DEEP COVE HOUSE || A Rejuvenating Home Designed for A West Coast Lifestyle
When the pressure of the city becomes all too tough, we instinctively want to shelter ourselves in the embrace of nature.
Deep Cove House is a welcoming family home set against the quiet backdrop of nature designed by D’Arcy Jones Architects in Deep Cove, British Columbia.
The front of the home sets a quiet and private tone even though the home is located fairly close to the bustling neighborhood and commercial area.
“The house’s angular exterior is designed to minimize interior glare and to keep water off the wrap-around windows. Inside, the same long horizontal windows take advantage of 180º degree views towards an ocean fiord-like inlet, alive with shipping freighters, kayakers, and sometimes even whales.”
When you are seated or lying down inside this house, the windows are designed to edit out the busy suburban scene, ensuring privacy so that no one can see in, but you can absorb the stunning surrounding nature scenery with unobstructed views. The minimalist interior lets nature take center stage, with the windows framing the picturesque mountains and gentle waters like a painting.
The perfect framing of the view beyond
The architecture invites and incorporates natural elements to create a laid back, West Coast lifestyle.
“The house’s pinched waist has two outdoor courtyards to allow uncommonly dramatic interior views from inside to outside, to inside again. One courtyard is full of native plants and trees, mimicking the forest that wants to be on the site if the house was not there. The other courtyard filters the western afternoon light, creating a sunny pocket to sit or eat outside, protected from the wind.”
A sunny patio to soak up the afternoon rays
The design allows for a view from inside to outside, to inside again.
The staircase maintains a light and airy feel
Viewed from the outside, the home looks smaller than it actually is. The lower floor conceals a basement level where the rooms do not have a designated purpose. The interior was inspired by older architecture’s desire to make generic rooms instead of spaces with specific uses. Asides from the gym and sauna, the other rooms could be the master bedroom, guest rooms, den, or even an office, giving the residents flexibility in how they design the living experience in the home.
The Deep Cove House is intentionally designed to filter out the stressors of daily city life, making it the rejuvenating and relaxing space that a home should be.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project Team: D’Arcy Jones Architects
Project size: 5000 ft2
Site size: 11000 ft2
Completion date: 2019
Building levels: 3
Project Photography: Ema Peters