Building a house next to a superhighway doesn’t sound good for your health, except when the route is the Cowichan River and the travellers are spawning salmon and bald eagles.
Howard and Ingrid Brounstein are watching the natural traffic from the contemporary home they built in 2013. They are convinced the setting of their retirement residence could even lower stress levels.
“You’re tranquilized when you are down here. Your whole disposition changes,” said Howard. “That’s the way I feel.”
It took years to finally arrive. Howard had fallen under the spell of the place decades earlier, and when the property came up for sale, he didn’t hesitate about leaving the Cowichan Valley home the couple had lived in for about 30 years. The appeal was the proximity to the estuary.
Then it took several years and some thoughtful planning before they arrived at the final design. Both had strong opinions about the space. Ingrid had grown up in a mid-century home in West Vancouver, and she wanted Arthur Erickson-inspired lines and unobstructed views. Howard, a Californian who had studied design, said he wanted a very low and unobtrusive structure like the flat-roofed Prairie style of Frank Lloyd Wright. And of course, he wanted to maximize those water views throughout the house.
The Brounsteins hired architect Sandra Moore of the Vancouver firm Birmingham and Wood to create the initial design. The couple was impressed with how attentive she was to their concerns and desires, consulting with each of them individually about their preferences and melding the results.
“Some architects are very ego-driven,” Howard said. “She was very sensitive to clients’ needs. We sat under a tree and talked.”
Outside, the house is neat and low profile, nestled in a stand of fir trees. Although the exterior proudly asserts its urban modernist design pedigree, the result is not at odds with the rural setting.
“We wanted the house to blend in with the environment,” said Ingrid. Blue-grey Hardiplank siding is visually broken up by stained cedar trim.
Inside, it’s a two-bedroom house with a grand sense of space that exalts in the estuary view and creates comfortable living nodes throughout. Ceiling heights range from eight feet in the smaller rooms to 12 feet in the main living area.
The house project coincided with Howard’s retirement, so he acted as general contractor, hiring Cowichan Valley builder Russ Bradshaw for the main construction and Ward Carruthers of Coastal Custom Renovations as the finishing carpenter, who also handled the extensive tile work. Dave Gillingham built all the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry.
To assist with colour decisions, Ingrid consulted with Wendy Wilson of Wilson Unique Interiors. Although the colour palette features cool blues and greys, the soaring ceilings and huge windows make the interior elegant rather than gloomy. The window trim is the same colour as the walls — rather than a traditional lighter tint — so that it doesn’t so much frame the view as invite you right into it.
The kitchen finishes make the room seem like it’s in motion, with everything pointing toward the water. The backsplash tile is a mix of grey glass punctuated by shards of aluminum that sparkle under the pot lights. The countertop is a laminate pattern with grey-toned seams and swirls that echo the hues of the river channels and mud flats right outside.
The generous dimensions of the fir-veneer cabinetry and ample fridge are in direct proportion to the generous culinary output. Ingrid is from a large family and likes to entertain. That’s why she had a specific wish list: lots of storage, including two pantries, and a two-level island that has an extra-low work space as well as a counter-height area. The hybrid professional-size stove has a propane cooktop and electric oven.
The house has a second island — at bar-height — to hold glassware and act as a graceful transition from work area to living area. The acres of counter space have made this choice ideal for numerous buffet dinners. It also keeps guests clustered away from the cook.
Another cabinet is a charming anachronism. “We’re so old that I insisted on having a [glass-front] stereo area,” said Howard. “But we use it every day. We have a lot of vinyl.”
The layout is in the shape of a “J,” with the guest bedroom and den in the back. As in many homes, the TV is banished from the living area to a cosy office space. The room features a grey sectional couch and a couple of brown leather club chairs each with an ottoman.
Because the Brounsteins plan to age gracefully in the house, they incorporated universal design features. “One of the key parts of the design was the consideration that this is where we are going to end up,” said Howard. “That meant it had to be low, with ease of access from the outside, and flat everywhere.”
As a result, the main bathroom has a “drive-in” shower. The doors, hallways and spaces between the kitchen islands are extra-wide.
There is no such thing as empty space, as painters and designers know. The Brounsteins’ three-car garage and workshop were built before the main residence. It wasn’t until the wide concrete walkways were poured and the main building erected that they realized the potential of the space framed by the two buildings.
By considering the spaces between, they had formed “a happy accident,” says Howard. “It’s very much like a European courtyard in that it’s a protected space from the wind and very warm.”
In the summer, flower baskets hang from the pergola and the thriving herb garden flanks the area, now a favourite spot to relax and smell the fragrance from the wild roses in the nearby hedgerow.
The landscaping continues the sleek uncluttered look of the house design while emphasizing native plants. Horizontal wood panels and large boulders frame the groupings of grasses, ferns, and other shrubs, chosen for their pleasing variety of leaf shapes rather than colour.
Along the property lines, they have purposely chosen more porous structures rather than barriers. For example, they added a meandering split-rail fence. “Your eye passes through them, but they also stop you at the road,” said Howard.
Along another boundary, Ingrid planted a fringe of cedar trees filled in with dogwood, fireweed and other native plants.
The estuary, teeming with life at this time of year, is a constant thrill for the Brounsteins, who received a bird watching scope and a rowboat as housewarming gifts.
Home maintenance includes the unusual task of removing the fish heads and skeletons that rain down on the roof and lawn from eagles feasting on salmon in nearby trees. But they don’t complain; they know a little yard work in this setting has to be good for their health.
