Home Tour – Retro Interior, Contemporary Exterior

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t necessarily need to match your interior style with your exterior style in order to create a warm and inviting extension of your home. Take this funky split-level, for instance. Inside, it’s got a definite retro vibe. But outside, it’s a lot more contemporary. Yet, it all works seamlessly. How? Plenty of thoughtful consultations combined with solid craftsmanship…. and of course, the right materials.

The collaborative effort began with designer Sarah Gallop and contractor Todd Best completing the interior renovations, where they honored the home’s ’70s revival appeal. After that, it was time to set their sights on the outdoor space.

“The client, Greg, couldn’t envision the final product and this is where Sarah and I worked very well together,” explains Best. “We sort of helped Greg through an interview process to see how he interacted with his kids and his family and how he wanted to use the space because it’s a very small home, so every bit of space had to calculated for.”

The result is a gorgeous Western Red Cedar entertainment area – complete with benching, planters and a stunning pergola. While the overall look is more modern than the home, it still feels very much connected to the home. That’s because all the new Western Red Cedar outdoor structures tie in beautifully with the cedar feature wall inside the home as well as the 40-year-old cedar façade – the latter was an unexpected added bonus for Best and co.

“Our original plan was to replace that cedar siding, but we found that once we removed the existing cedar siding, it was actually in fantastic shape – no water stains, very little damage,” recalls Best. “So all we did was refinish it and then reinstall it back on the home – and that’s a home originally built in the ’70s!”

But this show-stopping project hasn’t making the rounds on design blogs because of cedar’s proven longevity and durability It’s made the rounds on design blogs because of the beauty and versatility of cedar – both key components in helping Best and Gallop meet their mutual goal to create a warm and inviting outdoor space that Greg and his family will be enjoying for decades to come.

“This area that we’re sitting in now is the perfect place for a glass of wine while the kids are active in the backyard so that’s what we’ve accomplished,” says Best before later adding, “I mean it couldn’t be more ideal.”