Softer hues allow the grain and knots to show through more than darker colours, though the choice of wood is also important. Skoufoglou chose birch-faced plywood but says that today she’d opt for ...

High ceilings and a majestic curved staircase at the entrance flow into light-filled living and dining areas with refurbished, original Douglas fir floors and stained 118-year-old artisan woodwork.