Written by Blake Miller | Photography by Sama Jim Canzian
Freestanding luxury tents serve as guest quarters for the family and guests, who gather to play bocce or swim by the coastline. A concrete pad is the ideal spot for sunning and lounging.
From the water, this island looks deserted.
So, when the owners happened upon the land in Howe Sound, they were intrigued. The couple was, after all, longing for an escape from their busy lives, a place where they could literally get away from the world with their teenage sons sans cell phones, TVs, and anything else that connects them to the real world; go off grid, unwind, and reset. After pushing their Zodiac inflatable boat onshore and exploring the pristine island, the couple were smitten with its potential to be the getaway they were dreaming of.
The couple purchased the island, which included the nearly uninhabitable, unrenovated 700-square-foot cabin that was erected in the 1940s. They enlisted designer Sophie Burke and construction company Space Building to revive the existing structure while also adding 320 square feet allowing for a larger bedroom plus a new primary, dining area, and powder room. While the interiors of the cottage were led by Burke, the owners looked to landscape architect Julian Pattison of Considered Design Inc. to bring their vision to life: a property that looks and feels untouched but is purposefully designed to evoke peacefulness.
It is really a magical place, says Pattison of the island. The idea was really to create this pristine landscape and keep the vegetation as undisturbed as possible.
Pattison also wanted to create little moments throughout the property, ones where his clients could enjoy cocktails with friends, watch the sunset, read a book, or even play basketball. They wanted to have this home away from home that would be comfortable for their family and friends, he adds. They wanted it to feel like you are experiencing the environment, not secluded from it.
Pattison designed a series of western cedar boardwalks, which seemingly glide over the foliage leaving it virtually untouched. The idea was that you would feel as though you are floating over nature, says Pattison, who shipped in dozens of varieties of grasses, ferns, and trees via barge to design a landscape that looks as though it has always been there. The cedar boardwalk gently winds through the forest to a different experience on the island: a bocce court, a sunbathing platform by the water, a basketball court, living quarters, and even an area coined Sunset Point.
One primary request from the owner, who is an avid basketball fan, was to recreate the iconic Rucker Park basketball court on the island. The owner and his sons are huge basketball fans, so to have this court was important to them, says Pattison. It was a place for the family to come together and hang out.
Elsewhere, three freestanding luxury tents blend into the landscape and serve as guest quarters when friends and family come to visit. The result of these single dwellings connected by wandering cedar boardwalks lined by ferns, grasses, and towering pines is that it simply feels magical and peaceful. When you step on the island, you can really feel how special it is, says Pattison.
This article originally appeared in Home by Design, Feb/Mar 2026.
