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Designing the Modern House: Luxury Dream Cabin on the West Coast

Updated: Apr 17

Evolution of Residential Design

Have you ever dreamed of your own modern, mountainside cabin with a view to the ocean?


The process of luxury cabin design begins before anything is drawn as I explain in my article "Your Architect Needs To Do These FOUR Things Before Drawing ANYTHING", but inspiration is a powerful drug that can motivate you and help you establish what your direction will be - what you like. As a modern house architect, I can use advanced visualization software to explore a variety of ideas without spending much time on particulars.


The intent of this exercise is not to create a specific design; the conceptual images are not tied - nor necessarily well-suited - to any particular context illustrated. Some images may show some unresolved software artifacts, but each is a "loose sketch" of a sort to generate a look and feel.


Let's begin with a fairly conventional form. West Coast architecture has always used wood as a fundamental ingredient, expressed as cladding, structure, or both.

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

Let's try a flat roof instead, for a contemporary look.

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

Here is a large house with a not-overly complex form, perched near the shore.

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest


Perhaps we're considering a property that's less exposed - set back into the woods.

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

Pushing the concept of modernity, we can imagine flat-roof structures that have less of a traditional residential feel than houses with a sloped roof.

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

This concept uses concrete to echo the angular, hard edges of young mountains.

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

This modern house is a fairly efficient form.

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

Articulating the building form but combining it with vegetated roofs, we end up with something more akin to a rocky outcropping common to the foothills of a mountain range.

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest


Switching to a dense forest surrounding, I'm exploring some simple pitched-roof concepts that wrap the roof down the wall to provide shade.

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

conceptual rendering of a modern West Coast luxury cabin in a mountainside forest

Are you inspired to build your own dream cabin in the woods of British Columbia's West Coast (or anywhere else in the province, really)? Perhaps you're considering a net zero home to weather the extreme weather in Canada. Leverage the benefits of a modern house architect and book a free Diagnostic Session™ during which I can explain the first steps to take.


If you want to see a list of some real projects I've worked on in the past, please CLICK HERE to visit the portfolio page.



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