Ryan Hoyt Designs a Modern Day Lighthouse

This oceanside home blends industrial and farmhouse styles to redefine coastal living.

BY DANIELLE POPE | PHOTOS BY TONY COLANGELO

On a wooded peninsula in Saanich, a country road runs down a hill, away from the area’s busy streets. Further down this secluded drive, there is a remote bridge few get the chance to cross. The gentle clunk of car tires over its slats is the sound of homecoming for the property’s residents. Arriving at the house offers a breathtaking vista over the water from the land’s end.

Designer Ryan Hoyt of Ryan Hoyt Designs calls this home The Lighthouse. Perched on one of the most easterly points of Vancouver Island, and with 280-degree views of the Strait of Georgia, this modern-industrial farmhouse stands like a beacon amid rock and sea. The project demanded creative ingenuity to work around serious environmental considerations and an amalgamation of styles. The result is as spectacular as the scenery itself.

This stately house faces the West Coast weather with Hardie board fibre-cement siding in a vertical board-and-batten style. Horizontal yellow cedar planks act as a modern accent, having been treated for low maintenance, long-term aging to create a natural patina. The standing seam metal roof, in Weathered Zinc by Top Line Roofing, offers a resilience to sea salt and wind.

“We wanted this project to capture the magnificent space the home sits on,” says Hoyt. “It’s an experience just to be on the property, and, with that kind of nature on your doorstep, you want it at the foreground.”

Working with the Land

The one-acre lot was created in an L-shape and, due to protections surrounding the rock, the house had to be built below its jagged edge. Hoyt sculpted the home in a way that fit in with the environment, which involved building the 6,100-square-foot house entirely above ground and vaulting both levels.

The guest bathroom offers an impressively private view of the ocean to complement a full walk-in window shower. The simplicity of a seamless, heated concrete floor, clean lines and black-framed windows pair with the round, oil-rubbed bronze mirror by Rejuvenation to turn this room into a coastal spa.

“This project was a really good example of working with the land and honouring what features were already there, as opposed to trying to make it into something it wasn’t,” says Hoyt. “We had to be as intentional as possible with the space.”

Despite the prominence of land in this project, the home itself exudes modern grandeur. With exquisite interior details, floor-to-ceiling windows and doors, a custom wine room and a 28-foot wood-burning fireplace, this four bedroom, three-and-a-half bath “farmhouse” is a new take on old shape lines.

“This project was a really good example of working with the land and honouring what features were already there …”

When the homeowners first saw the site, they knew this was the place where they would build their dreams. However, with teenage children, a dog and competing design styles, coming to a consensus was an evolution. Mari O’Meara, principal designer with Mari Kushino Designs, helped the family find the balance between their desires and needs.

The modern black steel staircase may look clean and simple, but this structure was created by sandblasting 4,000 pounds of crushed glass over exposed steel, then quickly hand-painting Black Magic Patina by Sculpt Nouveau (traditionally used as an artist’s oil compound) over the base before it could rust. The steps, rails and beams were then finished with a clear lacquer.

“He really liked the industrial-modern look, and she loved a more natural, cozy farmhouse style. Fusing those together and making sure we had a bit of both throughout the house was really important,” says O’Meara. “The result is quite unique.”

The “farmhouse” windows in this home have black powder-coated aluminum frames, creating a modern showcase for the surrounding oceanic scenery. The master bed features a fully automated built-in TV lift, made by Jason Good Custom Cabinets, that can be raised or lowered through one of smart home’s apps.

Modern Meets Rustic

In order to bridge the two styles, the home contains glazed black steel and modern finishings throughout the house, from glass and chrome to concrete. The lines are clean, and décor is simple. However, it also has homey elements, from the Moroccan tile backsplash above the stove to the antique brass hardware, custom distressed wide-plank hardwood floors and a statement farm-green laundry area.

This kitchen showcases subtle adornment amid its dark modern cabinetry. The cupboard pulls are one-of-a-kind, hand-forged brass (purchased on Etsy). The stove’s accent backsplash is handmade Moroccan mosaic cement tile, sourced by the homeowner, and the antique brass Easton Gooseneck faucet on the island was specially purchased from the U.K. Haleigh glass dome pendants by Rejuvenation add simple elegance.

The home also has practical elements, like an oversized kitchen with twin islands for a family that loves to cook, resilient porcelain countertops and durable floors that will withstand traffic. A wind-protected outdoor barbecue area is perfect for entertaining, and the master bedroom is made for mini “getaways,” with a full view of the water and a pop-up TV at the foot of the bed. The house is also a smart home, with everything from light and temperature to an intercom system, controllable through the family’s smartphones.

A Grand Scale

The home’s oversized features fit well within the grand space. The fireplace takes special prominence, and for a good reason — this element was brought in after the design was complete, meaning builders had to pour the concrete hearth through a hole in the roof, amid valuable finished elements. With hidden log storage, it’s as practical as it is impressive.

*The laundry room offers its own farmhouse touch, painted in Webster Green by Benjamin Moore, with handmade Moroccan mosaic cement tile flooring.*

“It’s incredible to work on a project of this scale and watch it come together. Some phases can pose a real challenge because working with steel and concrete requires a lot of predetermination,” says Josh McCulloch, finishing foreman with Falcon Heights Contracting. “Some modern homes appear simple, but it’s hard to pull off a house that looks seamless and beautiful, and it was a huge win to see this one turn out the way it did.”

RESOURCES

DESIGNER: Ryan Hoyt Designs
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AND FINISHING CARPENTRY: Falcon Heights Contracting
ENGINEERS: Skyline Engineering
CUSTOM, KITCHEN AND BATHROOM MILLWORK: Thetis Cove Joinery
HARDWOOD FLOORS: Wide Plank Hardwood [Chilliwack, B.C.]
COUNTERTOPS: Stone Age Marble & Granite
LANDSCAPE AND PAVING: Integral Design + Build
TILE Island Floor Centre
DOORS AND HARDWARE: Complete Windows [exterior]; Slegg Door Shop [interior painted]; Jim Barker, Barker Manufacturing [interior barn doors]
WINDOWS: Complete Windows
GLASS: Royal Oak Glass
ROOFING: Top Line Roofing
PLUMBER: Arnold’s Plumbing
ELECTRICIAN: Colin Lee, CL Electrical Installation
DRYWALL: Adrian Lise Drywall
PAINTING: Amira’s Painting