When Vancouver-based designer Daria Sheina was presenting concepts for Sean Sikorski and Chadd Andre’s retreat on British Columbia’s remote Keats Island, she barely paused on a half-finished sketch of two playfully stacked and rotated cuboid volumes. It wasn’t developed enough, she thought. “But we were like, wait, wait, wait, what was that one?" says Chadd with a laugh.

Sheina’s throwaway doodle ultimately set the direction for Sean and Chadd’s home away from home on the island they had both known and loved for decades: an under-the-radar destination off the coast of British Columbia that’s only accessible by passenger ferry or private boat.

Sean (a dentist) and Chadd (an executive at a travel company) had both owned separate properties on the island, long before their friendship became something more. Sean later invested in a new lot with plans for building something together, when the two were “older men”—but along came Covid, which shifted both the real estate market and the couple’s priorities. After a quick sale for Chadd, the opportunity to create their perfect hideaway was upon them far sooner than anticipated.

Working with Sheina, they initially planned to build at a lower elevation they’d dubbed “the Bat Cave.” But the narrow, switchback-heavy access convinced them to aim higher. “We’re probably not going to do this more than once in our life, and there was a nicer building location up the top of that bluff,” Chadd recalls. “Maybe we’re crazy, but we thought, let’s just give it a shot.”

When Sheina flipped past that underdeveloped sketch of stacked, rotated volumes, something clicked. “It was the most playful of the images,” Sean explains. “It had this stacked appearance, like a built structure up in a tree.”

The remote location made prefabrication essential for the 1,063-square-foot design. “If it wasn’t prefab, that beautiful idea wouldn’t be possible,” Sheina explains. After spending months on virtual models to ensure every component was properly sized, all the pieces of the off-the-grid cabin were fabricated by BC Passive House and delivered by helicopter to the highest point on the 10-acre plot.

From there, the building structure came together in just two days. The cabin is made primarily of mass timber, which eliminated the need for structural steel. Western red cedar clads the exterior, while the open-concept interior is lined with cross-laminated timber panels that celebrate the beauty of the wood.

The three-level layout maximizes the compact footprint of the solar-powered, off-the-grid home: There’s the entry level with kitchen and living spaces (and an on-display bathtub), a middle-level lounge, and the top-floor bedroom with striking treetop views.

The green linoleum flooring was installed at Sean’s insistence—he wanted it to match the site’s moss carpet. It’s a playful, colorful touch that reflects the whimsy inherent in this topsy turvy treehouse-like cabin in the woods. (The gnome-shaped Kartell Atilla tables certainly add to the magic.) “I appreciate that it is still so playful,” says Sean. “Twelve-year-old Sean is so happy there, and that means so much.”

Though Sean and Chadd live separately in Vancouver—they’re neighbors in the city’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood—Keats Island affords the couple the chance to cohabitate with intention. “In the hustle and bustle of the city, it is really nice to have our own spaces,” Sean explains. But here, a world away from it all, it’s all about doing nothing, together.

A typical day starts with coffee and then whatever happens, happens. “That’s the beautiful thing up there: unplugging,” says Chadd. “It’s about not having a schedule, and just sort of going with the rhythm of the day a little bit. It’s a chill place.” Though that’s not to say that Keats Island is a place without any struggle or strife. “Every time I walk up the trail, I think, ‘are we fucking crazy?’"

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Project Credits:

Designer: Daria Sheina Studio / @dariasheina_studio

Prefabrication: BC Passive House Company / @bcpassivehouse

Structural Engineer: Equilibrium Consulting / @equilibrium.consulting.inc

Builder/General Contractor: Lincoln Construction / @buildwithlincoln

Energy Advisor: Shape Energy / @shape.energy

Windows and Doors: Innotech Windows and Doors / @innotechwindowsdoors

Wood Siding Supplier: Westcoast Wood Distribution / @westcoastwood.co

CLT Supplier: Mercer