Architect Laura Killam Designs the Writer’s Retreat We All Dream Of—On a Remote Canadian Island

On the slow journey to a remote, secluded island off the coast of British Columbia—whether by floatplane or small boat—you can already feel the frantic rhythm of city life begin to fade. The constant hum of the engine becomes a meditative mantra, allowing you to slow down and let go. The walk along the beach from shore to cabin, with rolled-up pants and sand between your toes, is a sensory reminder to be fully present in this place. 

Un escritor me encargó la creación de un retiro tranquilo y creativo a partir A writer commissioned me to design a quiet, creative retreat from an existing family holiday home now shared by several generations. The original cabin was too uncomfortable for solo stays in the off-season, so the writer envisioned a cozy, turnkey refuge for deep, focused creative sessions, far from the distractions of urban life.

The cabin sits at the base of a wooded hill, on the edge of a meadow laced with grass and a winter wetland that hosts migratory birds. A forest of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and bigleaf maple borders the meadow. The site rises southwest from the cabin to a grove of ancient western red cedars, their twisted silver trunks shaped by fierce southeast winter storms. The site is oriented mainly to the east, bathing the cabin in morning sun while leaving it in afternoon shade.

The Writer’s Retreat was placed higher on the hill to capture the light of the late afternoon and evening as it filters through the forest and into the cabin. The shelter looks out onto the weather-worn cedar grove and the Salish Sea. Its diagonally pitched roof nods to the gabled form of the original cabin, sloping down toward the southeast to brace against storms, and rising to the northwest to allow tall glazing that catches the radiant light of late summer.

The 65 m² floor plan is divided into two offset volumes that separate the public and private areas, creating a sheltered entry deck at the front and a secluded private deck at the back. The front volume contains the social and writing space, opening onto a large, partially covered terrace designed for storm-watching and midday shade, gently stepping down with the terrain.

Arriving from the beach below, one can also enter directly into the outdoor shower and transition into the bathroom. Since the writer enjoys long afternoon baths, the bathroom was placed in a niche with a window to catch the warming rays of late summer. The bedroom opens onto a private terrace facing the forest, filled with birdsong, offering a space for restful solitude in the afternoon.

The Retreat’s exterior is clad in grey-stained cedar board-and-batten siding and topped with a cedar shake roof that visually connects it to the rest of the compound.

Inside, the dramatic roof structure is on full display, with a bold diagonal Douglas fir ridge beam and rafters fanning out like the veins of a leaf. The interior walls are clad in light western red cedar, while the windows and floors are in Douglas fir, creating a warm, enveloping haven.

Dark smoked soapstone countertops and pebble flooring in the kitchen complete the palette of natural materials, subtly echoing the nearby beach. Custom light cedar millwork throughout the Retreat provides flexible, boat-like storage to keep clutter out of sight and the mind clear.

Project: El retiro del escritor.
Architecture & Interior Design: Laura Killam Architecture. @laurakillamarchitecture.
Area: 65 m2
Photography: Andrew Latreille, @latreillephotography
Structural Engineering: Miskimmin Structural Engineering. @miskimmineng
Construction: Trygve Ellingsen de Rising Sun Custom Homes, Cortes Island, BC
Millwork: por Genoa Coty de Desolation Sound Millwork.
Location: Una pequeña isla en Desolation Sound, Columbia Británica (Canadá).
Text: Laura Killam

Laura Killam Architecture

Laura Killam Architecture is a small interdisciplinary design studio that aims to enrich experience through the spaces it creates. Specializing in custom residential projects located in wild, remote coastal areas of British Columbia, the studio seeks design solutions that unite function and aesthetics to produce architecture that is quiet and understated.

The studio’s projects encompass defining sites in natural settings, planning infrastructure and access, preparing for the present and the next generation, and designing both the architecture and its interiors.

LKA is committed to crafting spaces that are deeply connected to place, embracing beauty both inside and outside the building, and responding meaningfully to the client’s needs. Each project seeks a dialogue with the site’s unique features. Each design aims to connect people to the natural surroundings through the experience of moving through the landscape—exploring shifts in views, light, and shadow, and balancing refuge with openness.

Influenced by the spirit of Sea Ranch, California, West Coast modernists, and a vision of environmental stewardship, the studio aspires to create buildings that take a secondary role in the natural setting. LKA’s goal is to design spaces where people can breathe.

Laura Killam is a native of British Columbia, with roots in both Vancouver and a remote island on the province’s coast. With a multidisciplinary background as an architect, exhibition designer, and film set designer, Laura brings a rich experience in crafting innovative and meaningful spatial environments.

Before founding Laura Killam Architecture in 2017, she worked as an architect at Public Architecture & Communication, an award-winning Vancouver-based firm. Prior to that, she served as Head of Design and Production for exhibitions at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, and worked with Gehry Partners in Los Angeles as both an architect and exhibition designer.

She holds a Master of Architecture from Yale University, where she was nominated for the Feldman Prize, and a BFA from Concordia University in Montreal. She is a licensed architect in British Columbia and Washington State, and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Laura is an adjunct professor at the UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. She has also taught in the Architectural Science Department at BCIT and the Design Formation Program at Langara College.

Project by Laura Killam