The Art of Crafting Coastal Sanctuaries

A spotlight on the Architecture of Laura Killam 

Builder:Rising Sun Custom Homes, Cortes Island

Millwork:Desolation Sound Millwork

Photo: Andrew Latreille  

Architect Laura Killam has built a career out of designing stunning structures that seamlessly harmonize with their natural settings. It’s a gift she comes by honestly, an affinity instilled from a childhood spent in the rugged beauty of the Pacific Northwest. This biophilic sensibility is evident in every project undertaken by Killam’s firm, which specializes in custom residential homes that are thoughtfully integrated into their surroundings. 

“The real driving design force for us is connecting to site,” Killam explains. “We spend a lot of time at the beginning observing the physical and atmospheric qualities of the site. Then, we position and shape the house to prioritize the site’s experience in relation to the clients’ program.”

A key part of this process is the judicious use of sustainable building products, with Western Red Cedar playing a starring role. “I usually bring cedar to clients. I put together the material palette and I have a materials library and there’s one whole section that’s just BC wood,” Killam notes. As her body of work beautifully illustrates, the versatility and inherent performance properties of Real Cedar makes it an ideal choice for both the interior and exterior of her coastal retreats. 

“I keep going back to cedar for its durability,” she says. “It’s a material I love to use inside. The builder prefers it too because it’s just a really easy wood to work with.” 

Many of Killam’s clients are drawn to the idea of creating a multigenerational family legacy, a home that will be cherished by their children and grandchildren. This long-term perspective shapes her approach, with a focus on minimizing environmental impact and expertly integrating new structures into the existing landscape. 

“Cedar is so critical for all the projects that we do,” Killam emphasizes. She knows that wood such as Real Cedar not only leaves the smallest carbon footprint than any other material, it actually helps fight climate change by capturing and absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. 

Lifelong Affinity for Natural Building Materials 

While Killam didn’t study cedar’s architectural applications in depth during her formal training, its prominence in West Coast building traditions made it a natural choice. “I think it was just through building actually and through…growing up on the coast, and cabins, and everyone always builds out of cedar,” she explains. “We’re lucky that we have this incredible wood that works well in our environment.”

Beyond its practical merits for siding and exterior use, Western Red Cedar offers biophilic benefits as well – which is one of the reasons Killam utilizes it extensively throughout her projects, both inside and out. More and more research proves that bringing elements of nature, such as cedar, into built environments promotes greater wellbeing for occupants. 

Aesthetically, the warm tones and distinctive grain patterns of the wood lend a sense of calm and connection to nature, perfectly suited for the secluded coastal retreats that Killam designs. Plus, given cedar’s pitch and resin-free composition, it readily accepts and retains a diverse array of finishes – allowing Killam to put a custom touch on many of her projects. 

“We often white wash it to see the beauty of the wood but also to kind of make it sort of fresh and bright for summer,” Killam explains. “I typically love the vertical grain of clear, and we typically orient the boards vertically.” 

The sublime results are nothing short of transformative, instantly transporting viewers to a calming and inspired slice of paradise. Let’s take a closer look at what this architect of distinction has accomplished with nature’s most versatile building material. 

Featured Projects of Laura Killam 

Structural Engineering: Miskimmin Structural Engineering

Writer’s Retreat 

This peaceful studio was designed as a turnkey creative sanctuary for the client to escape the main family compound. To achieve this, Killam opted for a compact 650-square-foot plan laid out in two offset bars, separating public and private spaces. Throughout the retreat, Western Red Cedar was utilized to forge a strong connection to the surrounding forested landscape. 

On the exterior, board-and-batten siding and cedar shingles help the cabin blend seamlessly into its natural setting, while the warm tones and textures of clear cedar panels on the interior walls and custom milled built-ins create a cozy, nature-inspired ambiance – exactly the type of calming, inspirational environment the client sought for their writing retreat. 

Interior Design: Sophie Burke Design, Structural Engineering: Rockingham Engineering

Ranch Outpost 

For this rugged West Coast retreat, Killam and her team in collaboration with Sophie Burke Design designed a pair of structures – a main cabin and a flexible barn space – that embrace their remote, off-grid island setting through the extensive use of Western Red Cedar. Both the interior and exterior walls are clad in rough-sawn cedar boards, left to naturally weather and silver over time. This material choice helps the structures blend into the surrounding forested landscape, while the warm tones and textures of the wood create a cozy, rustic ambiance inside. 

Cedar is also incorporated into the project’s many covered decks and structural elements, further blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor living. By utilizing this naturally beautiful material throughout, Killam was able to achieve the client’s vision of a casual, nature-immersed summer retreat where the family could move freely between sheltered exterior spaces and the comfortable, cedar-lined interiors. 

Structural Engineering: Aspect Structural Engineers

Home for an Artist 

Nestled on a remote Northern Gulf island along a rugged coastline, the Home for an Artist project features Western Red Cedar as a unifying material throughout. The compact 650-square-foot cabin is clad in a combination of cedar tongue-and-groove siding and shingles, which help it effortlessly recede into the surrounding wooded surroundings. This weathered cedar exterior continues inside, where the walls and ceilings are lined with lightly whitewashed clear cedar boards, creating a warm, nature-inspired ambiance. 

Killam also incorporated cedar elements into the project’s decking, reinforcing the material’s prominent role. Complemented by extensive glazing to capture views of the meadow, beach, and sea, this serene artist’s retreat embodies a harmonious connection to its coastal setting.