Kerrisdale home makes the most of its roots
Stephen Fitterman stands in the rear doorway of his renovated Kerrisdale bungalow.
While other buyers might have simply torn down the home and built new, Mr. Fitterman chose to keep the original in place, seeing the ‘living all on one floor’ bungalow style as an advantageous feature.Hadani Ditmars
Flooring throughout is a mottled marble from Iran, its patterns and textures revealed by the shifting illumination from the skylight and glazing. Millwork is consistently anigre, an African hardwood, while countertops are Caesarstone.Hadani Ditmars
The overall design concept was a simple one: peel back the layers to reveal the home’s mid-century bones, and open up the space.Hadani Ditmars/The Globe and Mail
As you walk through the front door – painted Chinese temple red – the axis of the house is revealed: a 48-foot-long north-south skylight is the spine, while the L-shaped pool oriented sight lines branch out into a master bedroom and bath on the southwest side, and a second bed and bath on the northwest.Hadani Ditmars
The house has been clad in Super Panel, a green building material known for its durability and insulation, that also gives the exterior a clean, streamlined appearance.Hadani Ditmars
While Mr. Fitterman admits it might have been easier to opt for a downtown condominium, “what I have here is like a luxury condo – with all its conveniences but none of its hassles.”Hadani Ditmars
The original fir post and beam structure has been preserved everywhere – even in places where the wood has warped slightly over the years, while a simple, yet elegant palette of materials and extensive glazing has opened up and contemporized the space.Hadani Ditmars
Mr. Fitterman’s contemporary art collection – a recent Roy Arden collage flanks a Graham Gillmore text-based tableau in the dining area and an early Beau Dick mask hangs in the masterbath – is accented by Persian carpets that warm the cool marble tiles.Hadani Ditmars