivel chair at the garden end. — Kitchen

Kitchen run seen from the sitting nook, the plaster hood and lit stone shelf over the marble backsplash, with a blush swivel chair in the foreground. — Kitchen

Floor-to-ceiling glass at the garden end of the kitchen, a rust leather swivel chair set against the view of the wooded yard. — Kitchen

Gas cooktop with cast-iron grates set flush into the stone counter, a crock of wooden spoons against the marble slab backsplash and the sink beyond. — Kitchen

Bathroom with a wide white basin and chrome faucet, a wood-grain storage tower, and a frameless glass shower with a round rainfall head. — Bathroom

Walk-in shower behind frameless glass with a round rainfall head and a penny-mosaic accent band, beside a wood-grain storage tower. — Bathroom

Powder room with a fluted white oak floating vanity, a stacked vertical-tile feature wall over stone-look wainscot, an olive wall sconce, and a wide mirror. — Powder room

Lit olive sconce on the stacked cream tile of the powder room, above a textured glass vase of flowers on the stone ledge. — Powder room

White oak servery with its coffee station and stone counter beneath a woven pendant, opening to the kitchen run on one side and the whitewashed stone fireplace on the other. — Dining room

Dining room with an oak table and six cream upholstered chairs beneath a slatted wood pendant, backed by the glass-front servery wall. — Dining room

Dining room toward the servery, its lit glass-front uppers over white oak lower cabinets, with the slatted pendant over the table. — Dining room

Dining room servery run of lit glass-front uppers and white oak lowers with brass pulls, beside the table and a shaded picture window. — Dining room

Dining servery with lit glass-front cabinets and oak lowers, looking through to the kitchen run and its marble backsplash. — Dining room

Dining table beneath the slatted wood pendant, set against the whitewashed stone fireplace and a picture window onto the trees. — Dining room

Dining area beside the whitewashed stone fireplace, with oak display shelving, a grey glass-panelled side door, and the table set by the window. — Dining room

Dining room looking past the whitewashed stone fireplace and oak shelf niche to a sitting corner beyond, with a grey glass-panelled door at the entry. — Dining room

Living room at the two-sided whitewashed stone fireplace, a television and soundbar above the oak mantel, open to the dining room beyond. — Living room

Whitewashed stone fireplace column seen from the dining side, a knitted throw over the olive velvet armchair and the linen sofa beyond. — Living room

Sitting nook of two velvet swivel chairs and travertine side tables under a cluster of woven pendants, facing the wall of glass onto the wooded garden, with the servery counter alongside. — Sitting area

Sitting area with two velvet swivel chairs and a travertine side table on a pale rug, framed by full-height glass onto the ravine, a framed print on the end wall. — Sitting area

Rear of the house from the patio, the dark-clad glazed addition beside the original brick, with a dining table, woven lounge seating and planted borders on the pavers. — Backyard

The finished two-storey glazed addition on the rear of the same house, Forest Hideaway project.

Before

After

Design inspiration

Natural, elevated materials were an obvious choice, helping the home feel like a natural extension of the forest beyond. Warm oak cabinetry was paired with natural quartzite and subtle hints of gold, bringing warmth and texture to the space. A dual-sided, stone-finished fireplace became both a beautiful focal point and a functional feature, adding warmth to the home while connecting the spaces around it.