RENOVATION

"The family are very close-knit with a lot of nostalgia for a cottage that their grandparents once owned. Things like cedar shakes, painted pine paneling, handmade bed quilts, and ceramic tiles reminiscent of quilt patterns bring those memories back. The clients' children are now young parents with contemporary taste and needs, so the design had to feel youthful," says Hope.

The home's sloping roofline sweeps upward from an enclosed courtyard. The character of the house changes as light hits the mix of materials—from rough stone to sleek black aluminum—throughout the day, giving it a sense of constant motion.

Although synthetic slate roof tiles have been around since the 1970s, the way architect Stephen Bruns used them to completely clad Woven House is unusual. "I love this material," says Bruns. "The way light reflects off the tiles creates a specular effect, almost like a mosaic." That reflective quality is enhanced by the floor-to-ceiling windows by Loewen.

Building the addition upward instead of outward allowed for more space and better views without excavating across the hilltop.

LED lighting playfully highlights the zig-zag form created where the timber stairs met the wall.

The corrugated metal roofing is a subtle reference to the many sheds found on farms in the local area.