Sometimes I dare to dream, or maybe it’s my way of motivating myself. But I really hope that one day I will be able to retreat to a summer house somewhere in the woods. Give me a lake, and it’s the perfect picture. A case in point: the Gambier Island House by Mcfarlane Biggar Architects + Designers, near Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada.

The house is a stunning example of modern architecture and peaceful island living. It was designed and built to fulfill the wishes of a young Vancouver couple with two children. Nothing is too complicated inside.

There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms elegantly distributed over two stacked boxes perched on the rocky cliff. The open-plan kitchen and the living area have floor-to-ceiling windows to make sure you don’t miss the beauty of the scenery – the stunning lake and the surrounding mountains. But everything changes when you walk outside on the expansive roof decks and recharge your battery from this terrifically laid-back escape from the pressures of the real world.

To minimize the impact of the building to the site — it’s a hybrid structure made entirely of wood, with some steel and very little concrete — the architects also ensured that the house is completely off the grid. Which is why independent sources of heat and electricity were added.

And did I mention one of the most intriguing aspects of the house? Access is by boat only!

I could see myself enjoying a good book by the fire, while the wind and rain storm outside. Or maybe I’m daydreaming again.