Lantern House

Lantern House is a minimalist residence located in Vancouver, Canada, designed by Leckie Studio. A double-height void carved into the center of a home represents one of residential architecture’s most deliberate gestures – the sacrifice of functional square footage for atmospheric effect. Leckie Studio commits fully to this gambit in Lantern House, where a 10-foot-by-10-foot wooden lantern rises through the main floor, transforming what could be additional bedroom space into a light-capturing core that orchestrates the emotional tenor of the entire 2,600-square-foot dwelling.

The approach begins at the property line. A deliberately wild meadow surrounds the brutalist form of concrete, stucco, and wood, creating the impression that the structure materialized within an existing landscape rather than imposing upon it. This calculated humility extends to the massing itself, which defers to the mixed vernacular of old and new homes in the Vancouver neighborhood through careful attention to scale and proportion. The strategy is one of contextual camouflage – assertive in its minimalism but restrained in its urban presence.

Inside, material contrasts establish the home’s operative logic. Warm plaster walls meet precision-milled cabinetry in the entry mudroom. An Edo period vase holds budding branches on bare concrete – the juxtaposition of refinement and rawness that will recur throughout. The main floor opens to reveal nearly frameless glass sliders spanning the rear elevation, dissolving the boundary between interior and exterior living spaces. At the center, a sunken seating area features custom furnishings inspired by Donald Judd’s elemental forms, grounding the space with geometric clarity.

The vertical lantern reveals itself gradually. From below, it functions as a meditative focal point, its enormous skylight framing passing clouds for contemplation from a built-in daybed. The wooden structure glows with calibrated artifice and natural light, creating shifting atmospheric conditions that mark time throughout the day and night. Recessed details and shadow gaps maintain the visual clarity essential to minimalist rigor while allowing light to perform its choreographed role.

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