Home design: Simplicity by the lake
Sustain Design Architects' clean, unfussy work on a Kawarthas lakeside house created both a woodsy getaway for its owners, a place to welcome friends up from the city and, until recently, an idyllic year-round work-from-home space.
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According to SDA principal architect Cathy Garrido, the clients bought the property in the summer of 2020. One section had already been cleared, with plenty of open space for a cottage, parking and a wide waterfront area suitable for landscaping, plus beachfront at the waterside. It also backed onto an environmentally protected area and was surrounded by mature woods, which gave it privacy from neighbouring cottages. It was perfect for a secluded hideaway far from the stress of the city.
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The clients' original plan, says Garrido, was to build a summer cottage while retaining a Toronto pied à terre downtown. Their wish list included comfortable spots where friends could stay, a private space for themselves, a home office for the husband, who works in the finance sector, and a studio workspace for the wife, a graphic designer.
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But as the house came together, she recalls — this was the pandemic summer of 2020, after all — they decided to pull up stakes and move there permanently. This inspired a design that would be relaxed and cottagey but with a certain urbanity.
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Half-hidden around a leafy bend and set in a roomy clearing, the house is organized into two wings set at a right angle to each other, conjoined by a side-lit front door and two-storey breezeway.
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'A breezeway is just a nicer alternative to a regular foyer,' notes Garrido, 'and the windows give you the first glimpse of the surrounding woods and water.' The breezeway also provides the first hint that the house, despite being generally clean and spare, still has a few architectural tricks up its sleeve.
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The main floor of the breezeway connects the garage and the wife's studio workspace to the main living area. From one end to the other, about a third of the width of the ceiling is brightened by what appears to be a skylight, supported by exposed Douglas fir joists. It's only later, when you explore the upper level, that you discover the breezeway 'skylight' is actually a reinforced glass floor, CN Tower-style. It's sturdy enough to walk on, assuming you have the nerve — Garrido laughs and says she doesn't — and brings in additional light from the windows on the second floor, brightening both levels.
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Back on the main floor, much of the left wing is a large open-plan space combining the kitchen, dining and living area, brightened by two enormous banks of sliding glass doors topped by transoms, framing a spectacular view of the lake. It's a big room, but it's neither cavernous nor cold: rich, primarily natural materials and tones — taupe kitchen cabinetry, white oak plank floors and simple, Japandi-flavoured furnishings — make the view and the abundant sunlight the main focus.
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Home design: Simplicity by the lake
Article content Sustain Design Architects' clean, unfussy work on a Kawarthas lakeside house created both a woodsy getaway for its owners, a place to welcome friends up from the city and, until recently, an idyllic year-round work-from-home space. Article content According to SDA principal architect Cathy Garrido, the clients bought the property in the summer of 2020. One section had already been cleared, with plenty of open space for a cottage, parking and a wide waterfront area suitable for landscaping, plus beachfront at the waterside. It also backed onto an environmentally protected area and was surrounded by mature woods, which gave it privacy from neighbouring cottages. It was perfect for a secluded hideaway far from the stress of the city. Article content Article content Article content The clients' original plan, says Garrido, was to build a summer cottage while retaining a Toronto pied à terre downtown. Their wish list included comfortable spots where friends could stay, a private space for themselves, a home office for the husband, who works in the finance sector, and a studio workspace for the wife, a graphic designer. Article content But as the house came together, she recalls — this was the pandemic summer of 2020, after all — they decided to pull up stakes and move there permanently. This inspired a design that would be relaxed and cottagey but with a certain urbanity. Article content Half-hidden around a leafy bend and set in a roomy clearing, the house is organized into two wings set at a right angle to each other, conjoined by a side-lit front door and two-storey breezeway. Article content 'A breezeway is just a nicer alternative to a regular foyer,' notes Garrido, 'and the windows give you the first glimpse of the surrounding woods and water.' The breezeway also provides the first hint that the house, despite being generally clean and spare, still has a few architectural tricks up its sleeve. Article content Article content The main floor of the breezeway connects the garage and the wife's studio workspace to the main living area. From one end to the other, about a third of the width of the ceiling is brightened by what appears to be a skylight, supported by exposed Douglas fir joists. It's only later, when you explore the upper level, that you discover the breezeway 'skylight' is actually a reinforced glass floor, CN Tower-style. It's sturdy enough to walk on, assuming you have the nerve — Garrido laughs and says she doesn't — and brings in additional light from the windows on the second floor, brightening both levels. Article content Back on the main floor, much of the left wing is a large open-plan space combining the kitchen, dining and living area, brightened by two enormous banks of sliding glass doors topped by transoms, framing a spectacular view of the lake. It's a big room, but it's neither cavernous nor cold: rich, primarily natural materials and tones — taupe kitchen cabinetry, white oak plank floors and simple, Japandi-flavoured furnishings — make the view and the abundant sunlight the main focus.
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Article content Article content Further back, the objective was to open the interior of the house completely to that wonderful view as much as possible, while maintaining a clear if less defined sense of division between areas. On both main and upper floors, windows and sliding doors dominate the rear elevation, and almost all the walls in the rear part of the main floor were blown out, the better to make the view a feature from every point. Article content In the kitchen at the side, rift-sawn white oak cabinetry presents a clean profile that seems to complement the leafy scene beyond. Its rich honey colour is set off by a swath of perfectly veined quartz used as a backsplash inside the cooking zone and on the island counter. 'We must have looked at 100 different slabs before we chose that precise one,' Garrido says. Article content Article content The team turned a former bay window into a modest bump-out in the breakfast area, just deep enough to achieve the effect of making the occupants feel as if they're sitting in the woods, visible on three sides. A built-in banquette upholstered in hard-wearing blue fabric is tailor-made for little kids but sophisticated enough for grown-ups. Article content The living room in the centre is brightened by another light fixture masquerading as art. Created by Sans Souci, a lighting company in the Czech Republic, its 86 translucent glass leaves suspended on wires from the ceiling were individually mounted by a specialty lighting installer. Article content Article content Both homeowner and architect wanted some separation between the dining room and the rest of the space without cutting it off completely. The solution was a massive, floor-to-ceiling slab of book-matched granite, open on either side and perforated by a double-faced fireplace. The addition of a standalone bar, given that the kitchen is some way away, saves steps and gives the dining room a sense of place. Comfortable bouclé chairs and another striking light fixture, this one of stylized flowering vines, add an informal but gracious feel. Article content
