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.
-
Smoke Lake Cabin is an off-grid hideaway only accessible by boatThis Canadian cabin is a modular and de-mountable residence, designed by Anya Moryoussef Architect (AMA) and nestled within Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario
-
Ten contemporary homes that are pushing the boundaries of architectureA new book detailing 59 visually intriguing and technologically impressive contemporary houses shines a light on how architecture is evolving
-
Explore the Perry Estate, a lesser-known Arthur Erickson project in CanadaThe Perry estate – a residence and studio built for sculptor Frank Perry and often visited by his friend Bill Reid – is now on the market in North Vancouver
-
Explore a minimalist, non-religious ceremony space in the Baja California DesertSpiritual Enclosure, a minimalist, non-religious ceremony space designed by Ruben Valdez in Mexico's Baja California Desert, offers flexibility and calm
-
A new lakeshore cottage in Ontario is a spectacular retreat set beneath angled zinc roofsFamily Cottage by Vokac Taylor mixes spatial gymnastics with respect for its rocky, forested waterside site
-
We zoom in on Ontario Place, Toronto’s lake-defying 1971 modernist showpieceWe look back at Ontario Place, Toronto’s striking 1971 showpiece and modernist marvel with an uncertain future
-
This Canadian guest house is ‘silent but with more to say’El Aleph is a new Canadian guest house by MacKay-Lyons Sweatapple, designed for seclusion and connection with nature, and a Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025 winner
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: celebrating architectural projects that restore, rebalance and renewAs we welcome 2025, the Wallpaper* Architecture Awards look back, and to the future, on how our attitudes change; and celebrate how nature, wellbeing and sustainability take centre stage
