Design for Living: West Coast Modern Homes Revisited

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Courtyard Residence (Robert McKee Architect, 1956. Renovation by Nick Milkovich,) 2008

Photo by Nic Lehoux, 2008.

Opening Reception/Book Launch: Tuesday, May 21 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Curator’s Tour: Thursday, May 23 at 1:30 p.m.

Panel Discussion: Saturday, June 1 at 2 p.m.

“Does Your House Fit You?" In 1949, the Community Arts Council of Vancouver posed this question in their catalogue for the seminal Design for Living exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery, which marked the birth of Canada's West Coast Modernist tradition in art and architecture.

Seventy years later, many modernist homes have been demolished for redevelopment and, yet, some have been renovated and preserved, serving as reminders of the spirit of invention, experimentation and enlightenment that characterized their original design.

This exhibition, which is accompanied by a publication of the same name, presents eight case studies that represent a spectrum of modernist homes. Some are by well-known architects and designers, and others are by lesser-known builders. All of these homes have been restored, updated and adapted to meet the needs of contemporary family life, while remaining true to the modernist spirit in which they were originally created.

“The houses explored here illustrate the significance of modern design on the West Coast and how, in the middle of the twentieth century, proponents of modernism sought to demonstrate that the historically derivative homes people were accustomed to inhabiting prior to WWII were not suitable to a post-war lifestyle. The project highlights the enduring legacy of West Coast modernism and the ways in which one can approach the renovation of modern properties as an alternative to demolition.” - Darrin Morrison, Curator, West Vancouver Art Museum