McLeod Bovell Modern Houses in collaboration with JBannisterHomes has designed this minimalist waterfront home located in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Nestled on a steep waterfront property, this two-story, 6,600-square-foot dwelling is surrounded by a suburban context.

The Four & Four House seamlessly blends the homeowner’s love for mid-century, post-and-beam construction with contemporary adaptations. The site’s generous width with its semi-naturalized condition presented an opportunity for landscape elements to organize the sequence of the house in the form of four distinct courtyards.

Above: A good vantage point from the Four & Four House’s raised pool deck and living space.⁠

DESIGN DETAILS: ARCHITECTURE McLeod Bovell Modern Houses CONSTRUCTION JBannisterHomes LANDSCAPE Botanica Design

Clad in locally-milled yellow cedar, four massive beams frame these spaces:

• A sunken courtyard at the entrance framed by concrete walls provides lateral and vertical separation between vehicular movement and guest arrival.
• A naturally planted garden courtyard opens up toward the sky in a double-height atrium to bring in filtered south light to the interior spaces below.
• A sheltered outdoor living room immediately next to the garden provides the setting for multi-seasonal activities.
• A lounge deck hanging over the concrete base of the house gives way to unobstructed views of the water and its ever-changing conditions.

Spatially, the central courtyard separates the flanking formal and informal living areas while still allowing visual connection through full-height glazing.

A fully glazed gallery acts as the intersection between the living spaces, sunken courtyard, and garden. The upper floor—a screened volume that contains the bedrooms—spans the outdoor living room below like a bridge.

This volume is strategically shifted toward the street so that the monolithic façade at the south elevation conveys a sense of privacy when viewed from the street.

Meanwhile, lowered window heads visually reduce the house’s massing from the water’s edge to give it the appearance of a single-story volume following the homeowner’s appreciation for mid-century aesthetics.

Above: A private courtyard with rustling plants brings life to the home’s glass hallway.⁠

What We Love: This beautifully designed waterfront home provides a modern take on mid-century West Coast post and beam architecture. ⁠During the day, the open interior space seamlessly flows into the West Coast landscape. At night it lends a feeling of peaceful enclosure.⁠ Overall, the project team did a fantastic job of creating a home with open and interconnected living spaces that blur indoor-outdoor boundaries.

Tell Us: What are your overall thoughts on the design of this West Vancouver house? Let us know in the Comments below!

Note: Have a look at a couple of other awesome home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign in the province of British Columbia: Tour this astounding rustic-modern retreat on Vancouver Island and See this beyond spectacular coastal modern residence in West Vancouver.

Above: Rain or shine this covered outdoor space provides the perfect spot to watch night fall.⁠

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PHOTOGRAPHER Andrew Latreille Photographer

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