FUNNEL COVE HOUSE

Designed for a professional couple on a sheltered waterfront cove in a Garden-City suburban plan by John C. Olmstead, in the early 1900’s, the triangle-shaped lot offered dramatic ocean and mountain views to the north and a southern exposure to the street-side of the house. The challenge was to find a form and orientation to capture the remarkable vistas without compromising natural light or privacy from close flanking neighbours. A circular plan was devised that reconciled the geometry of the site creating widened side yards that appear wider through perspective distortion. An intersecting north-to-south skylight spine captures sunlight from the south and refracts it through the house and to the patio on the water side. Polished concrete floors extend to the exterior porch, patios and further connect the house with its spectacular setting. A subtle and serene character is achieved with the material palette of vertical, black-stained reverse-batten cedar cladding, stone and the rich landscape designed with Twyla Rusnak of Rusnak-Gallant Landscape Architects.

Photo Credits: Joshua Lawrence