They say life's about the journey, not the destination€”but any hiker will tell you It's hard to beat the view from the top. Here in the West, we're blessed with some of the most beautiful mountainscapes, seascapes and even skyscapes in the country, and our designers know how to craft a space that does the view justice. Sometimes, it is what's on the outside that counts.

Credit: Jack Bryan

Walking on Sunshine

December 1976

This story was titled €œOkanagan Sunshine House,€ for obvious reasons. Architect Daniel White built the L-shaped home for maximum east-west sunshine and that killer lake landscape.

Credit: Roger Brooks

Basic Matters

March 1992

Simple materials like clay, plaster and wood allow the view to be the real star of the show in this Bowen Island home designed by Werner Forster.

Credit: Roger Brooks

Friendly Neighbour

June 1996

This modest West Vancouver cottage and separate studio designed by Harold Kalke,
Candace Lundy and Russell Hollingsworth was built instead of one massive home, to ensure the neighbours still got the ocean view they paid for.

Credit: Martin Tessler

That’s on God

May 2014

This McLeod Bovell€“designed West Vancouver home has floor-to-ceiling, ocean-facing windows well-suited for religious owners€”It's heaven on earth.

Credit: Janis Nicolay

Scouting Out

Summer 2020

Architect Fook Weng Chan camped on the grounds of this Salt Spring Island home before starting his design, and his mindfulness of the landscape shows.

To read about more great people, designs, homes and innovations that shaped Western Living, click here.

Alyssa Hirose

Alyssa Hirose

Alyssa Hirose is a Vancouver-based writer, editor, illustrator and comic artist. Her work has been featured in Vancouver magazine, Western Living, BCBusiness, Avenue, Serviette, Geist, BCLiving, Nuvo, Montecristo, The Georgia Straight and more. Her beats are food, travel, arts and culture, style, interior design and anything dog-related. She publishes a daily autobiographical comic on Instagram at @hialyssacomics.