Trace House

Set at Kits Point, a rare pocket of city framed by water and beach, this renovation reimagines a James Cheng–designed home as a retreat for a young family. The project preserves Cheng’s legacy of light while simplifying the architecture for contemporary life.

The entry and living room sit lower than the rest of the house, their tall ceilings creating an immediate sense of openness and welcome. Two steps upward, the dining and kitchen expand into a dramatic volume that rises through two storeys. This soaring space sets the primary and secondary bedrooms apart, allowing for a bridge that connects them while overlooking the activity below.

Light enters from two linear skylights set on opposite sides of the dining room, drawing daylight vertically through the house and creating a spiritual quality that shifts with the passing day. Light moves through the house in arcs and traces, drawing attention to surfaces and moments often overlooked. For the children, these shifting patterns of light and shadow become a quiet source of play and inspiration.

A restrained palette grounds the design. Wood floors and ceilings bring warmth, while tile provides durability at key thresholds. In the living area, a new concrete hearth anchors the original wood-burning fireplace, retained as a central feature of the home. Externally, terraces and roof decks extend family life outdoors, with views stretching from Kits Beach to downtown and the North Shore mountains. The renovation distills the house to clarity, connection to light, and purposeful materiality, letting its strongest architectural moves shine in a new chapter for the family.