A typical project for an interior designer might go something like this. The client wants her new home to be finished in farmhouse style, to have the feel of a country home, but she does not want the rustic look. Instead, it should incorporate modern elements and trimmings and be a workable home for the whole family.
It’s up to the designer to listen—really listen—to what the clients want and interpret their wishes. That’s when Goosen Design’s 20 years of experience kicks in.
Ethan Goosen and Benjamin Ryder of Goosen Designs (goosendesign.com) live in Gibsons and though their design work takes them to Vancouver and Whistler on occasion, they are currently involved in at least five projects on the Sunshine Coast.
Ethan explains in his soft South African accent how the most important aspect of his interior design work is to listen. “I do a lot of detail work on the clients,” he said. “How do they live? What do all members of the family want? Do they entertain? And then I make the adjustments.”
A modern farmhouse project in Gibsons offers practicality and comfort. The interior is light and airy with high, white walls. The elements of wood throughout the house, including the ceilings and hardwood floors, warm up the overall look.
Furniture procurement is another of Goosen Design’s services. The living room sofa in the modern farmhouse is a custom-built sectional with angled back support hidden behind the cushions. It sits in the open plan living room beside two leather armchairs.
“It’s a bit of sophistication,” Benjamin said, “but very comfortable.” He points out another feature of their classic design: layering. The sofa is rendered in soft grey while the ottoman is in a contrasting ivory colour. Instead of matching colours exactly which tends to make a space look flat and uninteresting, the contrasting colours offset one another.
Evidence of this offset is found elsewhere. In the kitchen the circular shape of the arched doorways is a lovely architectural detail that offsets the square room. It’s a warm natural element that gives a break from hard angles.
The kitchen island promises to be the hub of the home. Stools drawn up to the island make it more like the farmhouse kitchen table.
“Kids can eat there,” Ethan said, “and do their homework there.”
Storage abounds in the kitchen with dishes visible behind reeded glass cupboards while other utensils are packed away efficiently in drawers.
“You can have a lot of fun with the decoration of a powder room,” Ethan said. “Every guest is going to see it—you might as well make it inviting.” In this case the farmhouse powder room walls are covered in a rich, dark wallpaper.
“This is commercial vinyl wallpaper,” Ethan explained. “It’s scrubbable and looks good if installed correctly.”
Ethan and Benjamin’s designs also appear in local businesses. The Beachcomber coffee shop in Gibson’s Landing, for example, is long and narrow, like a railcar, so must maximize its size and light by contrasting the smoky dark grey of the ceiling and walls with bright yellow accents. A sunny yellow espresso machine and blond wood on the counters and tabletops help—even the colourful coffee mugs lighten the place.
Cushioned seating backs onto a wall covered in a vivid mural and customers can munch their breakfast wraps at the tables or pick up their Deadly Donuts at the counter.
The Mad Hen is a good example of theme design gone wild. This popular diner on Gower Point Road in Gibsons has been open for a little over a year and the line-ups of breakfast and lunch customers has not quit.
“People are tired of franchise restaurants,” owner Ray Roach said. “We like the diner style.” He and co-owner Jennifer Baek scout garage sales and auctions to find their life-size models of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe now on display. (Scoop: watch for a life-size Betty Boop coming soon!)
Goosen Designs picked up on the diner theme and made one end of the seating space into a stylized movie room. While sitting at the tables customers can gaze at their favourite star painted on the wall in colourful images showing Judy Garland rubbing shoulders with Michael Jackson.
“The wall of stars is quite an Instagram moment,” Ethan said. Many of the diner’s fixtures were bought at auction like the classic booths and the tables of laminate with chrome edges as could be seen in every home in the 1960s—now repurposed for the 21st century.
Other Goosen projects include the interior of Coastline Health, a home renovation in Gibsons, and the beginning of a project renovating the former Blue Heron Inn in Sechelt.
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