Way Back WL: A Sunken Living Room Circa 1981

The Look: Sunken Living Room

Calgary architect Bill Boucock's homes graced many of our pages back in the late '70s and early '80s. (His Anderson House was recently registered as a historic residence in Alberta€”and it too appeared on our cover in 1976.) Many of his designs were rare examples of West Coast modernism in Calgary, with their use of wood and seamless integration with the landscape.

And here, in a home he designed for the Masters family, that sunken living room is very much of the moment (though I€™d genuinely love that sofa right now), but that riser-less staircase is still stunning in its simplicity. And the interior garden? Gorgeous. €œI consider my houses art forms,€ said Boucock, €œbut there'sno reason why they can€™t be economical and functional, too.€

Writer Spotlight: Anne Suche

The late Anne Suche was a longtime contributor to Western Living as our Alberta editor. She became an integral part of the design conversation in Alberta, and architect Jeremy Sturgess (who studied under Bill Boucock, this home's architect) recently praised her writing. €œAnne would often challenge my sometimes unfounded precepts,€ he said, €œand the consequent critical discussions helped shape the architect I became.€