The former Stanton House was designed in 1964 by Barry Downs, an architect we deeply admire and take inspiration from. The house is a low-slung, two-storey structure designed to quietly embed itself in the neighbourhood fabric, while opening up to a terraced, thoughtfully landscaped rear yard surrounded by towering Douglas Fir trees and colourful Rhododendrons. The home is an experience in the textures and aroma of cedar, along with indoor/outdoor living straight out of midcentury West Coast Modernism.
Occupied by a young and growing family, who see themselves as stewards of the architecture, we have been tasked with reimagining the lower level of the home. Irreversibly damaged by recent flooding and markedly divergent in character from the meticulously detailed upper level, the project involves the creation of modernized spaces for work, leisure, recreation, and slumber, while merging with Barry Downs' idiom for the character and materiality of the upper floor. The design will also address select areas of the home's pièce de résistance, the primary living areas, with sensitive insertions to modernize the space for contemporary living and enhance functionality, along with rethinking areas of the landscape for expanded outdoor living.
Photography by Gergo Farkas | GF Visuals