Click on any of the photos below to view a larger version.

Here, a photo taken from Western Living magazine shows the front of the garden room against part of its envrionment.

The image above shows the exterior of the garden room with a warm fireplace and mantle inviting guests into its warmth.

The image above is a closer view of the garden room's fireplace and mantle.

Artwood Design designed and built this Arts and Crafts garden room featured in the October 2004 issue of Western Living magazine. The gazebo won first prize in the magazine's "small home" category in its home design competition. What follows is the text of an e-mailed question and answer about the garden room.

Jacquie asks: I wonder if you could speak a little more about working on small spaces in particular; you mentioned that you prefer that to designing/building huge homes, understandably, but I’d like to know more about why that’s the case for you, and what it was like in particular to work on the “gazebo.” (Would you even call it that? I noticed that Lisa did.)

Bill: Ok, what is it about working on small spaces? – I think there is something that is uniquely appealing about building a little house in a garden, or in the mountains, or anywhere for that matter. You get to revisit your childhood and draw your first doghouse. Even with due consideration to functional planning, light, architectural components, shapes and building materials, etc. it should still come off as a pleasing aesthetic, if not whimsical, result. A small structure has a greater opportunity to be blended with the natural environment that surrounds it and an obligation for that matter, to compliment the site rather than dominate it.

[Would I call it a “gazebo”?]

I am a bit reluctant to use the term “gazebo” only because that term conjures up images of more temporary and light weight garden “ornament” – nothing wrong with that. However, it was important that our “garden house” convey a feeling of structure and permanence – a kind of instant timelessness (can I say that?) We wanted a building that would seem to draw people to it and beckon them inside, a strong well crafted little fortress that would offer the warmth of a crackling fire and protection from a driving rain in winter. At the same time there is an obvious connection to the “outdoors” – you feel more like you are part of nature as there are no walls.

It should feel like it has been there forever and will endure for generations.

[What was it like in particular to work on the gazebo?]

This project was a complete joy to work on. As Rick and Lisa were so enthusiastic and open minded from the outset, the ideas for “our little house in the garden” began to flow freely. There was always a good vibe on this job site and the project seemed to gather momentum as it moved toward completion.

Because I know the owners personally and have an understanding of their family activities and very active lifestyle it became clear that the garden house had the potential to be greatly used by family and shared with their many friends. If done right, this small “refuge” would be used almost daily in a bunch of different ways. The success of any architectural design is at the end of the day, determined by those who have to use it, and those who have to look at it.

We are fortunate to have some incredibly talented people in our shop who not only built all the architectural components but also contributed to many of the design ideas – in particular our shop manager, Michael Keglowitsch. This project was a good example of how a small team with different skills to contribute can really get into a project and get something done that can be called “special”.

Jackie asks: 2. As well, have you noticed a revival with Arts and Crafts homes on the Island? And/or in the lodges you’ve worked with? Why do you think this is happening now? (I read in your entry letter that you said “once you’ve invested some thought into what this genre stood for, you’re hooked.”) What else informs your choices for design and building? What style of design are you passionate about?

Bill: The world has been a troubling place in recent years – chaotic, tragic and uncertain. I think as humans we try to comprehend what is happening and make our own conclusions about what is important and what is meaningless. There is an integrity that is inherent in the Arts & Crafts movement - maybe that is why it has emerged from a period of dormancy to once again be appreciated for what it is. It is an architectural style that is free of superficial ornaments and decoration. It is driven by a purposeful design vernacular that lets our extraordinary natural materials stand on their own merit, artistically placed, exquisitely crafted.

I think the revival of appreciation for the Arts & Crafts home is a result of our recognition that simpler can be more beautiful, a building should be born of its natural environment and that somehow a great Arts & Crafts house says “welcome home” better than most.

[What else informs your choices for design and building? What style of design are you passionate about}

Ok take a site – doesn’t matter where. There will always be a wealth of visual information that it will speak back to you – sometimes instantly, often over time. Examples of this will be shapes formed by the natural landscape elements, foliage, terrain and so on. Then there will be colours, textures natural lighting effects, seasonal dynamics and everything else that the ground hog sees who lives there. Now, take all this knowledge to heart, and do the best you can with a human hand to draw something that in a sensitive way will “belong” to the site.

Now, set out on a quest for the most important result which is to connect the functional spaces within the house to the environment that surrounds it. I am passionate about the concept of articulating the beauty of the natural site in a seamless way with the organization of space and living environment of its inhabitants. It is really exciting to attempt the aesthetic portion of this result using non-literal, think-outside-the box ideas. – I call it “Architectural Impressionism” – my personal twist, perhaps, using the influences of Frank Lloyd Wright.

