Projects

Recent activities include a wide range of creative design projects. The list below provides insights.

Photographs? Underway ...

Design consultancy
• Support for a major residential design project began in 2010 with a 10,000 square foot villa under construction in Cyprus. John will be on-site regularly through 2011 working as design lead for interiors, select exterior elements, lighting and grounds. The scope of this project includes overall concept and specialized elements. An example is the main entrance, developed in concert with First Nations artist Tony Hunt, Jr. who will hand-carve the double sided Yellow Cedar doors.

  John's travels to Moscow and Cyprus to learn more about the clients' other homes and lifestyle inform a concept that honours a multi-cultural heritage and irreverent sense of humour. The interiors will be bold with surprising, even provocative elements.

Rejuvenation
• November 2010 - January 2011: renewal of a kitchen to improve storage and organization space, upgrade to granite counters and add effective lighting.

Renovations
• September 2010: re-design of a period bathroom to bring back the Edwardian character that was lost in earlier renovations. A vintage pedestal sink has been installed with Delta's Victorian line of bathroom fittings selected to highlight the look of an early twentieth century bath. To be scheduled: an innovative sliding panel to provide privacy for the toilet area and to close the linen closet when not in use.

Grounds
• Micro-watering systems have been installed in five properties this summer.
• A challenging, south facing garden with an uneven sub-strata of stone is now being re-designed. The focus is to enable an overall healthy look despite inconsistent moisture retention and full sun exposure. Boxwood hedges will fill in over the next two years to create geometric shapes that can be filled with interesting foliage or flowers.
• After re-acquiring a property sold some years earlier, we discovered that the extensive gardens we had previously installed had been plowed under (ouch)! We are in the process of restoring these grounds. Eleven Rhododendrons and numerous Hosta have been installed so far.

Garden Architecture
• Renovation of a period-sensitive stairway and trellis is complete.
• Re-design of a large deck area with new railings and a support structure painted to recede, highlighting the new railings.
• Shade for a southern terrace has been achieved with the design and construction of a substantial pergola spanning the stamped, cement patio finished with a terra cotta effect. To maximize the benefit, the design incorporated an entrance stair that brings the visitor down through the pergola and onto the terrace.
• Design is underway for granite walls and flower beds to add a sense of greater width to a narrow property. Construction will commence after finalizing the plan in 2011.