Inside an interior design project, architects and interior designers are working to improve the aesthetics and the design of the spaces inside a home.
They’re using new techniques to achieve this, such as using light to enhance natural spaces, and using different materials and techniques to make the house look different.
In the process, the house becomes a more livable space, allowing people to interact and make connections with the surrounding environment.
The house also becomes a place for people to have fun, and for the owners to feel part of the project.
In a new documentary by CBC’s Inside the Home, the three designers, who are based in Kelowna, British Columbia, talk about the challenges they faced to create a house that was both functional and beautiful.
“You have to be creative with the design, because you can’t just copy something,” says Michael Mowat, a Toronto-based designer and interior designer.
“The house is not just a piece of furniture.
It’s a space.
It is a whole community that you’ve created.”
‘A house for everyone’ Mowt’s home is not only a home for the family, but also for friends and other guests.
He says that his goal was to create an environment that was welcoming to all.
He has a lot of friends in the house, and has found that some people like to hang out outside.
The project started when he and his partner decided to move into their own home in 2013.
“I started to think about what I wanted my house to be like, and the one thing I always had in mind was a place that was a great place to have a family,” he says.
“That’s what we wanted our house to feel like.”
His partner was not sure about how to do this, so he asked for advice.
“My partner asked me, ‘what do you want your house to look like?'” says Mowatt.
“He’s a real minimalist.
He’s not into the expensive stuff.”
He says he started thinking about the most modern of contemporary materials, like glass.
The idea was to make it feel like a modern-day cottage, with glass walls, wooden floors, and even a couple of pieces of reclaimed wood.
He was inspired by this, and he started to look into different types of materials.
He discovered that wood was a very popular choice.
“Wood is an incredibly beautiful material, but it’s also a very difficult material to work with,” he explains.
“It’s not that wood is hard, it’s just that it’s difficult to work in.”
The home also had to be comfortable to walk through.
“If you walk through it, it feels like you’re going through a house, it doesn’t feel like you are,” he adds.
The team wanted to make sure the house felt safe and comfortable for everyone.
They looked for ways to make that feel natural and easy.
They started with the idea that the house would be the space where people would be playing, but that was just the first step.
“We needed to make room for people,” says MOWAT.
“When you walk in a house you have a very specific space, and you have to find a way to fit in and be able to enjoy your own space.”
Mowats partner was inspired to make his own furniture and also designed a wall, to make people feel more comfortable.
He then designed furniture and finished the house with wood, which was also very important to the team.
“Every time we went out there, it was a different experience,” he tells Al Jazeera.
“People would just go in, and there was no furniture.
We needed to find that space, to bring people in and have a space to sit down and have some conversations.”
The interior art is made from wood, as well.
It was also important to Mow at first to use materials that were sustainable.
The design of all the interior designs and interior art in the film includes wood and other sustainable materials.
The artists wanted to create homes that are beautiful and functional.
“What’s most important to us is that the home is accessible and livable,” says Joel, who is based in Vancouver, British Canada.
“To me, that means a space that is easy to walk into, has a sense of comfort, and that it feels welcoming to everybody.”
The project has been a collaborative process, says Mwatt.
He is a big proponent of open source technology and collaborative design.
“Everyone has the freedom to work on their own ideas, but when it comes to the design and the work, everyone gets the credit for what they create,” he points out.
Mow was inspired after his daughter and her family visited the home and had a wonderful time.
He had the idea to add a video camera in the living room.
The video camera captured the view of the family enjoying their trip to Kelownac.