I read an article once that said “watch the home designs in print and television ads and in 3 to 5 years that will be the predominant home style you will start to see under construction.“ I was very excited by this article because I can’t stand what is happening to our city these days. The Vancouver special is no longer a large, square, pink stucco house built to the maximum buildable of the lot square footage. No the Vancouver special has now become an over-built Craftsman that is steel blue, muted yellow or deep burgundy and built to the maximum buildable of the lot square footage. I honestly don’t get it. Why do we keep looking backwards? With the exception of a few car manufacturers the bulk of what we see in the show rooms and on the road is an innovative new car. Why not the same for our homes. Unfortunately, the article mentioned above has not yet proved correct but I am still hoping to see a “new” home go up beside each Craftsman that makes its way through the design/build process.

I have an aesthetic that I’m told is comfortable, warm and inviting; all things that are the type of qualities that make up a good home. But my aesthetic is contemporary, looking forward rather than back and I don’t understand why so many people keep looking backwards when building their home. Where have all the innovators gone. Frank Lloyd Wright was an innovator for sure but let’s learn from his innovation rather than continually replicate it. In British Columbia we had Architectural stars like Arthur Erickson, B. C. Binning and Fred Hollingsworth. I believe we have a new batch of stars that just need their day to come. There are so many local Vancouver architects that can produce fantastic, contemporary homes for the average family. Firms like Acton Ostry Architects, Darcy Jones Architects, Patkau Architects and Marko Simcic Architect or in Calgary; Sturgess Architecture. The list is very long and not that hard to find. You just have to look.

At the end of the day you have to want to be in your home. I think the real issue is that people are building a home so they can sell it eventually. 1 year, 2, 5, 10... Who cares! The reality of your home is that it is “your home”, not a commodity, and should never be thought of that way. I want to live in a home that “I want”, not what I think someone else is going to want. To that end I will be building a contemporary house that is looking forward; once we find a lot or my wife agrees to build on our current location. I may use one of the groups listed above or give an up-and-comer a chance to help define my home. Someone like Nelson Design (see the “Dowsley House”) or one of the many small architectural groups I’ve bumped into over the last couple years. And believe me, it will not be a Craftsman or built to the maximum buildable for the lot size.

Dan Thomson