Interior Finishes

Furnishings

LIGHTING: BOCCI is a world-renowned design and manufacturing company based in Vancouver and Berlin. From the very beginning, David & Susan Scott (architects) envisioned a Bocci chandelier for the dining room. They snagged us a “factory second” at Bocci’s annual sale. The chandelier retails for about $5000. We paid much less. The light brings joy. Omer Arbel is a force in the design world. The company launched in 2005 with lighting named 14, which became an instant classic. Bocci has a growing portfolio of contemporary design ranging from light installations, furniture and electrical sockets through to large public art projects. All Bocci designs are developed, engineered, and fabricated in-house & calibrated to provide full control over technique, quality, and scale.

The Bocci newsletter of May 2022 includes photography of the studio Sarah and Luis of When They Find Us.

The company is engaged in support for Ukraine.  Design for Ukraine, a multi-part initiative dedicated to raising funds for the escalating humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Until June 2022, this effort will bring together exceptional design objects for an ongoing charitable sale, presented online at designmiami.com. Bocci’s work was the first to be featured. Bocci, has donated a special collection of exquisite lighting and glass objects, the sales prices of which total more than $150,000. A portion of the Bocci pieces have been produced exclusively for the Design for Ukraine initiative, with color palettes inspired by the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.If you are reading this in time, we hope you will be able to acquire something beautiful from Bocci and help Ukrainians.

Auctions and Antique Shops

In our strategy for furnishing the house, Lund’s Auction House on Fort Street in Victoria looms large. We were able to find great hand me down/heirloom pieces at very reasonable prices. We also located functional and good-looking chairs, tables and pottery at The Fabulous Find (Hans Wegner dining chairs), Kim’s Antiques (drafting table and pottery), Antiques by Design in Chilliwack (Mission coat rack - now closed), Vanity Fair on Fort, (Welsh blanket), Deja Vu in Oak Bay (occasional table, lamps and ceramics.).

Other spots we like for housewares and homewares: Bespoke (Farrow & Ball dealer for the city and purveyor of fine furnishings in this handsome shop). Our curtains were made by them. Madison & Muse ( for Libeco bedlinens), Pigeonhole, Out of Ireland, Smoking Lily (McAusland’s woolen blankets from PEI), Bungalow, Victoria Women in Need Cooperative thrift shops (several locations) all are worth exploring .

Our living room couch comes from Part & Whole, a Victoria-based brand new furniture company headed by Nathan Martell. Check out how absolutely pitch perfect the couch is for our blend of old and new, repurposed and locally sourced. Part & Whole Blog.

Second hand and locally made kitchen

Second-hand appliances, stripped down base cabinets, local Tjlupana marble counters and a single stunning piece of cabinetry by a local cabinetmaker, Michael Ford. We make a case for induction stoves (over gas) and personality over perfection. All our appliances were bought on Used Vic for $1700 - the same items new would have cost over $12,000.All are performing beautifully. The money we saved on the appliances allowed us to purchase marble from the island.

Millwork by Michael Ford

When we trimmed the budget in September 2019 we had to cut back sharply on the amount of custom millwork in the house. We were left with an armoire in the kitchen, doors in the upstairs sitting room, and a few bookcases. We added back base kitchen cabinets. Mostly they are rendered in marine grade plywood stained blue. We met Michael in the autumn of 2018 and knew he would be the right man for the job. Photos of his beautiful work appear in the galleries from mid December onwards.

An old stair, fir floors, marine grade plywood cabinetry, tlupana marble, William Morris wallpaper, salvaged boards, a Stuv fireplace, Trikeenan tile from New York’s Southern Tier (clay country) and great lights from Scott & Scott, Bocci, Lund’s Auction House and A Lamp Company in Chicago. August 20 & 21 I went to Comox to visit the folks oiling our floors and ceilings. I recount the visit on the blog.

We’ve lived in a score of places in our married lives and memories of favorite spots got brought to life in this little house.

As time permits, we’ll give you a sense of these influences room by room. You’ll find it in the blog.

Welsh Blankets - keep clicking for slide show here.

Quelques Bonnes Addresses

I am having a hard time composing this entry - new puppy in the house is all consuming. Here are some valuable connections we have found close to home - will flesh this out as time permits.

Mary Fox Pottery (Ladysmith), Finest Wallpaper - especially love the Voysey patterns (Vancouver), Yoshiko Godo Porcelain Bowls (Oak Bay Avenue shop Nicholas Randall carries ), David Ellingsen Photographer (The Last Stand Series shot on Cortes island off Campbell River 150 miles to the North and where the artist grew up. We first saw his work in the Museum in Campbell River and are saving up for one of his large format prints. Just so a gill net rug made by Sointula artist Wendy Davis, Mercer & Shaefer Glass Studio (restoration of stained glass here in Victoria), Fawcett Mattress natural and local mattress workshop. Our day bed was made by Daryl and co, Part & Whole Furniture - our couch was made by Nathan this local furniture manufacture. We owe our knowledge of the Scotts to Nathan and Lizzie. and Waterglass Studio - vintage lighting and repair (here’s where we got our doorbell), Bronwyn Arundel (Nanaimo) first spotted her wonderful mugs at my friend Marion’s.