A Scandinavian-Inspired Small Space in Vancouver

Name: Angela & James
Location: Westend — Vancouver, Canada
The Basics: Rented for 1.5 years |580 square feet

Angela and James settled into their first shared apartment in Vancouver and set to putting their design skills to good use. A designer and an architect, their home is carefully thought out and balances minimalism and warmth to great effect.

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I’m Angela Pavuk, a designer and creative strategist originally from Chicago, but I’ve lived in Vancouver for the last four years. I moved for a job as a designer in a 3D visualization firm where I eventually became a design director and senior project manager, which pushed me to take the leap into running my own business. Enter Angela Grayce Studio. I am now working with clients, locally and internationally on strategic branding, art direction and exterior/interior renderings. It’s been such a huge change of pace! But exciting!

My home is particularly special to me as this is my first shared apartment with my now fiancé, James, who is a Sustainable Design Director from England.

We tried really hard to make this space our own whilst spending very, very little! We both came to Vancouver with basically a suitcase in tow so everything we own we’ve accumulated over the last four years.

With my fiancé in architecture and me in design, we insisted on building our coffee table, desk and the floating shelves that house our tv and books. He also made me the best wine rack for a Christmas present.

I like to describe this place as Scandinavian inspired as the colors are muted, we kept the furniture clean and simple, there’s loads of natural light, and everything must have a purpose! I like to think this portion of my style comes from my time spent living in Finland.

Throughout our home, you’ll find photographs of all of our travels together. We both love exploring new cultures and find that they really add a piece of personality and make for a great story when we have friends over. This is just a rental so we tried our best to personalize it as much as we can and really make it feel like home with as little waste and consumption as possible.

What is your favorite room and why? I love the living room since that’s where we spend the most of our time lounging around. The blue feature wall we painted makes it feel so calm, and I always have a candle lit to help the space feel relaxing after a long day.

Angela’s words of advice: I think it’s important to begin by thinking about how you want to experience your space. For us, we both value our down time together in a space that feels uncluttered and easy. It was also important that our space was able to accommodate company, as we love having our dear friends over for dinner. We focused on those things and ended up with a space we love, despite the minor flaws that come with a rental.

Thanks, Angela !

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