Meet Victoria in Port Moody British Columbia.

It's hard to sum up Victoria in a sentence or two, but I will do my best!

Victoria is a visionary.

A go-getter.

A leader and initiator.

A thoughtful in every detail kind of person: from hand-wrapped gifts and cards to inquisitive questions and intential reflections, Victoria just makes you feel good.

I first met Victoria when we became close neighbours in Port Moody in 2022. We spent a lot of time getting to know each other over that year, living very near each other. We would do the 6 am Coquitlam Crunch hike, have monthly accountability meetings, cocktail nights, and stroller walks.

I think what really intruiged and resonated with me, was that Victoria was also a do-er, like myself. A write it down and check it off, say what she means, always on-time, accountable friend. I see a lot of myself in her and it's a really rare quality to feel so many similarities with someone you don't know that well (at the beginning).

If I had to pick our biggest similarity and the thing that makes both Victoria and I come alive, it is our deep desire to curate and host the perfect evening with friends and family. We go all out. From candles and linen napkins, to placemats and unique napkin rings, the layers of rugs and cushions and textiles galore, the perfect playlist and food spread... This is our love language and we go deep.

The perfect breakfast nook created with a vintage herringbone table, a built in bench, and an Anders Pinch light  

Yarko, Leo and Victoria

 How does your home make you feel?

It makes me feel...

Appreciative that we found this home after many years of searching

Grateful to have made it our own

Refreshed by the cleanliness

Comforted by its warmth

The kitchen backsplash is quartz that is inspired by a natural Calacatta Amarcor and includes a row of open shelving - the perfect way to display their most prized kitchen items.

What’s one thing you love about where you live?

The air. How the salty ocean breeze meets the fresh forest air. I wish I could bottle it up, or make it into a candle, it is a magical scent.

The homes original 1980's vaulted wood ceilings were kept in their major home renovations, adding warmth and character to the space.

You recently renovated your home in Port Moody – describe this process to us in a nutshell and how it feels to be in the space now.

We decided to proceed with the renovation, the week our son was born. I love taking on challenging projects, so navigating parenthood and a reno with a newborn, was on par. Searching for a rental home, while packing up the entire house into storage proved to be more difficult than I anticipated. It was definitely worth the effort, as living in the reno for the 11 month timeline would’ve been next to impossible with a baby. 

My greatest takeaway is to choose your team wisely. We spent over a year in discussions with our contractor (prior to hiring them), and thoroughly vetted their references, budgets, etc. and our experience was incredible. Renovations are of course stressful, there’s a lot of decisions to be made, and costs that add up quickly, but if you have a solid team that works in true partnership, it can be a lot of fun.

Above: The dining room showcases a set of wood with caning velvet chairs, a vintage-inspired Turkish rug and green foliage.

Introducing greenery of different heights adds a distinct layer of visual interest. Pictured above, a cascading ivy plant draws your attention upward to the vaulted ceilings and cantilevered overhang above the kitchen.

Above: the perfect way to showcase a little bit of wabi sabi  in the home. Natural simplicity.

Describe a typical day in the life of Victoria

I’m up at 5:20 am to go to the gym, back home at 7 am to get my son ready for daycare, and myself ready for work. Depending on the day, I may be working from home or going into the office. I lead the operations of a marketing agency, so most days are spent in/out of meetings. The moment my work day wraps up, I’m into the evening marathon of dinner, dishes, bathtime, and putting my son to sleep. If I can get an hour in the evening to catch up with the miscellaneous tasks of life, and squeeze in a moment to myself or with my husband, it’s been a good day.

Leo playing in his room, styled with the Amirah rug.

You have some special pieces in your home, tell us how you choose what you bring into your space? 

The most distinctive part of our home are the 16 closets that line the hallway from our entrance to our kitchen. We are compensating for the lack of storage we had in our previous apartment, but it also represents the mantra my husband and I live by “Live Small to Live Big.” We are fueled by travel, and seeing and experiencing new places, so we wanted to ensure the purchase of our home didn’t limit our lifestyle. We wanted to design our home so we could partition off half of the home into a rental suite, yet ensure our remaining space had plenty of storage so we couldn’t outgrow it.

If you could go on a trip right now, where would it be and why?

We recently returned from 3 weeks in Portugal, so I’m currently happy to hibernate for the winter, and enjoy local activities. However, I do find myself flipping through images of Mediterranean recipes and interiors so Greece, or Italy may be on the horizon!

Above: The original stone fireplace and hearth were maintained during the extensive renovation. Painting the stone white helped to tie in the more modern aspects of the home, whilst embracing the character and texture of the natural raw material.

Tell us more about your custom rug.

I have 2!

We have the Amirah for our son’s bedroom. I love how playful, yet modern it is. And we have the Maison that spans our entire living room. I’m always looking for rugs that bring a good texture into the space, and can be just the right fit to work with all the other pieces in the room. Its durability (literally can be scrubbed clean) and the fact that its 100% natural Moroccan wool were so necessary for me, when thinking of rugs most suitable for us as a young family.

Who has inspired you lately? 

Great question. There are a number of local, creative entrepreneurs that I’m in complete awe of. I love following…
@Brit_gill - she captures the light, and the mood of the world around her, so elegantly.
@Alex.Merrell - she conveys the joy and beauty in art & culture, so well.
@jackiekaiellis - her book The Measure of my Powers, describes the journey of finding oneself
            through the love of food in such a raw and eloquent way.
@sophieccollins - her ability to balance wellness, being a mom of 2 and running her own
business is very admirable.

The master bathroom features a Japanese bathtub and an open shower - all in one space.

The batbroom tile is a luxe Italian tile with heavy glaze that offers an ultra glossy finish in a subway tile shape. Blue and grey colors have an almost metallic or iridescent look.

Finish this sentence: “I am happy when…”

I’m eating a lovely homemade dinner with my son & husband.

Thank you Vicky, we loved featuring your

warm and welcoming space!