[Jacquie, I have mentioned our 10,000 sq. ft. project (the Knott House) which has indeed been a fantastic opportunity to explore some of these concepts – although big , it really is the sum total of some very small intimate spaces which like in a piece of jazz music are variations on a theme. These smaller spaces each with their own practical fulfillment of the owner’s needs provide a wonderful dynamic to the larger more dramatic spaces that open up to the sea.]

I refer to the Knott house because as I think about your question,

“What style of design are you passionate about”, I have to recall what has inspired much of the work on that project and there are many similarities between it and the Garden House at Lisa & Rick’s.

Although it is modern, sometimes minimal home, it is mindful of the Arts & Crafts objective at every turn – it also has been strongly influenced by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Frank Lloyd Wright awakened mankind to the concept of “organic architecture” and was clearly inspired by the Arts & Crafts movement. His concept of the “exploding house” where planes seem to be detached from one another draws our attention to the individual components of a structure with dramatic visual results.

In our garden house, for example, the roof planes in the gables are lifted up off the roof rafters using carefully detailed wooden perlins – the bones of the structure are part of the visible design. It becomes more of a punctuation of spaces and voids rather than filling them. There is clear evidence of the skeletal structure – what results is a wonderful architectural rhythm.

Having spent 12 memorable years in Lake Louise, Alberta I had the privilege of working in many of the great hotels and lodges in Banff National Park. (Post Hotel, Lake Louise Station, Chateau Lake Louise, Banff Springs Hotel, Lake O’hara Lodge, Buffalo Mountain Lodge, Moraine LakeLodge) – I have come to realize that when you spend that much time in the mountains, you never really leave.

During my time there I became aware of what sensitive design must achieve as part of an extraordinary landscape. My awareness of the importance of this relationship began there.

Jacquie says: 3. Are you pleased with the way you see Lisa and Rick and their kids using the space? Is it what you had in mind?

Bill says: I am very pleased to see the space being used the way it is. I think the fact that it is not a room within the main house but rather separated (if only by 50 ft. or so) makes it seem like “the special place to go” – as Pooh Bear would say, “a thoughtful spot”.

In a similar project we completed a few years ago, there was no electricity at all in the structure – consequently, lighting was from candles or oil lamps and the only audible sounds were the crackling fire, conversation and the fairly regular clinking of wine glasses. – it had enormous appeal. However, I think the inclusion of technical devices (TV, sound system & lighting) works very well in Lisa & Rick’s gazebo because it is available but invisible. The space can be used for a wider range of family activities and will hence be used more often.

Jackie says: 4. Was it significant that you knew the inside of the Baumeler house when coming up with the design for the garden house? Did the way they live inside inform your plans?

Bill says: Even though the main house will undergo a major renovation, I felt that the view of the garden house from the core of the main house would remain. Therefore, the visual link between the spaces is very important. The garden house and the garden itself would always be a focal element – as you look at it from the main house it does in fact seem to beckon, “what’s the hold up, get out here!” (Reminds me of the tale about the guy who owns the island but never visits it – just the fact that its there is great psychological therapy for him)

As I mentioned, the Baumeler household is a very busy place just like our house – kids activities, school stuff, community involvement social calendars. To some extent, the garden house is an oasis from all that and it does perhaps offer a more orderly alternative.

An example of how this is achieved from a design point of view is the use of symmetry. The entrance gable, benches left and right and 2 precisely crafted newel posts mirror each other. Whether you know it or not, your sub conscience is telling you that there is a peaceful place inside – “come on in and sit by the fire.“

The image above shows bookcases and stereo shelves and sliding drawers built into existing Arts and Crafts turn-of-the-century millwork.

 

Click on the image above to view a larger version.

We're very pleased to know our clients are satisfied with our work. We're much more than pleased when one of our clients likes our work so much they write an article about it. That's what happened when we were asked to design a set of bookshelves to compliment existing millwork in a 1911 Arts and Crafts home.

Although the job consisted of only bookshelves on two walls with stereo shelves and sliding drawers in the corner of a small room, the client wrote an article for Style 1900 Magazine about their home and our work. Here's an excerpt from the article:

"The bookshelves came and we knew what Bill meant. We had given Bill license to design the shelves as he saw fit and it was the best decision of our renovation. The bookshelves I had once wanted painted became the wonderful furniture in the photographs.

The bookshelves did more than photos or books could ever do. From his notes, drawings, and strolls through our home, Bill had brought our home to the surface. From under the layers of paint, where it had been sleeping for 50 years or more, he revealed the sleeping spirit of our home. We had seen photographs of Arts and Crafts and heard about it by now but there it was in front of us."

We don't guarantee you'll want to write an article about our work like this client did but we do believe you'll be satisfied when we're done.