Perched on a rocky hilltop 60 feet above the water on the northern side of Falcon Lake, this weekend house was designed to provide a healthy and invigorating refuge for the owners from their hectic city lifestyles. Simply put, the goal was to design a house to maximize the intake of inspiring lake views, warm sunlight, and wood-scented fresh air by the family and their guests.The layout of the plan, the rhythm of the structure, the overall spatial composition, and the minimized interior decor, all combine to form an accommodatingly simple wooden box. Relaxation is achieved in part, by being in an environment that is calm and restful and serene.
The box is stretched across the bumpy site, its characteristic section extruded and then contained by a variant form that houses the family room and kids’ sleeping loft. All main rooms on both floors face the water. The living room is open both to the forest on one side, and to the lake on the other. The stair to the second floor is detailed to allow light and view to pass through it. The material palette was selected to evoke the warmth and comfort that is characteristic of traditional lake architecture, while being updated with a modern sensibility. Cedar wood cladding, stained white, is used inside and out. The house is capped with a standing seam Galvalume metal roof. Glue-laminated beams of douglas fir stand out against the white stained, birch plywood-clad walls and ceilings. Lake ‘o the Woods stone from a small quarry near Kenora, faces the living room fireplace as well as the fireplace on the terrace. Interesting pendant light fixtures, using mid-century modern shapes in groupings, hang in the 2-storey spaces. Mitered sash, metal clad wood windows contain panoramic views.
