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Inside, timber panels treated with light oil give a clean, warm, and contemporary look. “Although the unit was intended solely as my office, it is now also frequently used as a hang-out and sleepover spot for my daughter and her friends when I’m not using it,” says owner Glen Vriesema.

A sleek slatted screen matches the proportions of the wall of glass blocks it replaced.

“As seasons change we experience the main house and cabin differently,” says Jeremy. “A simple walk to the fire pit or hot tub or wine cave seems to offer up new perspectives.”

Upon install, the visual effect of the shou sugi ban could be fully appreciated. “Its black and charcoal texture was much richer than black stained cedar, and was both matte and silvery under various lighting conditions,” says Hale. “Its charred surface also lends a softness to the form of the building.”

Don't panic when the hostess asks you to get the Sancerre from the fridge...

The ceiling and built-in storage wall in the bedroom are fabricated from American white oak, while the opposite wall and floor has the same grayish-white tone found in the rest of the apartment.

At night, light coming through the wall of original steel-framed windows illuminates the pool area.

Looking in the opposite direction reveals how designer Louis Béliveau of La Firme embraced the lack of light in this part of the apartment, instead emphasizing it with ample dark finishes, like the 1x1-inch Daltile on the floor. A mirrored wall does catch some sun from the living room windows. “From a design perspective, mirrors are a magical trick,” says Béliveau. “They're not too expensive and they basically double up the space, and bounce back any lighting.” The door opens to the hall bathroom.

Béliveau grouped the living spaces together closer to the main windows, using contrasting materials to mark the different zones. “We do try to play with compact entrances in many of our projects,” says Béliveau. “This one was even easier because it was already compressed with the [lower] ceiling. It's a play on something very small and dark, followed by all the openness when you switch into the public zone of the apartment.”

That reveal is repeated between the custom perimeter cabinets and counter, the latter made of “Pearl Gray” Corian which was color-matched throughout the apartment.

Lights in the sauna reveal when it’s in use.

A sightline into the bedroom shows American white oak built-ins that sync with the ceiling.

A mirrored wall in the back of the bathroom reflects light.

With such sharp lines between dark and light, a high quality of craftsmanship in the build-out was key. “There's no tolerances at all,” says Béliveau. From the alignment between the wood on the floor and the tiles, to the oak cabinetry and black lacquered bathroom storage, “Everything had to be dialed in so precisely.”

Cabin ANNA began in 2016 as a way for Caspar Schols and his family to cope with a personal tragedy. At his mother’s request, he built a refuge on her rural forested property where the family “would feel connected and feel one,” says Schols. “I started dreaming of how we could be surrounded by life instead of shielded from it.” In ten months, the once physicist completed the Garden House: a prototype of what would, to his own surprise, turn into a much larger project oriented toward a deeper connection with the planet.