Stepping into the midcentury-modern home of Carrie and John Greschner is like drifting back in time to an effortlessly chic scene from the 1950s and ’60s.
The house is full of atmosphere, from the dining room’s hand-painted Chinoiserie wallpaper to the giant indoor pool and the plush rose hall carpets.
One could almost imagine Sinatra leaning on a grand piano in the living room or Shirley MacLaine making an entrance.
Virtually everything that’s visible in the 1963 home is 100 per cent original, and the Greschners, who bought it a decade ago, plan to keep it that way.
They care for the home as if it were a fine antique, replacing many important elements, but nothing that would affect the home’s character or mood. Improvements include a new furnace, electrical wiring, gas heat, insulation, roof and double-paned windows.
But untouched are all the brass baseboard heaters, retro push-button light switches, and pullout night tables in the master bedroom with hidden phones and lights.
All of the luxuriously soft wool carpets on the main floor are original — ranging from off-white in the living room to sand-tone in the master suite and soft rose along the hall. Also original are all the wallpapers, kitchen linoleum, bathroom fixtures, vanities, built-ins and more.
The only visible upgrade is an espresso-coloured granite countertop on one side of the kitchen.
“The new heating was probably the biggest thing, because it took our bills from astronomical to average for a house this size. A big relief,” said Carrie, who has a custom first-aid, safety and medical-supply business.
“Everything we have spent money on was to preserve and retain the home’s original beauty. We didn’t want to change a thing.”
Because of its significance to midcentury architecture, the home is on the Saanich Heritage Register.
The wallpaper still looks perfect. The original sinks, tubs, showers and tiling are pristine, and the wall-to-wall carpets, although more than 55 years old, show almost no wear.
“It’s the same all over the house,” Carrie explained with delight.
“The quality of building materials was just so good, and the home was so gently used.”
She said that’s partly because there weren’t any kids growing up in the house for the first half century — it only had one owner before the Greschners. Situated high on Gordon Point, the home was designed by architect Bob Punderson of Siddall Dennis Warner for owners Stan and Meg Moore. It was built starting in 1963 by contractors Jimmy Chow and Roy Quan.
Stan Moore was the son of William Moore, who in 1893 founded Moore & Whittington, a local contractor and lumber company. Because of that connection to the lumber industry, the Moores decided to make their home a showcase for various kinds of wood.
There are teak walls in the kitchen and family room, oak in the master bedroom and ensuite, and black walnut walls in the living and dining rooms.
Each piece of floor-to-ceiling panelling is perfectly matched to the next for a seamless appearance.
The architecture has a subtle Asian ambiance, with deep overhangs and an emphasis on horizontal lines. Part of it is cantilevered on brick-clad columns that give it a light feeling and also allow visitors to drive under the house and around a continuous drive.
When the Greschners first saw it, they were entranced by everything from the beams that seem to float along the ceilings and walls, with hidden lights behind, to the layout and easy flow.
“When we bought it, the house had been on the market for a long while and had not been lived in for several years,” Carrie said. “Every room was like a treasure box waiting to be discovered and explored.”
In the sewing room, now a playroom — the Greschners have five children and grandchildren, too — there were pop-up shelves and individual drawers for things such as threads and scissors, along with all kinds of purpose-built cubbies.
“Every single detail was brilliant, and my husband and I totally respect what the previous owners did, the thinking that went into it and especially the way they designed the home with so many built-ins and cabinets.”
Each closet has a light in it and many of the handles are from Italy. In the master vanity alone, there are 20 drawers, and in the adjacent dressing room, there are enormous closets and a tall chest of drawers. Cabinets on either side of a high mirror over the chest include special places to hang necklaces.
In the kitchen, all the cutlery drawers are velvet-lined.
With so much storage, much of it hidden, the Greschners have found that they need very little furniture. “The home is the furniture,” Carrie said, adding everything they have ever needed for improvements or repairs is on site, too, including replacement tiles for all the bathrooms, extra wallpaper and carpeting to match each room in the house.
Carrie has been told by neighbours that the previous owners had a full-time gardener, but she and her husband prefer to leave much of the 1.2-acre property in a wild state, with ocean views and patios on one side and forest on the other.
“I like wild things and a totally wild garden appealed to me. We are not into manicured everything.
“And because it’s natural looking, when we are here, it feels like we are at the cottage. We sit outside on all the different patios, following the sun around the house.”
John loves how effortlessly the home’s interiors relate to the natural world, thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows and unhindered views from every room. A panorama of the sea or wilderness can be enjoyed from every corner of the house.
“It’s magical.” He also loves to cook and says it’s even more enjoyable when looking at something beautiful outside.
The owners, who lived in the Yukon, Arizona and Saskatchewan for years, have long been collectors of Indigenous art, which they display around the home, and Carrie enjoys all kinds of decorative glasswork, too.
But mostly it’s the home that is their greatest joy.
“I feel very protective about this house and love being here,” Carrie said. “I like to travel, but after I am away for a few days, even in the most fabulous place, I begin to count the days until I can come home again. It has a wonderful energy
“It is an amazing place and a tremendous family home. And we enjoy hearing all the old stories.
“There is also a lot of local mythology about this house. People frequently tell about all the parties that went on here 50 years ago.”
