I was astonished to learn the title of Cormac McCarthy's novel No County for Old Men was taken from the first line of William Butler Yeats' poem Sailing to Byzantium.
The poem makes the point the world of a man's youth slips away, the result being he becomes a "tattered coat upon a stick..."
When my wife and I were young, we built a log house out of trees felled and peeled from our 40-acre property. At the time, it was considered audacious and daring to undertake such a project. I recall feeling very alive and, perhaps a little powerful, fuelled by the elixir of youth, as each new course of logs went up.
Today, though still proud of our log house, I am humbled by the achievements of young people such as Steve Thomas and his wife Dr. Rasam Nigam, who have built a home from the remnants of a storey-and-a-half house on Wellington Crescent.
The couple's creation is a perfect balance of form and function, using materials such as glass, granite, stainless steel and polymers to achieve an ultra-modern design that would be envied by Le Cobusier, the 20th century master of metal and glass architecture and furniture.
The Thomas's foyer consists of rectangular glass panels on the walls covered with metal-based paints that reflect light in different hues depending on the time of day; strips of mirror run between the panels to add another brilliant dimension to the entranceway.
The stairway is of wood construction covered with 12-mil tempered glass treads and mirror risers. To the right is a waterfall that cascades over 11 feet from the living room to the floor of the foyer. A long chandelier of lead-crystal balls and LED lights hangs from the ceiling and illuminates the entire area with a prism of colours.
At the top of the stairway, a rectangular glass panel of three layers of tempered glass looks down into a wine cellar, glittering with glass, steel and chips of granite collected from the Kenora area.
The cellar also includes lumber from the original house; the floor is not insulated to allow cool air from under the house to keep the wine chilled in winter.
"For the summer, I have a small air conditioner that will be mounted on a wall at the back of the cellar to keep the wine at the right temperature," said Thomas.
The living area includes the kitchen, a powder room, a bar, a large eating area, and a doorway that leads to an outdoor deck outfitted with a state-of-the-art barbecue unit, including a fridge, multiple burners, infrared searing and a large storage bin.
"We plan to spend a lot of time cooking outside on the deck in the warmer seasons as the view of the Assiniboine River is spectacular from there," said Thomas.
The kitchen includes a large pantry with plenty of storage for non-perishable items, as well as a big stainless steel fridge/freezer for perishables.
The glass-top stove has a unique hide-away smoke hood that disappears at the touch of a button.
The countertop has yet to be completed, but it will be Ice Brown granite to coincide with the brown floor and to complement the white of the kitchen walls and appliances.
The completed bar features hanging lights covered by whiskey glass shades, a glass bar top and three stools of stainless steel and white leather that could have been designed by Le Cobusier himself.
The living area next to the bar includes couches and easy chairs that are replicas of some of Le Cobusier's furniture masterpieces.
On the top floor, an eight-foot replica of a Jackson Pollock painting by a Vancouver artist will be mounted on a wall at the top of the stairway.
"The colours are grays and whites with a few gold lines in keeping with the stainless steel and white decor," said Thomas.
Aside from ample storage room for shoes and clothing, the top floor includes a washer and dryer, as well as a large shower, a main bathroom with vanities, as well as separate rooms with his and her vanities. The walls will be covered with marble.
The bedroom will include an electric fireplace Thomas is in the process of building. The outside of the structure will be covered with one-inch-wide strips of glass laminated together with clear glue.
"I built a jig to make the cutting of the glass strips go faster, but it's still a time-consuming task as I'll require over a thousand pieces to completely cover the fireplace," he said.
The laminated strips refract light like the facets of a diamond, causing a prism effect that dazzles the eye.
"It's a technique I've used in other renovations," said Thomas, adding the glass will refract different colours depending on the light source or where the viewer is standing.
Thomas said he hopes to complete the outside of the house in February.
This will be a massive undertaking as the bottom third will be covered with dark brown tiles arranged in an irregular pattern to add an "artistic touch" to the house.
The top two-thirds of the exterior walls will feature sheets of mirror that will make the house virtually disappear by reflecting the surrounding landscape back at a viewer.
"For example, the lovely maple trees that surround the yard will be visible to passersby who look at the house, giving the impression they are viewing a landscape not a building," said Thomas.
There remains much more work to be accomplished before Thomas and Nigam complete their stunning glass palace. However, their amazing commitment to the job speaks well of a young couple that have created an ultra-modern home that is unique and, at the same time, intelligently designed.
