Azulejo Renovation
A Colombian-inspired home transformation in Calgary's Eagle Ridge Neighbourhood
Location Eagle Ridge, Calgary Size 3,500 sq. ft Status Completed
Status Completed
A Love Story of Texture and Material
After immigrating from Colombia, a young couple in Calgary sought out a home transformation that would be reminiscent of the best memories from their upbringings.
As descendants of a woodworker and tilemaker in Villa de Leyva, the clients brought rich family histories of vernacular architecture and craft to play off of in transforming the dark and grey 60s house into a bright, vibrant, and elegant space for entertaining and raising a family. The clients’ hometown, renowned for its white colonial architecture and large plazas, served as precedent for the overall character and layout, while their respective family’s craft backgrounds provided inspiration for the wood and tile material accents. This marriage of material is a consistent motif throughout the home, where the sublime contrast of blue and brown, warm and cool, smooth and rough, as well as solid and patterned, conveys both the sophisticated and convivial nature of the homeowners.
The word “Azulejo” has a double meaning - referring to “blue bird” and to “blue tile,” referencing the home’s Colombian roots and colourful patterned accents.
[LIVING ROOM/PLAZA/HEART OF HOME]
Inside, the living, kitchen and dining spaces are left open to flow into each other.
Natural wood elements, such as oak flooring and walnut cabinets, create a sense of coziness and tactility, balanced by cooler white walls and glass railings.
[KITCHEN] With the sliding door entry into the living room, the laneway home creates a new backyard relationship with the original home and its back patio. The view out to the backyard lawn and preserved heritage tree establishes this as a shared flexible space between the original and the new house on site.
[TILE ACCENTS] A custom murphy bed is folded into the wall to create a desk, allowing the loft bedroom to function as a home office during the day.
“I love sitting in this living room, opening up the patio doors, and feeling like I’m part of my garden.”
- Client
[STAIR MILLWORK, LIGHT BETWEEN FLOORS] On the south side of the house, facing the laneway, a balcony takes advantage of the unobstructed southern view of Calgary’s downtown, and offers a great vantage point for watching lawn bowling games across the lane.
[KITCHEN] With the sliding door entry into the living room, the laneway home creates a new backyard relationship with the original home and its back patio. The view out to the backyard lawn and preserved heritage tree establishes this as a shared flexible space between the original and the new house on site.
