MAJESTIC TUSCAN DREAM VILLA MAKES WAVES ON MAYNE ISLAND Marrying the finest in traditional European character with modern panache, this stunning 2,600 square foot Mediterranean inspired vacation home by Peter Rose Architecture + Interiors Inc. is located on Mayne Island, along the West Coast of Canada. The stunning luxury vacation home is a dream come true for clients who longed to capture the beauty of the Tuscan region in their waterfront island property. The Mayne Island Tuscan Villa is a grand celebration of the old and new. The house incorporates various qualities of Tuscan architecture including massing, materiality and movement often found in Mediterranean homes, yet embodies some modern details to create the setting for a perfect Mediterranean Island Retreat. Peter Rose Architecture + Interiors Inc. worked closely with Mayne Island based builder R.W. Dean Enterprises Ltd, Kettle River Timberworks and envelope consultant QAI Laboratories, to ensure high quality craftsmanship and the support of a team that was experienced not only with the island’s landscape but also the maritime conditions of the Coastal BC Climate. To achieve the distinctive traditional character for the exterior and interior walls, a beautiful Cypress Ridge quality stone from Eldorado Stone was carefully selected. The color ‘Orchard’ was chosen as it resonated best with the colors on site. Vancouver Island Masonry provided talented masons with a keen understanding of the material due to their previous experience in installation of this type of stone cladding. Several site mockups were created to evaluate the final look of the stone before deciding on these choices, including reviewing a variety of stone types and joint options. Much research also went into developing authentic wall penetrations (especially windows and doors) capable of simulating thick masonry wall construction inherent to typical Tuscan construction. Perched on a steep slope overlooking the ocean, the elements of discovery and journey provide a poetic narrative to this elegant property. Entering the property is like stepping into a different era – upon arrival at the entry tower, the elegant stone colonnade leads you up to a charming inner courtyard, where you find yourself in the heart of a cluster of stone clad buildings. This cloistered garden embodies the internal focus of the house and is formed on three sides by buildings; with the fourth side centred by a decorative Italian fountain built into the earth. Objects like the fountain are strategically placed in the environment as found objects to be discovered. Each of these objects serves to inform the particular portion of the path through the landscape. They reveal themselves as pieces that are part of a greater narrative beyond. Each piece has its own history and evokes its own story in the tradition of the folly garden. The cloistered garden, in itself, becomes an allegorical representation of the potential of the mind and the human imagination. The various buildings around the inner garden courtyard form the main structure of the villa, including a private bedroom area, garage, and main living area. A series of elegant French doors open from the garden to the rooms within, allowing the inside and outdoor to magically dissolve in the warm summer months. Trees within the garden form a canopy that protects against the strong summer sun and reinforce the room like quality of the cloistered garden. As you travel around the garden you are met with a very large 5' door that indicates the significant threshold between two worlds. The slightly skewed sleeping unit reveals itself on the other side of the door as a framing device. Enter the main building, and you step into the grand open concept living area, where exposed timber beams combined with vast picture windows showcasing eye-opening ocean views add space and luxury to the open concept living area. Floor to ceiling sliders open out onto a majestic cantilevered ‘Sky Altar’ deck that overhangs onto the water. Unlike the cerebral compressed internal world of the cloister garden, the outer deck reveals breathtaking cliff, ocean and vista views. The final climax occurs as the skewed path leads you out over the cliff and holds you out into the strait with the encompassing 180 degree panorama. As a counterpoint to the other garden that looks inward, this juxtaposition celebrates the outward sublimity of nature and evokes an inevitable awe of this fantastic site. Eldorado Stone Profile Featured: Orchard Cypress Ridge