This Snow-White Cabin Disappears Into a Wintry Lakeside

In a remote Canadian forest, a minimalist holiday home takes cues from its pristine lakeside surroundings.

Apr 16, 2020 - 20:34

This Snow-White Cabin Disappears Into a Wintry Lakeside

In a remote Canadian forest, a minimalist holiday home takes cues from its pristine lakeside surroundings.

The Poisson Blanc home is topped with an economical white-painted steel roof and clad in standard white-painted pine.

When a lucky couple were selected in a government lottery to purchase land at Lake Poisson Blanc for approximately $70,000, they jumped at the opportunity—never mind that the remote site was a roughly three-hour drive from their home in Montreal.

Determined to realize their dream of a design-forward getaway, despite the remote location and a limited budget, the couple enlisted the help of Montreal-based Naturehumaine Architects to create a small yet stylish site-specific home for their family of four that embraces the beautiful landscape.

The clients’ one-acre property is located right on the edge of Lake Poisson Blanc, a large water reservoir. "It feels very quiet, isolated, and tranquil," says Rasselet of the remote area. "It’s an extraordinary place for kayaking and fishing."

Raphaël Thibodeau

"Since budget was a concern, we opted for a very compact scheme and decided to base it on a perfect square for the most efficient use of materials," says principal architect Stéphane Rasselet. "This compact concept also meant economical energy use for heating in harsh winters. In the end, we ended up with a pure and somewhat abstract white volume characterized by a series of vertical slits for windows and doors all blending harmoniously within an immaculate winter blanket of snow."