Sunset House

Situated on a steep and technically challenging site, this single family home was designed to capture views of the outer harbour and heavy marine traffic along the jagged West Vancouver coast line. The home’s irregular shape traces the site boundary, coming to an angled blinder that provides privacy from tight adjacent properties. A natural, minimalist palate of raw concrete, steel, leather and wood creates a calm interior space that doesn’t distract from the framed ocean view beyond.

Movement into the house is carefully choreographed to disguise the considerable elevation change from street to living space - no individual stair run is greater than 1/2 story, allowing an unobstructed sightline from the oversized pivot entrance door through to the terrace. Similarly, the split level arrangement allows for generous volumes in the main living spaces and a closer connection between upper and main floor, while also providing dramatic elements such as the 40 foot elevation drop from the suspended deck and plunge pool to the rear garden below.

Due to its concrete construction, the home has a cave-like feeling with carefully carved spaces that feel intimate. Limited materiality creates a meditative and calming experience, with contrast between solid and soft elements throughout. Board-formed concrete mimics the texture of the wood siding both on the exterior and interior of the home, its directionality used to either elongate surfaces or emphasize double height spaces between floor levels. Leather pulls on white millwork panels are paired with carved wood handrails, and hand-scraped wide plank oak flooring. The palette has been stripped to the essentials, allowing the home to feel cohesive and solid.

Photo: Ema Peter Photography