Article by Adrienne Dyer. Photos by Jacob McNeil.
Perched on the edge of the Bear Mountain golf course, this executive home designed by Mike Dunsmuir of Step One Design achieves an elegant blend of modern style elements with traditional Arts and Crafts charm. “The owners wanted a large, L-shaped home with a courtyard feel to the front entrance,” says Dunsmuir, who situated the home so that the corner garage and front entrance present the best visual impact upon approach up the hill to the house.
With an emphasis on symmetry and balance, the home’s stepped-out gabled ends and metal accent roofing over the windows provide an interesting and sophisticated contrast to the modern curved roof over the pivot door. The garage roofline also hides the staircase entry to the one-bedroom suite above, while frosted glass garage doors add a visual complement to the natural elements of shingles and elaborate stonework.
“The courtyard entrance took up much of the lot, which meant the building envelope was a tight fit,” says Dunsmuir, who carefully worked the interior floor plan to include 5,500-square-feet of living space to suit the lifestyle of the homeowners, a young professional couple who love to entertain.
“The interior of the house is much more modern,” says Dunsmuir, who designed a separate master suite on the upper floor that connects to two additional bedrooms via a bridge across the open great room below.
The great room and kitchen/dining areas open onto a sundeck overlooking the golf course, with beautiful views of mountain and forest.
Downstairs, a home theatre and recreation room open onto a covered patio, with two guest bedrooms, a bathroom and a storage room to complete the lower floor. Along with the separate suite above the garage, the layout is a masterful use of space that achieves everything the homeowners wanted: flow, openness and sweeping views housed within a traditional exterior with a modern twist, placed on the lot in a way that creates a powerful first impression.
