Chester House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects lies nestled in wooded land outside its namesake oceanside village in Nova Scotia. This Canadian country home, created for a client currently living in Seattle, USA, was designed as an exercise in simplicity. ‘[I would like] a straightforward home that feels good,' the client explained during their brief – and the team, led by respected architect Brian MacKay-Lyons, obliged, composing a residence embracing minimalist architecture that feels modest and functional, but also packs quite a punch in architectural artistry.
Chester House: a minimalist Canadian country home
The home's minimalist form echoes the archetypal outline of a house. It features a cedar platform – a porch that doubles as an elegant outdoor room for the owner.
The gable-roofed building also includes external cladding made of two-inch matchbook cedar shiplap. ‘[This is] a construction technique used for centuries to build Nova Scotian boats, also applied to vernacular housing,' the architects explain.
The exterior's minimalist approach continues inside. The design is simple yet sophisticated, uses a handful of materials (namely timber and concrete) but also expresses a richness in spatial quality accentuated by carefully calculated double-height spaces and strategic openings.
This orchestration of light and volume offers a spectacular generosity of space in the interior, which spans four levels, but is mostly composed of a couple of tall communal rooms and some more intimate, private areas.
A neutral colour palette, clean surfaces and sparse furnishings direct the eye to the long-framed views of nature outside. 'Clare [the client] enjoys watching the light and shadows sweep across the monochromatic surfaces. Nature pervades through large windows, creating a dialogue between landscape and form that invites calm and contemplation,' the architects conclude.
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