Living on island time

Not willing to build, "something that looked like it had just been plopped there from the city," Gaelyne, a television producer, recalled a segment she'd recently worked on featuring Halifax-based architect Brian MacKay-Lyons, known for his simple, yet sophisticated, residential designs.

Brian met with the family, and the group gauged the priorities: enough room to accommodate two families (including Gaelyne and Jonathan's two children, Adelaide, 7, and Lyle, 4) without tripping over each other, a maximal use of the spectacular ocean view, and an aesthetic that was in line with Little Pond's traditional barns.

"What impressed me was Brian's dedication to the vernacular of the location," Gaelyne recalls. "He took the landscape into consideration, saying that he wouldn't let the house stand in the way of the view."

To achieve an openness felt throughout, Brian designed an "upside-down house," one where the public spaces were placed on the top, while the private areas became part of the main floor. The two families' bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms are at either end, brought together with a play area, complete with fireplace, in the middle. Upstairs, the family convenes in the airy living room, generous kitchen or big screened-in porch, the sparkle of the water never more than half a head-turn away.