KL House

Intended for a young, growing family, this project was “inspired by East Coast homes by the sea, that stand like lighthouses” with wide windows looking out at the surrounding seascape. Bourgeois & Lechasseur Architects adapted the idea of shore house design, and transplanted it to a densely wooded hamlet in Quebec, Canada.

Bourgeois & Lechasseur Architects' cabin in the woods of North Hatley, Quebec, Canada. Photography by Adrien Williams.

In want of a decidedly non-showy “house that looks like a house,” the clients asked that the design not compete with the landscape. The two principal architects conceived of the home as resting gently atop the hill, crowning the site. With the view that it be lightly furnished, the architects intended for the finished interior to foster a sense of “warm, sensible minimalism.”

Among other design initiatives, the duality between contemporary and traditional became a central consideration. For instance, the home’s natural cedar shingles and flat tin roof take cues from North Hatley’s country homes, while the absence of molding betrays a modernist inflection.

Bourgeois & Lechasseur Architects' cabin in the woods of North Hatley, Quebec, Canada. Photography by Adrien Williams.

“Once the project was completed,” Olivier Bourgeois recalled, “the clients arrived with a selection of heirloom furniture they received from their grandparents.” Bourgeois spotted some Bertoia Chairs among the collection, and immediately identified them as “the perfect match for the country home.” Pressed for an explanation, Bourgeois offered, “the steel frame of Harry Bertoia's chairs contributes to the fundamental goal of the project, that of the contrasting what's modern with what's traditional.”

“The steel frame of Harry Bertoia's chairs contributes to the fundamental goal of the project, that of the contrasting what's modern with what's traditional.”

—Olivier Bourgeois

Bourgeois & Lechasseur Architects' cabin in the woods of North Hatley, Quebec, Canada. Photography by Adrien Williams.

The chairs were in need of repair, not to mention a fresh coat of paint. Bourgeois chose white to create a camouflage effect in the morning light, in accordance with the home's sparse aesthetic. “By painting the chairs white, we hoped to amplify the intensity of the light coming in to free the space, while fostering a view of the tree line. Accordingly, during the day, the Bertoia Chairs “disappear with the sunlight.” 

Project Credits

Architecture: Bourgeois & Lechasseur Architects
Photography: Adrien Williams