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Layer House is a beautiful waterfront home designed by Woven Architecture and Design in collaboration with Phillip Van Horn Design, located on Willis Point, British Columbia, Canada. The owners are a visual artist and craftsperson who envisioned a home that balances intimacy with openness, providing spaces for retreat, creativity, and connection with accessibility in mind.
They purchased a steep, sloping waterfront property above a busy stretch of Saanich Inlet and engaged the team to design a home that would accommodate their diverse needs. Perched on a forested slope, the house quietly observes the shifting light and rhythms of the landscape and marine traffic below. The 5,100-square-foot home unfolds across two levels, with a 1,300-square-foot accessory building connected by a bridge.
DESIGN DETAILS
ARCHITECTURE Woven Architecture and Design in collaboration with Phillip Van Horn Design
CONSTRUCTION Citta Construction
STRUCTURAL DESIGN Workshop Engineers
LANDSCAPE DESIGN Biophilia Design Collective
Arrival occurs on the upper level, where the primary bedroom, living, and dining areas frame sweeping views of the inlet. Expansive glazing draws the forest and water into daily life, while natural materials anchor the home in its surroundings. Below, two guest rooms, an office, gym, and sauna open onto wraparound decks and an outdoor terrace with a hot tub and shower—spaces for restoration and quiet reflection.
An Accessible Landscape Connects Home to Shoreline
Above: Accessibility was a key requirement for this project. Despite the steeply sloped property, a series of carefully designed landscape paths was created from the vehicle arrival point down to the foreshore—37 feet below—ensuring wheelchair users could access the area without entering the home.
Across the bridge, the accessory building supports artistic pursuits, with a studio above and a woodshop below. This separation of work and living spaces allows creativity to unfold in harmony with the landscape. Every room opens outward, inviting the forest, water, and sky into daily experience, and the architecture steps gently with the terrain, dissolving the boundary between dwelling and nature.
Above: A series of generous decks and patios wraps the house at each story, connecting occupants to the outdoors from every interior space.
Sustainable Design Rooted in the Hillside
Sustainability is central to the home’s design. Nestled into the hillside, the structure benefits from the earth’s stable thermal mass, improving energy efficiency and comfort year-round. High-performance glazing, thermally broken doors, and well-insulated assemblies minimize heat loss while maximizing natural light and passive solar gain.
A rainwater harvesting system collects and filters roof runoff for irrigation and non-potable use, reducing municipal water demand. Durable, low-maintenance materials—locally sourced wood, concrete, and metal—ensure longevity and allow the home to age gracefully within its environment.
Open-Concept Living Spaces Capture Inlet Views
What We Love About This Home
This home steps down a steep waterfront slope, achieving dramatic architecture without ever feeling imposing. The way it connects to the outdoors feels really well thought out, especially in the separation between the main residence and the artist’s studio across the bridge, which allows creative work and daily life to be independent yet connected. The commitment to accessibility throughout the sloped landscape, paired with passive solar design and rainwater harvesting, shows great attention to detail. Such a beautiful design!
Tell Us: Would you love living in a home that doubles as an artist’s studio and waterfront retreat? Let us know in the Comments below!
Note: Check out a couple of other incredible home tours that we have highlighted here on One Kindesign in the province of British Columbia: A striking hillside house overlooks a serene lake in British Columbia and this British Columbia waterfront house designed to feel like a modern treehouse.
A Wood-Toned Kitchen Designed for Connection
The Owner’s Suite Opens Onto Water Views
A Spa-Inspired Bathroom
A Cedar-Lined Sauna
Outdoor Living: Hot Tub, Fire Table, and Wraparound Decks
Cantilevered Decks Frame a Dramatic Hillside Site
A Bridge Links Living Space to the Artist’s Studio and Woodshop
PHOTOGRAPHER Sama Jim Canzian
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