© Jerilyn Wright and Associates
As a seed grows to become a flower, this unique home began as a dream and bloomed into a stunning piece of architecture. When reading about Jerilyn Wright’s award winning Calgary home near the Elbow River I came across the story of how she first chose the property. A friend had told her about it at dinner. Afterward, she ventured out to visit what turned out to be an interesting, if somewhat oblong, property. Upon arriving (and having to leap a small fence) Jerilyn attempted to visualize the potential of the property, ignoring the current building and the overgrown yard. It worked – she fell in love with the place she found in her mind.
I imagine that Ms. Wright often recalls this first encounter with the unusual property and it’s wild yard, as the design of the house stems from the natural beauty of the great trees that were most likely planted almost eighty years earlier.
© Jerilyn Wright and Associates
The material pallet is dominated by curly maple, which gives warmth to the home. The sage wall covering used throughout the house harmonizes with the trees and the curly maple to tie the interior to the exterior.
The design logic of the home grows out of the aesthetic of a garden: a simple earthy pallet punctuated with bright colours, like flowers amongst foliage and earth. Pops of colour are brought into the house by particular contemporary furniture pieces and the paintings that Jerilyn does herself!
© Jerilyn Wright and Associates
The program is divided by level: the ground floor is entertainment and the upstairs is devoted to the bedroom and to the studio space where Ms. Wright had intended to do her painting. The studio space ended up being too fantastic to use as just a studio, so now she can often be found painting in the garage.
Throughout the house there is a strong coherence in the composition of forms and the vernacular of the architecture. The consistency in personal style is apparent not only in clever pallettes and superior finishes, but also in attention to detail. This helps to make the separate spaces feel as one.
© Jerilyn Wright and Associates
The rooms were opened up to allow a better flow of light, but what really ties it all together, is the repeated use of stylistic elements and visual rythms. For example, the shelves and exposed stairs – even the panels of curly maple in the upstairs – are mirrored to form a subtle pattern. Similarly, the curve of the kitchen countertop mimics the curve of the window in the upstairs studio. These details take time and a care to craft, and its what we at canadianrealestatehousingandhome.ca think makes this house so great!
©Jerilyn Wright and Associates
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Researched and Written by Robin R. V Whitteker, undergraduate student at OCAD University in the Environmental Design program.
