A wooden stair leads from the house down to a dramatic view of Lake Superior.
“The transparency of the house is really quite wonderful,” says Grace Kim of the residence, now open to the lake view.
The home’s reflection is seen in the lake at dusk. The white aluminum sleeves dramatically break through the timber, creating visual portals to the surrounding scenery.
“Our central challenge was to add a home to the forest without undermining nature,” architect Paul Bernier says. “We allowed the house’s function and relationship with its site to shape the design.”
The kitchen, the heart of the house, has a direct view of the adjacent lake. Quartz countertops are paired with lacquered MDF cabinets.
The original design did not exploit the lower part of the house, so Carle added a bar and lounge area facing the lake at the ground level. He also installed water-based geothermal heating in the basement. “It allows the concrete floor to be heated and to generate most of the heating of the house, while a second smaller air pump assures a supplement of air on the ground floor and air conditioning for summer.”
A cantilevered cabin designed by R D Gentzler blends into the forest, even as it hovers above a 20-foot drop-off. Its south face is almost entirely glass, but a roof canopy limits solar gain. “We sit on the deck all afternoon watching the trees, and the time just flies by,” says resident Maricela Salas.
The house is divided into three sections connected by a series of outdoor galleries. “When I walk from one room to another, I have to go outdoors and feel the weather and nature—rain, cold, and sun,” says Sævik.
Instead of emphasizing the expansive panorama of oak, pine, and aspen trees, the house frames select views—a move inspired by Japanese design.
With São Paulo on one side and a terrace and garden on the other, the Strozenbergs’ living room feels vast. The sofa is a Harry Large by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia and the coffee table behind Ticiana Strozenberg (with baby) is a vintage design by Geraldo de Barros. The custom wood paneling throughout the house is by Fiamoncine, as are the window treatments.
This is one of our favorite details of the Bent/Sliced house. The wooden slats with vertical house number feels quite modern and very sophisticated.
A view of the exterior of the structure, showing the two families' separate living spaces anchored by a single broad porch.
“Their lives revolve around ocean activities, reading, music, and good food and wine,” Jones says of the owners. “The new house I designed is just for them," such as with this sheltered outdoor areas where gear can be stored; the ceilings above are also Douglas fir.
The site needed a path that would let residents easily ascend from the bank to the house. The architects created one by simply replicating the way they had naturally walked up the site the first time they visited. The result is a meandering trail that directs visitors to the landscape’s different features — whether a majestic Arbutus tree, a private stone beach, or a wildflower clearing.
superrkül dubbed this project the Stealth Cabin because it's hidden in the landscape and will continue to recede in view over time. Photo by Shai Gil.
The 1,500-square-foot cabin merges traditional and modern, and the couple's mutual desire to balance comfort with the bare necessities, living lightly on the land while fully engaging with their surroundings. Photo by Shai Gil.
The House for a Musher is all about taking advantage of its hilltop site. The courtyard in the front has vast views and the house itself is oriented toward the surrounding landscape.
“They wanted the new cabin to make a ‘L’ shape with the older cabin, but I convinced them to mimic the old cabin on the opposite side,” architect D’Arcy Jones says. “So the new site has two buildings across from each other, like an equal sign.” Birch trees grow between the cabins in a shared courtyard.
“There had been two or three primitive cabins on the property in the past, which resulted in a clearing that we utilized for the site,” Joseph Herrin says. “This allowed us to avoid any further tree removal for construction, and provided an opportunity to begin to restore that portion of the property with native landscaping.”