Etienne Design

We think Designer Etienne de Villiers is exceptional! You can guess from this statement that we had an extraordinary experience building our contemporary oceanfront cottage on one of the northern Gulf Islands of BC. We thought long and hard before writing this review trying to identify the quintessential points to share. Was it the creativity, or collaborative nature of the project, the professionalism or commitment to detail, timelines and budgets? Did we want to highlight the exceptional craftsmanship of Etienne’s building partners – Luc Trepanier and Drew Erickson? Or maybe it was his guidance and suggestions with the details - fixtures, lighting, counter and cabinet materials etc. But in the end, it was Etienne’s VISION that was most important. It occurred to us that what he could see from the very beginning, we didn’t fully appreciate until the end. We sit in amazement at how beautiful the house is - inside and out; how his vision of integrating the environment and the structure together played out: red fir in and out, ocean views in and out, interesting site lines in and out. And so, from our experience, Etienne is an amazing designer! Thanks, Etienne, Luc and Drew and all of the sub contractors, for giving us this beautiful shelter by the ocean.

The service that Etienne provided was outstanding; working with him over several years was the right fit for me to create a stunning multi million dollar west coast timber frame home. His ability and his creative side is why my house has been featured in two magazines, outstanding job. I would more than recommend him to anyone wanting to build a high end custom home; he is a professional and a first class person to deal with. B Jefferson

After my wife and I purchased a rather special waterfront property in 1996, Etienne replaced the existing near-derelict house and cabin with a pair of architectural gems: a low profile 1500 square foot home with French doors opening onto the deck from several of the rooms and a 380 square foot jewel box of a guest cottage/studio. Nearly 20 years later, first time visitors and guests invariably remark on the exterior charm and the interior design of both. The two buildings, separated by a seasonal stream, are connected by a delightful curved bridge, while an attractively designed garden shed completes the scene that Etienne provided. In those days, he also involved himself in the actual construction of his designs, and the craftsmanship that he and several members of his current team brought to our project was of the highest quality. We are as delighted with what they did for us as we were at the time.

We hired Etienne for our house renovation after having seen several of his projects (renovations and a new build) on the Denman Island home and garden tour. Without fail his designs were imaginative and innovative. Additionally everyone commented on how easy and satisfying it was to work with Etienne. He redesigned our main floor (kitchen, living room, dining room, and master bedroom/bathroom) and outside main and side entrances. His design took our ordinary, boxy home and turned it into an oasis. He simultaneously opened and defined the rooms and dramatically improved the sightlines, flow and feel of our space. Etienne is thoughtful, collaborative and a creative genius. He worked with us every step of the way and always listened to our questions. We would highly recommend his services.

As part of our research for building our retirement home, we looked at many houses on Denman and Hornby Islands, and soon realized that the homes we were attracted to were the brainchild of Etienne deVilliers. We wanted a “west coast” home that was sympathetic to the mountainous skyline to the west of Denman, and reflected the colours of the trees, from the orange-brown of arbutus to the grey-brown of Douglas fir. We wanted a house that took advantage of the views of Vancouver Island and captured the warmth of the sunny southwest aspect of our property. We wanted a home that was laid gently upon the slope. We wanted a home that took advantage of local timbers, that was energy efficient, and felt welcoming to be in. Etienne built the house of our dreams. He is incredibly talented and creative, yet was always respectful of our often naive ideas, and was a delight to work with. He assembled a competent team of local craftsmen to build our beautiful and extraordinary home. Etienne is modest, reliable, professional, and very generous with his time. We are happy to give him our highest recommendation.

Etienne has outstanding sense of space and feeling and what would please the interest of the owner. He works together with you. My wife and I have nothing but praise for his ideas and the ways that he expresses those ideas in the building. We have been living in this house for some 20 years and we still enjoy every minute of it.

We love our house! Etienne took our unimaginative paper napkin “box design” and transformed our wish list into a beautiful, functional home. He spent a lot of time talking with us about our needs and wants and truly heard us. He also spend time walking our property and situated the house ideally into its environment. Etienne was with us throughout our building journey, supporting, explaining and adjusting as the build progressed. He came highly recommended to us and we agree, he is the best!”

We have worked with Etienne on many projects and it is always a pleasure. His ability to produce clean and functional, yet inspiring home designs is equal to many of Canada's more renowned architects while his demeanour is humble and unassuming. His creations are the embodiment of the West Coast Contemporary style, using modern lines and functional layouts, accentuated by native elements and detailing to suit the environment and lifestyle of his client. We recommend Etienne DeVilliers to our customers at every opportunity and the result of the projects we create together is always exceptional.