Calgary Condominium Case Study

Today John and Matthew show us how their design firm, housebrand, remodeled a Calgary condominium.

  • Brad W

    I really enjoy the explanation of your design decisions. Also, the in depth discussion of the details is appreciated. Careful not to give away all your tricks!

  • Paul C

    Very nice execution of details. Architecturally, I like the storage beside the fireplace, I wonder though about how functionally the “remotes” work for the tv components. Presumably the doors would need to remain open. I think a sidebar menu is needed for the John and Matthew Architectural ism’s “….carbuncle, knarly, granny panties…” thanks for the chuckles.

    Were there any shots of the barn door/study area?

  • Matthew North

    Hi Paul C – thanks for your comments! I am working on a Slow Home dictionary with all the famous words and sayings….should be available soon! The component cabinets has an infra red “eye” that allow the remotes to work without the door being open.

  • Paul C

    An infra red eye? I am intrigued and obviously out of date techno wise. Can you expand Matthew?

  • Matthew North

    Hi Paul C – it is similar to a peep hole in a front door – but smaller. A hole is drilled and It is placed on the component cabinet door and allows the transmission of the remote signals through the door. Works like a “jiffy” – which is another technical Slow Home word.

  • Paul C

    Sounds very cool. For a minute there I thought one might have to think about relinquishing control of the remote and that could be problematic.

  • Terri

    John and Matthew,
    I was stumped as to how to improve this condo except perhaps moving the second bedroom door further down as you did, so I was very interested to see your plans. I like the result very much.

    I’m curious about the kitchen lighting. Did extra wiring have to be done or was the wiring in place for everything you did in the ceiling? I’d like to change the kitchen lighting in my home, which won’t be too hard since I have an attic space, but in your condo project you wouldn’t have that space to work with.

  • Matthew North

    Hi Terri – Happy New Year! We added a drop ceiling in the kitchen to get the potlights in…..if you look close at the before and after photos you can see how we connected this to the other bulkheads. The electrician tied into the existing kitchen lighting but had to add new switching. In a condo with a concrete ceiling – as is often the case – a drop ceiling is really one of the only ways to get new lighting installed without visible conduits.

  • Terri

    Matthew,
    Thanks for your reply! I didn’t have time to replay the video but I seemed to remember a dropped ceiling. I just wondered what the electrician would have done to add the pot lights if there wasn’t enough wiring in that area to do it. Sounds like it’s not as complicated as I imagined!

  • Li-Na

    Matthew, if I understand correctly, you’re saying that the back door (the one past the dining area) doesn’t have the usual frame around it? It sounds like it would be a very streamlined look…any chance of getting a clearer picture and/or description of what you did? :) What do you mean when you say “casing”?

  • Matthew North

    Hi Li-Na – yes – the back door that leads to the mudroom area and parkade was paneled instead of trimmed with the standard 2.5 inch door trim. Normally the frame around an interior door has a wood trim around it that is about 2.5 inches wide. In this condo, we extended the trim (we used larger sheets of medite) and carried it wall to wall and up to the ceiling…..essentially “casing” out then entire wall so no drywall is showing – it makes the door look more integrated and minimal. I’ll see if I have a photo…….

  • Li-Na

    Hi Matthew, thanks for replying! So you pretty much just laid pieces of medite on top of the existing drywall? Like a wood-paneled wall?

    Is the rest of the door frame left as is? Ie, inside the door frame where the door actually sits…is that left like any ‘ole door frame when you guys do this trick?

    Please post a photo if you find one. :)