Everyone’s seen the Vancouver Special! The architecture of the Vancouver Special originated in the 60’s and was in vogue until the 80’s and early 90’s. These homes sport a box style structure, low pitched roofs, and balconies along the front of the upper level. The ground level would often feature brick or stone and stucco above on the 2nd and 3rd floors. While we call them the Vancouver Special, these types of homes are located all over the Lower Mainland and into the tri-cities, and beyond, popping up in Vancouver Island. It is a very unique style of home present in the metropolitan areas of BC.
Below we have a more contemporary designed home. Using a different type of limestone, our Cariboo Ledge Stone, as the primary accent on the front of this build gives the home a character visually pleasing aesthetic that other homes will find difficult to match. Taking specific elements from the Vancouver Special and reincorporating them in a different way, using stone and wood accents on the front with stucco on the remainder of the home, this home showcases another unique contemporary remix of the Vancouver Special. Contemporary design mated with timeless materials will never let you down.
Maybe this style becomes the New Vancouver special of the 21st century, as it is quickly becoming an immensely popular design trend among designers and architects, and this makes sense as it’s definitely a striking look!
Limestone has proven to be a versatile material, as shown in these photos. It is quite beautiful, elegant, and timeless, but also has the ability to be anything from rustic to modern, trendy to evergreen.