Essence Home Design | The luxury you feel, not the luxury you show

The truth about "luxury" homes

You built it from scratch. Nobody handed you any of it, and there were years the sacrifice was the only thing you could feel.

Now you're finally here, at the part where you get to enjoy what you made. So you decide to build the home. The reward.

And this is where I have to tell you the thing nobody in the luxury home world will say out loud: most of these homes are trophies, not havens. They're built to be photographed, not lived in. They impress everyone who visits, and somehow your own family still ends up gathered in the kitchen of the old place, because the big beautiful house never actually felt like home.

After twenty years and more than two hundred homes, I've watched it happen, and I know exactly why, and how to make sure it never happens to yours.

You already know the difference

Think about the last time you put on a shirt that was actually made for you.

Not off the rack. Cut for your body, your measurements, nobody else's. You felt it the second it went on. You didn't point at it. You didn't need anyone to notice. It just felt right, all day, and you never wanted to take it off.

That's the difference between a house and a home. Off-the-rack is comfortable because it's cheap. Custom is comfortable because it's yours. A trophy house is the tuxedo you can't wait to get out of. The home I design for you is the shirt you forget you're wearing.

The luxury isn't something you point at. It's something you feel the moment you walk in.

That's me in the photo, by the way. The suit was cut for me, and I never want to take it off. I design homes the exact same way.

Who I am

My name is Zane. I've designed custom homes for over twenty years, more than two hundred of them, over a billion dollars in projects.

But that isn't why you'd want me.

You'd want me because I don't design houses to win awards. I design them around the way your family actually lives. Where you'll gather on a Sunday. Where the kids land the second they walk in. The table you'll feed your friends at. The chair you'll sink into when the world was too much that day.

I design the essence of the place, the feeling you get the moment you walk in, and then we make the walls hold it.

How it works

Three steps between you and the reward.

We sit down and I learn how you actually live.

Not your square footage. Your Sunday. Who comes over, how you host, where your people really end up.

I design the haven around that life.

Every room earns its place by how it will feel, not how it will photograph.

You come home to the reward you pictured.

The place your family wants to be, and the one you finally get to rest in.

What that gets you

Walk in and feel the whole day drop off your shoulders, because the home was designed as a haven first and a showpiece second.
Watch your family actually choose to be here, the kids and the grandkids gravitating to dad's place, because the spaces were built around how your people gather instead of around a floor plan.
Host the way you always pictured, art on the walls that means something and a table built to feed people body and soul, because entertaining was designed in, not added on.
Know it's unmistakably yours, a one-of-one that reflects the life you built, because it started from your life instead of a template.
Build it once, right, because after twenty years I can see the mistakes before they're framed, not after you've paid for them.

What clients say

"We recently designed our forever home with Zane… and love what he created for us. Working with Zane was a very collaborative process. He worked to gain an understanding of us and our lifestyle and designed a home that perfectly fits who we are. His talent and creativity combined with a desire to really understand his clients produces incredible results."

Shelley Orford · Forever home

"Zane is an incredibly talented designer with a unique approach to conceptual design that creates amazing homes that truly reflect our clients' characters and lifestyle. If you're looking for the perfect designer for your luxury dream home, you owe it to yourself to sit down with Zane."

Chris Klassen · Alair Homes

"We have worked with Zane… on our custom home in Langley, B.C. and would highly recommend him to our family, friends and colleagues. He is very creative, thorough and very attentive to details while focusing and listening to his clients' needs. My wife and I also felt very comfortable in having Zane over to our home numerous times… I would highly recommend Zane in designing your future home without any hesitation."

Terry Sidhu · Custom home, Langley BC

"From the beginning he has impressed me with his strong set of design skills and high level of creativity… He doesn't simply try to complete the work to the client's satisfaction but often to his own, even higher expectations… He has always gone the extra mile to ensure the client is happy. I have recommended him to my associates and would do the same for anyone else who is looking for top notch work and service."

Sandy Gill · Developer

You will build this home one time.

The reward for a whole life of work, and you get one shot to make it a haven instead of a monument. You can always change the paint. The way it feels when you walk through the door gets decided at the design table, before a single wall goes up. That's the room to get right.

One thing, because it matters: the first conversation costs you nothing and commits you to nothing. And if I'm not the right designer for your home, I'll tell you straight and point you to someone who is. You only build this once. Neither of us should get it wrong.

The next step

Book a design conversation.

Tell me about the life you're building it for, and I'll show you what it could feel like.

Got it. Your message is on its way, and I'll be in touch within a day. Talk soon.

Something didn't go through. Check your name and email and try again, or email me directly at zane@essencehomedesign.com.

P.S. The homes that end up feeling like a hotel almost always started with a floor plan. The ones that become the place the whole family comes home to almost always started with a conversation about the family. If you're going to build the reward, start it at the right table.

The home you earned should feel like a haven, not a trophy.