This fir-laden Whistler guest house feels like an extension of the forest

This custom Whistler guesthouse recedes into the mountain landscape, thanks to clever choices in form and materials. A fir-lined cantilevered bay window adds a reading nook to a compact living room, framing views into the forest. Photo by Janis Nicolay

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Once a woodworker, always a woodworker. Marc Bricault may be an accomplished interior and architectural designer, but he started out as an artisan, and his work is still grounded in timber.

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For a custom guest house in Whistler, he layered Douglas fir inside and out.

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“We used fir because I really like the warmth of it and how it ages, and it’s a Pacific Northwest material,” says Bricault, who began his career as owner of Granville Island Woodworks and is now principal of Vancouver’s Bricault Design. “A lot of time spent up here is going to be in the winter. We just really wanted it to feel like a warm little cabin where, after a day outside on the slopes, you come and just feel cosy.”

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When the homeowner, a longtime client, asked Bricault to add a guest house to her Whistler property, she wanted it to feel connected to the main house without blocking views. He and his team dovetailed the 1,268-square-foot structure into the landscape so deftly that it’s nearly camouflaged among conifers and shrubs.

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Black slate shakes give the exterior the feel of a rock formation, while angled upper walls keep views from the main house open. Copper downpipes and fascia will darken over time as they weather. Photo by Janis Nicolay

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Covered walkways, needed for winter snow, blend into the landscape courtesy of green roofs matching yard vegetation. Custom-milled edge-grain fir slats add warmth under canopies and overhangs, while textured, rust-coloured porcelain tiles run underfoot from the outdoor surfaces to the inside main floor. Photo by Janis Nicolay

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A compact mudroom pairs a built-in fir bench with full-height storage for coats and boots. Edge-grain Douglas fir continues in from exterior soffits, while green ceramic tile by Heath Ceramics, copper-plated hardware and a corner window overlooking a fern-planted rock face carry colours and materials from outside into the entry. Photo by Janis Nicolay

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He had a small section of rock blasted away so the narrow, two-storey structure could notch into the cliffside on one side of the property. The placement also preserves wildlife corridors used by local bears.

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Angling upper walls away from the main home’s view lines, he extended the landscape over a series of walkways with tiered green roofs.

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“I kind of grabbed the backyard and pulled it on top of the carport,” says Bricault. “We terraced along the way to have a really generously protected walkway from the carport to the little house, because of Whistler snow loads and so that you aren’t shovelling your walk every time you go to the guest house.”

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Landscaping softens the rest of the edges. Working with High Country Landscape, Bricault used hardy, low-maintenance vegetation on the green roofs, then added trees to frame specific views: a paperbark maple outside the dining room, a red-leafed Japanese maple at the end of a walkway. A raised mound planted with perennials screens a neighbouring property.

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A fireplace in textured tile (MADE Chinois from Ann Sacks) sits alongside a custom rail system (fabricated by Metal Mart) that supports a floating arbutus wood staircase. The metal rods rise to the second floor, becoming a guardrail upstairs. Photo by Janis Nicolay

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A fir-lined cantilevered bay window adds a reading nook to a compact living room, framing views into the forest. Photo by Janis Nicolay

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Material choices help the structure blend in further. Black slate shakes give the exterior a “toothlike” form, “like a big rock,” says Bricault, reminiscent of Black Tusk, the jagged volcanic peak in nearby Garibaldi Provincial Park. Copper downpipes and fascia, still bright in places, will darken as they weather.

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Under canopies and soffits, edge-grain fir adds warmth, running inside and onto interior walls and ceilings. Bricault’s woodworking roots show here and throughout the home, especially where cabinetry does more than one job — storage, room divider, design feature — and custom pieces blur the line between built-ins and furniture.

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Take the entry, where a compact mud room turns the space into a functional landing spot. Fir millwork provides storage while creating separation from the dining area, and a built-in bench flows into open shelving.

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A corner window looks toward a cliff face laced with green foliage. “We planted that whole back area with ferns, so it’s kind of a nice spot to sit and take off your boots,” says Bricault. The team also widened natural fissures in the rock to plant moss, he adds: “It’s starting to populate the side of that cliff because it’s in shade a lot of the time. It’s quite lovely when it’s wet.”