Western Living Magazine
Reimagine Remodelling with Kitchen Canvas
Protected: Merit Kitchens: Urban Cool Meets West Coast Warmth
Finalists Announced: HAVAN Professionals Inspire
Recipe: Easy Peanut Noodles with Chicken and Veggies
One of BC’s Best Wineries Is Having a Bonkers Sale
Recipe: Balsamic Strawberry Sponge Cake from Oh Sweet Day
I Had the Best Nap of My Life in an Anti-Gravity Pod
Editors’ Picks: The Best Trips We Took in 2022
Victoria Might Just Be the Perfect Pre-New Year’s Getaway
The Future of Beauty: How One Medical Aesthetics Clinic is Changing the Game
Trending Now: The Best New Furniture and Homewares for Spring
Sleep Tight, Whatever Your Size: This Mattress Company Embraces All Body Types
Designers of the Year 2023: These Are Your Fashion Design Judges
Designers of the Year 2023: Introducing Our Furniture Design Category Judges
Designers of the Year 2023: Meet Your Maker Judges
Brianna Hughes and Shannon McClelland prove it takes two.
It's said there'sno more difficult client for designers than themselves. Just how do you choose that one perfect floor tile, that one most stunning chandelier, that one truly excellent wall colour, when you've aware of the million other equally gorgeous selections that youd have to leave behind? The more you know, the more difficult it can be to narrow in on a single personal favourite.
That's when it helps to be a part of a design duo. Shannon McClelland and Brianna Hughes of Ministry of Interiors formed their design business in Edmonton a few years ago after a chance meeting: Hughes, who was working as a photographer, was doing a photo shoot with McClelland's family, and they got to talking. We were both planning our own spaces at the same time, says Hughes, and realized we had similar styles.
A few years into the partnership, McClelland purchased a tree-lined lot facing a ravine in Edmonton's Crestwood neighbourhood, and decided it was time to build her forever house. Id built another house two years ago, and when it was sold, I thought, I'm not building anymore, she says. I'm going to settle down.
Building for herself and her family (she and her husband, Casey, have three kids, the youngest three months old) gave the design pair more leeway than they typically have with design projects that have resale as the main goal. It was the house to go a little bonkers on, she laughs. Knowing we're not going to resell it meant we could have some funfive different wallpapers, a lot of different tiles.
A visit to the design show Maison et Objet in Paris in 2017 kickstarted McClelland and Hughes's vision: We wanted it to be Scandinavian farmhouse with elements of gothic Spanish, says McClelland. Hints of French design would be brought in throughout as well, such as bistro lighting, leaded partition walls and penny tiles. We were inspired by the lighting, the moulding, the high ceilings and the pitched roofs of Paris.
With the overarching aesthetic in place along with plans from local firm Design Two Group, honing in on the right details was nextand that's where McClelland's like-minded partnership with Hughes came in very handy. Brianna would help me recalibrate a hard design choice, knowing my personal style, says McClelland. (Here Hughes chimes in with a laugh, I'm the axe!)
And while the influences are broad, there'sa cohesion to the overall space that's soothing yet playful, aspirational yet family friendly. That palette of inspirations has come together into a modern space with an ode to historic design. There was no way we were going to be able to stick to one particular style, says McClelland. But this is the essence of why we love design and work so well together.
In the kitchen, classic herringbone flooring recalls historic European designs, while the slab porcelain counters and flat cabinet doors bring in a modern aesthetic.
In the mudroom, all family members have their own whitewashed wood lockers to drop off their gear as they walk in the dooreven the dog, who also has his own dogwash station. The flooring is a stunning, oversized Terrazzo Renata floor tile from Ann Sacks.
In the master bathroom, bistro lighting and gold Brizo plumbing feel classic French, while organic touches like an African stool provide elements of warmth.
The powder room (bottom right) features a custom-designed wallpaper from Edmonton's Vanguard Worksthe same team that designed the mural in Wilfred restaurant. The pretty-in-pink space also features Himalayan marble flooring and penny tile wainscotting from Ann Sacks.
The master bedroom features floor-to-ceiling mullioned windows, though the team searched long and hard to ensure there would be a fine profile on the metal mullions. We didnt want that chunky farmhouse look, says Hughes, but a more modern, French design. The effect is that of being perched up in a tree housewith tone-on-tone linen bedding and soothing neutral interiors creating a moody, Parisian-influenced atmosphere in the room.
Are you over 18 years of age?
