saturna island cabin
This cabin is located on Saturna Island, one of the most remote islands of the Gulf Islands. The home is situated on a forested, high bank waterfront site. It is the remote nature of the place, and the intention to be a retreat from the city, that influenced the design of the home.
The project involved renovating an existing small cabin, built many years previous, adding bedroom and hallway space that was efficient and cost effective, creating an overall unified design. Integrating the new structure into the landscape, creating both common and private areas, within a very small footprint, were important aspects of the work.
The home has a mainly solid side, the main entry side, which faces north and into the dense trees of the property. On the opposite side, large openings of glass face south, to overlook the ocean from the high bank vantage point. Having the solid side of the house reinforces a sense of separation. Entering the home celebrates the change, of leaving the city behind. The open side, with its abundant glass, embraces the calm and quiet of the natural world.
The Saturna Island Cabin is designed in a style that reflects a Japanese-Canadian aesthetic with a reverence for natural wood and joinery details.
