Photo: Frances Backhouse

When Frauke and Dan Behune walked into the Zebra Design and Interior Group offices in 2001 to meet with Rus Collins, they had three things: a semi-wild five-acre piece of land, a floor plan sketched on a napkin during a ferry trip back from Vancouver, and the experience of having built five of their previous homes. What they lacked was a clear vision of how house number six would take shape. Although happy with their latest undertaking – an Arts and Crafts-inspired house on Gonzales Bay – they realized their recently acquired Bear Hill property called for a different style. After listening to the couple describe their vision for this new venture, Collins handed them an illustrated book about James Cutler, an award-winning architect from Bainbridge Island, Washington, whose influences include Frank Lloyd Wright and the “green design” movement. One look through its pages and the Behunes knew they’d found what they’d come for.

Collins, a long-time admirer of Cutler’s distinctive West Coast style, had been looking for an opportunity to try something similar and was delighted by his clients’ immediate enthusiasm. Part of what distinguishes Cutler’s designs, explains Collins, is his “back to basics” approach, which emphasizes the use of high-quality natural materials. This held great appeal for the Behunes, as did Cutler’s principle of uniquely integrating each building he conceives into the surrounding terrain and vegetation. “We wanted to work with the landscape and the trees,” says Dan, “and Rus nailed it perfectly.” Both the architect and the owners also embraced the uncomplicated elegance championed by Cutler. The end result is what Collins describes as a “very timeless” house. Its low profile, clean lines and celebration of the inherent beauty of stone and wood make this is a dwelling that complements, rather than competes with, the natural splendour that surrounds it.

The main entrance to the Behune residence is through a generously proportioned portico supported by heavy timber posts and beams. Fir-framed glass-panel doors flanked by floor-to-ceiling windows offer inviting views of the interior. Stepping inside, the eye registers light and spaciousness, and finally settles on a tall yellow-cedar totem pole backed by a broad stone chimney, which partially screens the living room and a sweeping panorama of landscaped garden and spring-fed pond, venerable Douglas firs, shining fragments of Elk Lake and the distant peaks of the Olympic Mountains. The two wings of the main floor extend out on either side of the chimney: the public domain (kitchen and dining area) to the right and the private sphere (Dan’s office and the master bedroom suite) to the left.

Access to the lower floor is just off the foyer via stairs that pass beneath the imposing visage of Thunderbird Moon. This monumental mask, like the totem pole, is the work of Derek Heaton, a Micmac carver whose artistic style has been strongly influenced by Haida and Kwakiutl traditions. Because the house is nestled into the slope of the hill, the downstairs living space has none of the feeling of a basement. Doors open to grade level and light pours through the windows of the three bedrooms – one each for the Behune’s two children, 16-year-old Sonia and 18-year-old Jonathan, and one for guests. The enclosed, windowless part of the lower level is ideal for both the wine cellar and the boiler room, from which the radiant in-floor heating system is run.

The stone chimney that stands at the heart of the house serves two fireplaces: an airtight in the rec room downstairs and a Rumford in the living room. The latter is a traditional design that was popular in the 1800s and is now undergoing a revival because it heats more efficiently and burns cleaner than modern versions. Rumford fireplaces have a tall, wide, shallow opening that seems guaranteed to smoke yet doesn’t. Their hidden genius is in the streamlined flue, which draws the smoke straight up while turning the heat back into the room. The Behune’s Rumford is so effective that they can easily keep the entire 4,200-square-foot house cozy in the event of a power failure.

One of the things Frauke likes best about the house is how well it functions, with an easy flow between inside and outside, and no underutilized rooms. These strengths are particularly evident in the spaces dedicated to the preparation and enjoyment of food. Instead of having a formal dining room, she and Dan opted for informal eating areas tied directly to the kitchen. A trio of wooden stools that tuck under the island in the centre of the kitchen are convenient when members of the family want a quick bite and for socializing while cooking. On the far side of the peninsula that delineates the open-plan kitchen, larger gatherings and more leisurely repasts are accommodated at a long refectory table, handcrafted from African hardwood by Gelinas Carr Furniture Makers. Sandra Carr and Joseph Gelinas also created several other pieces of furniture for the Behunes, including the living room coffee table and an exquisite bench that graces the foyer.

The wide patio that opens off the west end of the house is perfect for eating alfresco and for parties that overflow through the dining room doors. This outdoor room basks in the afternoon sun and can be warmed by its built-in fireplace on cool evenings. It is visually linked to the interior by the extension of the roof line to the outer corner of the patio, where the substantial beam that runs the length of the house is supported by a massive stone pillar. Exposed rafters above the patio allow views of the sky overhead.

Frauke took an active role in planning the kitchen layout, collaborating with Roy Sandsmark of Swiftsure Woodworkers, whom she says was fantastic to work with. They minimized opportunities for clutter by designing a separate walk-in pantry and eliminated potential traffic-flow problems by creating a dedicated beverage area with a bar sink and plenty of counter space and glassware storage. The kitchen’s pale maple cabinetry contrasts strikingly with the black limestone tile floor and Nero Impala granite countertops, and echoes the extensive use of maple elsewhere in the house for flooring and for the built-in furnishings in Dan’s office. The staircase to the lower level also features maple – great slabs of wood supported by a discrete metal framework.

Throughout the house, wood and stone share the spotlight and are enhanced by walls painted in gentle earthy tones. But nowhere is this natural partnership employed to better effect than in the master bathroom, where fir window frames pick up terracotta accents in the creamy Turkish limestone tile used for the floor and carried up and around the tub. The spacious walk-in shower, with its strategically placed corner windows overlooking the yard, is entirely finished in the same limestone tile. Birds-eye maple was selected for the vanity, which is topped with steel grey and white Aran granite.

The Behune’s Bear Hill house is their twelfth residence in 16 years, but it seems likely they’ll be staying put for a while. They have found the privacy and tranquility they had been searching for and matched it with a home that it is in harmony with its surroundings. “There’s nothing that doesn’t work,” says Frauke, “nothing we would change.”