Photos by Andrew Latreille (Latreille Architectural Photography)

As a born and raised West Coaster, Steven Cross of X Architecture has dedicated much of his architectural practice to waterfront designs. So, when his client of nine years approached him in 2019 to design a summer home on the shores of Cultus Lake, he was more than ready.

The vision was for a space that was both compact and had uninterrupted views of the water. And while its primary function would be a home where the clients could visit to unwind, there were strict easements and a neighbour’s view corridors to protect. X Architecture had to get creative in order to make the most of the property.

The result is a sculptural response to the land, with a floor that extends dramatically toward the water thanks to steel framing that achieves an ambitious 10-metre cantilever. The effect of the sharp lines is striking.“There’s a sense of wonder when you see a 10-metre cantilevered floor,” says Cross. “There’s a lot of engineering that we did to make that happen, I think very successfully.”

The home pushes structural limits with its bold lines and an exterior that’s sharp, dramatic and commanding. Yet inside, the space transforms. Alexis Callegari of Stae Interiors designed a serene counterpoint to the building’s bold architecture, with calm, neutral tones, gentle curves and soft light to offer a tranquil refuge. “It became this juxtaposition,” she says, “of big, bold, angular space being balanced with this soft, almost feminine interior.”

Natural materials and Canadian makers played an important role in creating this, with a custom dining table from Vancouver’s Lock & Mortice, stools by Atelier Arking, and Canadian-made hardwood flooring from Mirage. Callegari decided not to include decorative lighting in her interior to avoid visual clutter. Instead, light sources are hidden, either recessed, backlit or diffused. “We almost wanted people to wonder how a room was lit,” she says. Callegari contributes the success of this to contractor Mike Lobe’s,”keen spirit. ” She says, “[his] desire to push boundaries in construction were what brought our concepts to reality.”

Built during the uncertainty of the pandemic, the project demanded flexibility and creative thinking. But for the clients, who were largely hands-off during construction, the final product was worth it: a summer getaway that is bold in concept yet calm in spirit.

Photo by Andrew Latreille. With glass windows that wrap around the room and no doors to break the flow into the ensuite, the primary bedroom feels open at every turn. As the hardwood flooring flows from their sleeping area into their sitting area, then into their ensuite, “you have that nice warm feeling on your feet as you walk,” Callegari says.

 

Photo by Andrew Latreille. The custom order chairs from Ontario-based Atelier Arking and the custom cabinets built by Arts Custom Woodcrafting, a local supplier in Abbotsford, B.C., incorporated the design team’s intent to include Canadian workmanship wherever possible. “[We] loved the natural ash wood mixed with their leather weave,” Callegari says.
Photo by Andrew Latreille. At the time of designing the interiors, the lake was high tide and left driftwood and stumps on the sand, which became the inspiration behind the use of wood elements throughout the space. “Like a natural birch log, that’s drifted in the sand and sat there for 10 years,” Callegari says. The custom Lock & Mortice dining table is one of a kind, Callegari says, “the split in the table was designed to really draw the eye into the fireplace and define the dining room.”

 

Photo by Andrew Latreille. The slat wall under the skylight creates shadows across the wall, a playful conceptual design by Callegari. The framed surfboards from RH Teen are “a nod to life on the water,” Callegari says.

 

More photos

Photo by Andrew Latreille.
Photo by Andrew Latreille.
Photo by Andrew Latreille.
Photo by Andrew Latreille.

 

Anjini Snape

Anjini Snape

Anjini Snape is a Scottish writer in Vancouver who enjoys covering places where arts, design, culture, and community come alive. When not writing, she is practicing film photography or watching niche YouTube video essays.