Living with the elements with Monashees Drafting and Design

Revelstoke design or Revelstoke home, it needs to include elements of wood,” Bernier says. **Photo by Madelaine Duff**

Revelstoke’s home and commercial architect themes have a history of pulling from foundational railway homes, featuring stone and wood elements and pulling the outdoors in.

Trends like covered decks and sloped roofs have come and gone, but the drive behind them have all been the same, Monashees Drafting & Design owner and principal designer Melanie Bernier explained.

“So many people who live here, they’re active and outdoorsy… your house becomes a place where you recharge,” she said.

Whether it’s an expansive mud and gear room to shed layers after a day in the mountains, accessible storage for a growing family or elements that let residents age in place, designs need to make the space home.

Bernier is one of the creative forces behind some of Revelstoke’s most iconic redesigns, such as the home dubbed The Baltic Lodge, a 1905 Edwardian heritage house on Mackenzie Avenue. She collaborated with Wellwoods Custom Homes and Tenet Consulting to bring this home back to life, pulling in inspirations from the gorgeous landscape.

As much as local residents enjoy the outdoors, Revelstoke’s climate requires some design approaches to protect from the elements, like a covered entrance to keep snow from piling up, a sheltered outdoor space for pets to take a quick break or just large windows that can let the winter sun in and keep the cold out.

Over the years, Bernier has seen exterior elements trend towards cleaner lines and fewer complex details, moving away from the intricate craftwork many of the designated heritage homes are so well known for, but explained the importance of designing a home hasn’t changed.

“You need to design for flexibility,” she said, adding that working closely with clients and helping them walk through examples often guards against design regrets.

There is one element that seems to be a core theme throughout Revelstoke’s architecture, no matter old build or new.

“When you’re thinking about the Revelstoke design or Revelstoke home, it needs to include elements of wood,” Bernier said, adding that it’s not just about the city’s history as a logging and railway community but the life wood elements bring to any space.

“It’s such a good element to work with because it’s alive,” she said, adding the material often changes with Revelstoke’s wet winters and hot summers. If properly designed for and prepared, wood’s reaction to the local environment can be a centre-point in any home design.

From working on newer family homes to helping renovate some of the heritage homes in Revelstoke’s downtown core, Bernier has seen up-close which home elements have come and gone.

With more builds on the horizon throughout town, she hopes developers and designers are keeping one thing in mind: “Make sure that the people that live here want to stay here. They fell in love with the quietness, the nature and all that makes Revelstoke.”