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Cottage Architecture
A cottage is a different kind of project. It asks to be quieter — more connected to where it is, less interested in impressing. We love these projects for exactly that reason.
Good cottage design earns its simplicity.
COTTAGE a15.36
Some sites demand to be celebrated. Others ask you to disappear into them. This Georgian Bay cottage does the latter — and does it beautifully.
Dubbed The Boomerang for its sweeping form, the design curves gently along the shoreline, hunkering low into the rock as if it has always belonged there. Low-pitched rooflines, open-aired framing and a deliberately modest profile work in quiet harmony toward a single goal — to blend seamlessly into the rugged Georgian Bay landscape rather than compete with it.
By day, the cottage recedes into its surroundings, a natural extension of the Shield rock and tree line. By night, the warmth from within spills out into the wilderness — a soft, inviting glow that makes the whole thing feel almost alive.
It's a very cool cottage. We'll just leave it at that.
Dubbed The Boomerang for its sweeping form, the design curves gently along the shoreline, hunkering low into the rock as if it has always belonged there. Low-pitched rooflines, open-aired framing and a deliberately modest profile work in quiet harmony toward a single goal — to blend seamlessly into the rugged Georgian Bay landscape rather than compete with it.
By day, the cottage recedes into its surroundings, a natural extension of the Shield rock and tree line. By night, the warmth from within spills out into the wilderness — a soft, inviting glow that makes the whole thing feel almost alive.
It's a very cool cottage. We'll just leave it at that.
COTTAGE a18.02
An east coast contemporary cottage designed around a specific challenge: a large, overbearing dwelling directly next door. The response was to turn inward. Two wings extending from a central core, one for living, one for sleeping, with the courtyard between them completely shielded from the neighbouring property. The street-facing walls are fortified, with slit windows that bring light in without giving anything away. You enter at a half level, the plan stepping down to the basement or up into the main living spaces with breath taking views of lakefront property.
COTTAGE a19.28
A cottage outside St. Peters Bay, Prince Edward Island. Ocean views from window to window. Symmetrical forms with unexpected angles, natural cedar shingles weathering silver against the salt air. Detached garage and sauna brought into the composition by a single unpredictable roofline. A spectacle — and completely at home on the coast.
COTTAGE c06.59
A cedar cottage set against a sheer cliff face, a site that could have been treated as a constraint and instead became the defining feature. Rather than placing a flat wall up against the rock, the design pulls back and wraps a courtyard around it, turning the cliff into the backdrop for the outdoor space. Water is pumped to the top of the rock and allowed to trickle down the face, not a dramatic waterfall, just enough movement to make the cliff feel alive. The garage sits on a separate upper terrace, with platforms stepping down to the main cottage below.
COTTAGE a09.13
A contemporary cottage on a point of land on Long Lake, a site that dictated the plan from the start. Built right up against the rock, the U-shaped layout follows the point as it tapers in both directions, creating a courtyard that captures the landscape on three sides. The Canadian Shield as a backdrop and in places a literal part of the building.
COTTAGE i962
A contemporary courtyard house designed around arrival. The porte-cochère pulls you in from the street and delivers you straight to the front door, sheltered from snow, skis and all. The courtyard is private but never dark: a sandblasted glass door filters light through when closed, sealing the space off completely when needed. The roof is the other thing worth noting — an origami-inspired fold designed with the mountain backdrop in mind.
COTTAGE a14.20
A contemporary house on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, looking straight down into the Beaver Valley. The form came from the site. Two sheds coming together to keep a low profile on the escarpment edge, with the bedrooms tucked into the slope rather than stacked on top.
COTTAGE i732
A shingle style cottage on Panhandle Lake, built into a narrow piece of land with water on both sides. The cottage sits naturally into the hill and makes the most of its position. Living spaces at the lower level, the main floor above. Around 2,800 square feet. A small, pretty cottage that gets everything it needs to right.
COTTAGE a15.62
Built into the hill with a porte-cochère rather than a conventional garage — the arrival opens into a landscaped garden. Screened porch overlooking the garden, kitchen and living spaces oriented toward it.
COTTAGE a15.17
A substantial cottage on Upper Lake Rosseau, sitting directly on top of the rock. A wood shingle roof, with a boathouse below.
COTTAGE a18.02
A soft contemporary cottage on an island near Stoney Lake. The design addresses the view directly. And even though it looks quite bold there, you can hardly see it from the water. Children's bedrooms sit at ground level, with the main living spaces raised above. A separate guest cabin sits at the rear. The standout detail is the screened porch — a light, multifaceted structure held up on slender posts that the studio nicknamed the birdhouse.
COTTAGE i842
A transitional cottage — traditional cottage rooflines paired with a more contemporary approach to glazing and detailing. The standing seam metal roof is a considered material choice; when the right metal is specified, it weathers well and sits naturally in a cottage landscape.
COTTAGE a07.31
A shingle style cottage built on top of a dune. The site dictated the plan — perched on a knoll with very little flat land to work with, the garage is tucked into the base of the hill and the living spaces step up to the top, where the bedrooms and the views are. Outdoor spaces were carved out wherever the site allowed. A pretty house.
COTTAGE i899
A shingle style cottage on Scarcliffe Road in Muskoka, set on a flat, marshy site that presented its own logic. The land is low and the water shallow — the dock runs 150 feet out before reaching any depth. Rather than fight the landscape, the project works with it.
COTTAGE a09.64
A weekend house in the Beaver Valley, built into a gentle country hillside. Shingle and stone throughout — materials the clients loved. The screened porch is a highlight, looking out over a staggering view across the valley.
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