From Dated to Deliberate: Inside a Georgie Awards Finalist Condo Renovation

When a young couple purchased this condo in the Greater Vancouver area, they weren’t chasing square footage alone. They were looking for possibility. The space was generous, but it felt segmented and visually heavy. It was far from the minimalist, Zen-inspired home they envisioned.

They turned to maison d’etre to reimagine the layout from the inside out. What followed was a renovation grounded in clarity, restraint, and precision. The transformation would go on to earn recognition as a finalist at the Georgie Awards for Best Condo Residential Renovation (Under $275,000).

 

The Significance of the Georgie Awards

The Georgie Awards are a respected benchmark within British Columbia’s residential design and construction community. Judged by industry peers, they recognize design quality and disciplined execution within real-world constraints.     Being shortlisted in the Best Condo Residential Renovation (Under $275,000) category signals a project that stands out in a competitive field.

The Starting Point: Generous Space, Fragmented Living 

The condo had scale. What it lacked was cohesion.

Built in the 1980s, the layout felt closed and visually heavy. The kitchen was enclosed, sightlines were interrupted by angled walls, and dated finishes added unnecessary complexity. Despite the generous footprint, the space did not support the calm, minimalist way the clients wanted to live.

Their goals were clear. They wanted an open layout, fewer visual interruptions, and a restrained material palette. The home also needed to support practical demands, including direct-wired data for working from home and a lighting plan that worked with how the space would be used day to day.

This renovation required more than surface updates. It called for structural changes and careful coordination to bring clarity, function, and balance to the space.

Opening the Core: Reworking the Kitchen and Ceiling

The first decisive move was removing the wall and dated sunshine ceiling that closed off the kitchen. Once taken down, sightlines extended across the entire living space. What had felt compartmentalized began to read as a single, connected environment.

A new island introduced casual seating and improved functionality. To power it, the team channeled through the concrete slab, a precise modification considering the constraints of a condo setting. However, the result was seamless: a fully functional island without exposed wiring or compromise.

 

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

The living area ceiling was dropped to align with the kitchen ceiling height. This adjustment allowed new electrical runs, direct-wired data points, and lighting infrastructure to be integrated seamlessly. The ceiling now acts as a perimeter valance,for concealing future window coverings while maintaining a clean, unified profile.

With the structural work complete, the space felt aligned for the first time. The foundation was set for material and lighting decisions to carry that clarity forward.

Material Discipline and Quiet Detailing

With the layout resolved, the focus shifted to realizing the clients’ vision of a Zen-inspired home. Maison approached this phase through careful dialogue and iteration. Samples were reviewed in natural light, renderings were refined, and materials were tested against one another to ensure the space felt calm rather than composed.

In the kitchen, white upper cabinetry was paired with warm wood base units to balance lightness with grounding. Quartz was carried from countertop to backsplash to create continuity, eliminating visual interruption. Flat-panel doors and solid sliders with slim hardware were selected deliberately, reinforcing a restrained, cohesive language throughout the home.

Lighting was developed alongside furniture planning. Recessed LED task lighting under cabinets and a magnetic track system over the dining area allowed fixtures to align precisely with how the space would be used. Dimmers were installed with future artwork in mind, ensuring flexibility without disrupting the calm foundation.

 

Washroom Before

Washroom After

The herringbone vinyl flooring was chosen not only for durability and acoustic performance within strata requirements, but for its ability to soften the unit’s angled walls and unify the footprint. In the bathrooms, light oak vanities and complementary tile selections maintained warmth and consistency. A compact shower was reframed to expand its footprint, improving comfort within existing constraints.

 

Shower Before

Shower After

At each step, the question remained the same: does this decision reduce noise, improve function, and support the clarity the clients envisioned? The final result reflects not just material selection, but a process of listening, refining, and executing with intention.

Conclusion: A Deliberate Outcome

This renovation reflects Maison d’Être’s approach to design and build: careful listening, disciplined decision-making, and precise execution.

 

Office Before

Office After

In a category judged by industry peers and defined by clear budget parameters, this recognition affirms a consistent alignment of vision, coordination, and craft from the earliest planning stages through to the final detail.

maison d’etre is proud to be named a Georgie Awards finalist again and remains committed to carrying this standard of quality and care into future projects.