Cindy Scott had never considered a career in home building until she started to work on her own.
“It’s not a largely female-dominated industry, so it wasn’t something I thought of doing,” she says. “Once I was involved, I felt the passion and really enjoyed it.” She formed KC Custom Designs Ltd. with her sister-in-law, but after the latter moved to the States, started running the company on her own. Based in Bear Mountain Resort on Vancouver Island, Scott now has 14 years of experience under her belt, as well as strong relationships with the Island’s top crafts people—and many fabulous houses to show for it.
Touring through her own home is like wandering through a foreign city: the beauty of the unknown lies ahead, and the turn around each new corner reveals something unexpected. Every inch of space is used in Scott’s projects, ensuring nooks and crannies have function and purpose. “I tend to really like when all of the square-footage is used,” she says. In her place, rooms flow into each other in unexpected but practical ways, and even a small side hallway finds a second life as a cubbied shoe rack. “I love a beautiful home and that is a priority, but I love to feel like I’ve done my job when I’m meshing function and fashion: it looks beautiful and yet it’s really usable,” explains Scott. “We have three daughters, and I come from a family of six where we have Sunday dinner almost every Sunday, so I need my house to function for me. It’s very well used. I build a house that you can live in, too.”
Read more from our Design section.
