Metals and Traditional Touches Blend Past and Present in This European-Inspired Home

For Interior Designer Maria DeCotiis, the vision for her brother Marco’s Penticton Street home was clear from the outset: a space that was both comforting and refreshing, a home that offered a fresh start for him and his family while still honouring the memories and experiences of their past. 

 

Warm Monochrome

When it came to creative visioning for the project, initial ideas went back and forth between a dark colour scheme and a light one. Eventually, Maria and Marco decided on a bright, warm, monochromatic look DeCotiis describes as ‘classic contemporary’. 

“It’s not a very large space,” says DeCotiis, “In the end, we didn’t want the home to feel too dark.”

The kitchen is an instant focal point of the home, with its soft colour palette and thoughtful variety of textures and materials. It’s a concept you’ll find throughout the rest of the home, too; multiple cleverly blended patterns that feel effortless and intentional. 

“Since the kitchen is smaller, we didn’t want to break up the space with too many different colours, so we kept the cabinets and crown mouldings consistent,” DeCotiis adds.

Marco wanted the home to have a traditional feel injected with contemporary elements. To create this contrast, DeCotiis opted for a modern light fixture above the countertop and polished brass hardware that felt vintage and classic. 

These elements, combined with the European-inspired crown mouldings above the cabinets and directly framing the fixture from above, create the perfect juxtaposition.

On the floors, a wire-brushed white oak herringbone adds warmth and feels right at home with the Calcutta marble countertops and backsplash. Within the marble, faint glimmers of green allow the space to feel cozy — assisted by the mixed metals in the hardware.

 

Cohesive Contrasts

The living room feels distinct yet still cohesive with the rest of the main floor, by design. 

“We knew we were going to have some black furniture, so we felt a black marble fireplace would let this room shine without competing with the kitchen,” says DeCotiis, “Similarly, the wall panel on the left of the living room ties both spaces together, too.”

You’ll find the same crown mouldings in both rooms, painted the same shade as the walls to make the ceiling feel even larger. 

The adjacent powder room also features fun touches of black marble through the countertops and noticeably, the multi-colour mosaic floor tile. This way, DeCotiis, adds, the room feels unified with the rest of the floor whether the door is open or closed.

 

Opposites Attract

For the design of the first upstairs bathroom, DeCotiis wanted a space for her three nieces that felt timeless and inviting. For the family, the jumping-off point of the room was undoubtedly the flower mosaic tile in the shower. 

“We wanted this bathroom to have a feminine feel without being too girly; something classic,” she says.

The combo of Carrara marble with the mosaic’s subtle grey gives the space its soft, cool feel. On the walls, the lilac and millwork act in tandem, while once again, thoughtfully mixed metals and multi-patterned marble create longevity. 

“With mixing and matching, whether it’s patterns, textures, or materials, each choice should have a reason and a purpose,” says DeCotiis, “For example, we opted for both polished nickel and brass hardware in the girls’ bathroom, but they don’t clash because they show up in different ways.”

Marco’s primary bathroom leveraged the mood-boarding process during the project’s early stages, with a dark, rich colour scheme that feels just as warm as the rest of the home. 

“The first tile we used was the black herringbone on the wall by the tub, to tie into the light herringbone on the main floor,” DeCotiis shares, “Once we found that, we built the rest of the palette from there.” 

To prevent the space from feeling too cold, DeCotiis chose graphite metal for the hardware and faucets, in lieu of black. It’s in keeping with the theme but still adds something different.

 

When Home Feels Larger Than Life

For DeCotiis, designing this home for her family was undoubtedly a joyful, rewarding experience. Friends and loved ones have compared walking through the home to stepping into a vibrant spa hotel. “The feeling that inspires me in every project is, why not create homes we want to escape to, as opposed to escape from?” says DeCotiis.

This duplex new build is full of elegance, but the goal was to sprinkle that elegance with thoughtful whimsy through mixed metals, contrasting colours and textures, and plenty of marble. It’s a home that feels as nurturing as it is stylish, the perfect European getaway, right here on the West Coast.