This is a story of glass, stone, wood and leather, and how the combination of these elements turned a West Vancouver property into a balanced, high-end home. This quartet of materials gives the two-storey home a cool temperament, a timeless solemnity, a natural warmth and a comfortable funkiness.
Designers Vanja Santic and Dario Drinovac, who own Vancouver firm ROOM8, sought out the highest quality glass, stone, wood and leather, and designed the three-bedroom house in such a way that one element never takes centre stage. “You don’t want any to fight for dominance,” says Drinovac, who knows that a preponderance of stone and glass – those contemporary designer favourites – can turn a house cold.
The story of the four elements begins with a specialty that ROOM8 has developed: highly durable glossy glass. Drinovac says the Italian-made material he imports is both indestructible and elegant. “This glass is four times stronger than tempered glass. Only a diamond or Swarovski crystal could scratch it,” he says. […]
Wood brings a rough and natural quality to this house and adds some complexity to this story. A meeting of the smooth, the sleek and the strong makes for a boring tale, but put in some wood, and you get a mix that’s closer to nature.
The story closes with the final element: leather. Technically, it’s Norwegian bull hide, used in the living room: on the sofa, the cowhide print armchair, and two smaller green chairs in nabuk, (a more velvet-like bull hide)… All that animal hide gives the space a ’70s feel, but the play of colours and the high grade of materials, as well as the originality of the pieces, anchor it in the contemporary.
Santic and Drinovac coordinated every aspect of the project. While they were the authors of this story, the glass, stone, wood and leather became the protagonists and brought the tale to life.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: DARKO SIMKIN / STYLING: VANJA SANTIC
