A Nova Scotia holiday home by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple draws on its context
Smith House, a complex of three Corten steel and stone pavilions in Nova Scotia, is a private retreat inspired by its locale's nature and history, courtesy of MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
Not far from the water, among the green nature of Nova Scotia, sits a little cluster of Corten steel gabled roofs. Composed like a minimalist village, or a rural farming complex, made of stark lines and simple materials, this is the work of Canadian architecture practice MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple; and it is in fact, a private vacation home.
This family retreat – Smith House – sits right on the edge of Shobac – Brian MacKay-Lyons' own farm compound on the Atlantic coast, a project the architect has been developing and growing over the course of years. This new house follows a similar approach, comprising three volumes, which feature a simple, almost archetypal house outline.
The cluster is situated within a two-acre plot – a spot historically hosting an old fishing village. The architects' design draws on this history, blending the land and the new design into an arrangement of small buildings, courtyards and paths.
The structures' shapes echo the region's vernacular buildings, yet they are made entirely out of modern materials and contemporary technology and fittings. A stone plinth made of local granite grounds the complex and links it intrinsically to its surrounds.
Inside, the ‘pavilions' hold different uses. One contains the master bedroom, with its walk-in wardrobe and en-suite bathroom, the second houses a small studio space, and the third (the largest) was designed with the social aspect in mind, including living room, kitchen and a generous dinning area.
‘At a time when so much of our world is in flux, this is a project that is about timeless archetypes, rather than novelty or fashion,' say the architects. ‘It is less about itself than it is about the landscape cultivated around it'.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
A new book highlights the work of Turkish interior designer Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu
‘Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu: Luxury Redefined’, published by Rizzoli, traces the career of leading Istanbul-based designer Zeynep Fadillioglu, the first woman to design a mosque in Turkey
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
London gallery Incubator’s six emerging artists to see in spring 2024
Incubator's spring programme features six artists in consecutive two-week solo shows at the London, Chiltern Street gallery
By Mary Cleary Published
-
Blue Copper Loft is a Dubai sanctuary for a modern nomad
Blue Copper Loft designed by Anarchitect in the heart of Dubai is a peaceful, yet luxurious sanctuary for a modern nomad
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Downs House II inspires West Coast Modern campaign in Vancouver
Downs House II, currently on the market in Vancouver, inspires a West Coast Modern campaign to save the modernist landmark
By Hadani Ditmars Published
-
Toronto’s Rolex boutique wows with dynamic façade
This Rolex boutique in Toronto features a dynamic, wavy façade in CNC-cut limestone created by local architecture studio Partisans
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Promenade Samuel-de Champlain is a riverside boulevard championing urban green
Promenade Samuel-de Champlain in Quebec gives the city’s river back to its community, transforming a previously neglected urban space
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Chez Léon is a contemporary Canadian retreat in the Quebec countryside
This Canadian retreat, an elegant update of the classic cabin in the woods, is part ski lodge, part tree house, combining traditional materials and stunning views with a light footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
House in High Park is a Toronto home to be discovered slowly
House in High Park by Ian MacDonald Architect is a new-build home in Toronto that takes a problematic plot and transforms it into an exhilarating, contemporary residence
By Ellen Himelfarb Published
-
This Québec school evokes a calming atmosphere in tune with nature
This redesigned Québec school inspires a new paradigm in its architecture genre by creating a welcoming, home-like and nature-inspired environment
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Canvas House’s wavy brick façade stands out in its suburban Toronto context
Canvas House by Partisans brings a wavy brick façade to its sleepy Toronto suburban neighbourhood
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Discover Dyde House, a lesser known Arthur Erickson gem
Dyde House by modernist architect Arthur Erickson is celebrated in a new film, premiered in Canada
By Hadani Ditmars Published