Hawk’s Nest – West Coast Getaway

Basking on the sunny shore of Lake Cowichan, Hawk’s Nest is the ultimate in weekend getaways. An owner with a taste for adventure and fun, and the stunning natural beauty of the Cowichan Valley are perfect companions in this West Coast lake house.

Walking through Hawk Nest’s front door you are immediately immersed in a light-drenched tower that anchors the building’s design. Its layered timber frame and intricate architectural ceiling details create a space that perfectly frames the functional sculpture that is the main staircase. Appearing to float in space, a single stringer supports all three U-shaped flights of stairs. This showstopper of an entrance is both form and function, accommodating a walkway joining the garage and front foyer, and acting as the main spoke for traffic throughout the home.

The open layout means that you never feel far from the lake. Each main floor space has floor to ceiling glass and opens out onto a deck that spans the width of the home. The living room was designed to capture every last ray of sunshine, making the space feel bright and airy, while Sandy Nygard’s interior design lends a feeling of cozy cabin; a dichotomy that creates a space that people gravitate to. The focal point of the room is a Rumsford fireplace, a famously efficient way to heat a room, and a beautiful nod to the rustic in this upscale lakefront home. Open storage flanks the fireplace where the stacked firewood becomes decor itself. The living room is a natural choice to relax in after a day on the water and watch your favourite show. But, not wanting a television to dominate the space, the owners installed a TV lift so it can be tucked away until it’s wanted, leaving the home’s natural surroundings as the focus of the living room.

The kitchen has an economical layout to pack a big punch in a modest footprint; every aspect front-facing the view. A bank of floor to ceiling storage along the back wall eliminates the need for upper cabinets, creating sightlines to the lake from every inch of the space. The open wood beams on the ceiling and a steel island with open shelves evokes rustic, while still feeling modern and classy.

The entire project’s design was driven by the view. Curving foundation walls create a bend to the lake-side facade to maximize views from every room. This curve extends to the deck off the primary suite, which occupies the entire top floor of the home. The en-suite bathroom was designed with nature in mind, with views from the bathtub and an interior opaque French door providing natural light into the walk-in water closet.

The lower floor was designed for guests and recreation. Three guest bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom and one with a lake view, share this level with a rec room for games and a home theatre for epic movie nights. The rec room opens onto a large patio with ample room for lounging. The sunken hot tub on the terraced deck is equipped with a hydraulic lift for access to the mechanicals. The glass covered pergolas makes for a mixture of covered and exposed seating areas across all three levels of outdoor living space.

The stacked garage has an additional lower garage accessed by a full size car lift, so speedboats can be stowed beneath other vehicles.

We designed a custom lakefront home that married form with function. An owner with a zest for fun and a need for the toys that go along with that, a natural environment that begged to be integrated indoors, and a desire to not waste an inch of the lake views - Hawk’s Nest is the ultimate West Coast summer retreat.

More images of Hawk’s Nest can be found on our Projects page.

Legato – A Modern Coastal Retreat

Set on a long, narrow, and unusually shallow lot between a well-traveled road and the ocean, this modern coastal residence presented both a challenge and an opportunity. With views available only from the upper level and a building envelope constrained in every direction, the design process demanded precision, vision, and a deep understanding of how our clients wanted to experience their home.

The site itself dictated key decisions. Due to the placement of the driveway, entry was only possible from the right side, and the primary living spaces needed to be on the second level to take advantage of the ocean view. A garage on the lower level created an opportunity for a spacious balcony above it that provided further living space to enjoy the mild coastal climate. We wanted to create an outdoor space not only for sunny days, but one that could be enjoyed year round. We designed a fully integrated outdoor kitchen that, due to the unified roofline, felt like an extension of the interior. With a barbecue, pizza oven, sink, refrigeration, heaters and ample counter space all tucked away from the elements, we truly created a fully functioning kitchen perfect for entertaining outdoors. The outdoor kitchen opens up into a larger patio area that is hidden from the road, focusing your attention to the views of the ocean.

Once the outdoor kitchen concept was established, the design flowed from there. It only made sense that the kitchen should be adjacent, which would lead to the dining room and then to the living room beyond. And with the views being on the back facade of the building, that made the front facade ideal for the less public areas. The clients wanted two separate offices, purposefully not next to one another. Each had corner windows, while a central pantry and elevator formed a practical buffer between the workspaces. 

Our clients wanted the primary suite to maximize the views without sacrificing privacy. We designed floor to ceiling windows looking out to the ocean, and strategically placed the dressing room and ensuite along the opposite front facing facade to provide complete privacy. Further privacy was achieved by keeping the primary suite separate from the living area by creating a two-storey atrium entry with a bridge connecting the public and private spaces. The end result is a private, light-filled sanctuary with spectacular views of the surrounding gardens and out to the ocean beyond.

Our clients’ pastimes and philosophies dictate much of the practical function and form of a design. Legato’s owners had passions that influenced, and were integrated into our design. This wasn’t to be just a home for living, it was to be a place to share their love of classical music, yoga and passion for gardening. The living room was designed to accommodate a grand piano, as well as room to spare for the classical concerts they love to host. A yoga studio was tucked away on the main floor, as well as a quiet TV room, and rec room. On the opposite end of the lower floor, two additional bedrooms with private patios lead out to exquisite gardens that reflected our clients’ green thumbs.

When designing a home that is necessarily long and narrow, there is a need to create dynamics by breaking up the exterior into different visual aspects. This was achieved, in large part, by the use of finishes and materials to establish the rhythm and cadence of the design. We used stone to define and make a psychological distinction between the public and private areas. By using stained cedar panels to create dynamic changes in materials throughout the exterior, we could create interest but not lose cohesion. The majority of the exterior was stucco, and we created interest and continuation of the design language by the repetition of stone and wood elements. Legato has a low-maintenance, yet luxurious exterior that is harmonious from top to bottom.

The owners previously lived in the house that sits between Legato and the ocean. They had nurtured an extravagant garden and had the unique opportunity of enjoying the fruits of their labours from their new custom home. They outdid themselves the second time round. Legato is surrounded by vibrant gardens and a serene water feature that you pass over by way of an arched bridge to reach the front entry. Entering this property feels as if you’ve left the city and entered a modern retreat that feels private, purposeful, and peaceful. This project proves that limitations aren’t obstacles—they’re the raw material of great design.

More images of Legato can be found on our Projects page.

Custom Home Design Advice

Custom home design is a unique and personal process that begins with a vision and is supported by the relationship between the homeowner or client and the design team.

Keith Baker offers his insights into this process in this article from SPRUCE, Victoria’s Home & Design Magazine.

Below is an excerpt from the publication. You can read the full article HERE.

What should people know before they embark on a custom home build?

Be open-minded. That’s a good place to start. Some people don’t have all the answers of how they want it to go together; they just know it needs to feel this way, and they need this number of rooms. And some people are very specific and very prescriptive — that’s actually harder. I encourage people to have an open mind in terms of the home showing up perhaps even better than they can imagine. Allow the design process to unfold in a positive way, rather than having tunnel vision about how you think it should go or what you think you have to have. Understanding the process means you move, take another step and then you find out, “Oh, there’s another question I need to ask.” It is iterative. It isn’t a straight line from A to B.