Yew Street House is a traditional Vancouver house that was renovated to suit aging in place. The project was executed as a collaboration between Vancouver design firm Campos Studio and Toronto based industrial designer Tom Chung. Yew House is situated on a small corner lot in Kitsilano, one of Vancouver?s original working-class neighborhoods. Originally built in 1907, the house underwent a patchwork of renovations and in the 1970s most of its land was sold off to accommodate a neighboring development. Due to the sale of this land, it is now impossible to build a new house on the lot. Therefore, the plan became to upgrade the existing house by gutting it down to the studs, reinsulating and seismically upgrading the shell.

Having raised their family in this walkable neighborhood the owners wanted to find a way to renovate the house to suit their transition to being semi-retired empty nesters and through retirement to aging in place. The plan became to create a bright modern open loft style living area with an unobtrusive and private guest area for visiting children and friends. The previous attic den was converted into a master bedroom and ensuite loft with hidden storage while the ground floor bedrooms are now a self-sufficient guest area connected to the main living space through a concealed door in the kitchen millwork. The main floor was designed to be convertible to one level living by anticipating the eventual conversion of the TV room and powder room into a master bed...