A retreat in Canada's Cherry Valley celebrates its idyllic green setting
Cherry Valley by StudioAC offers nature-inspired minimalism to a rural Canadian setting

A two-and-a-half hours drive from Toronto, Cherry Valley offers the kind of Canadian rural idyll that celebrates nature and offers a calming daily life between the region's seashore and a burgeoning wine-making industry. Within this lush countryside setting, Toronto based StudioAC, crafted a new retreat for a private client, set in minimalist architecture within a green, meadow-like plateau that descends towards the serene waters of a nearby lake.
Cherry Valley: a rural retreat at one with its setting
Designed as a low, long volume that feels respectful to both its natural surroundings and the region's traditional vernacular, the home spans across a single level, sunken into the ridge. Large openings bring the interiors at one with the site's thriving flora and leafy views.
'This panoramic view immerses the viewer in the landscape rather than placing them on top of it, allowing observation of the strata of nature from soil, fern, tree, and sky,' write the architects, headed by studio founders Jennifer Kudlats and Andrew Hill.
Inside, a carefully planned spatial sequencing and seating concept makes for a flowing, open plan living interior that takes up the majority of the programme. Meanwhile, set on the footprint's edges, private quarters span three bedrooms and a selection of auxiliary spaces.
'Brick and cedar celebrate the duality of the site,' the architects continue, talking about the Cherry Valley house's soft Douglas fit cladding and defining exposed masonry.
'Brick is used on the solid wall that holds back the hillside into which the house is nestled, while a cedar roof wraps down the facade facing the water, engaging in a dialogue with the trees that frame the lake views.'
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
A street-like Pune clubhouse celebrates the ‘joy of shared, unhurried experiences’
A brick clubhouse in Pune by Studio VDGA reflects the fluidity and openness of the Indian way of life with a series of welcoming plazas, courtyards and lanes
-
A 432 Park Avenue apartment is an art-filled family home among the clouds
At 432 Park Avenue, inside and outside compete for starring roles; welcome to a skyscraping, art-filled apartment in Midtown Manhattan
-
Kitchen Trends 2026: luminosity, colour, and unexpected materiality
These are kitchen trends shaping interior design in 2026, from collaborative kitchens to warm luminosity
-
In Canada, The Nest is a three-dimensional puzzle redefining remote living
On a wooded site on the country’s West Coast, this prefabricated retreat designed by Daria Sheina Studio is a nurturing space for low-impact living
-
Discover Canadian modernist Daniel Evan White’s pitch-perfect homes
Canadian architect Daniel Evan White (1933-2012) had a gift for using the landscape to create extraordinary homes; revisit his story in an article from the Wallpaper* archives (first published in 2011)
-
A new Québec house blends open-plan living with far-reaching views
The Mountainside Residence is anchored into its sloping site by a concrete plinth, above which sits a main living space with tall ceilings and walls of glass
-
Four super-refined Nova Scotia ‘bunkies’ are unforgettable architectural retreats
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple has completed a collection of elevated guest cabins – named Ridge On The Chimney – on the rugged Nova Scotian coast, all bookable for a stay
-
Smoke Lake Cabin is an off-grid hideaway only accessible by boat
This Canadian cabin is a modular and de-mountable residence, designed by Anya Moryoussef Architect (AMA) and nestled within Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario
-
Ten contemporary homes that are pushing the boundaries of architecture
A new book detailing 59 visually intriguing and technologically impressive contemporary houses shines a light on how architecture is evolving
-
Explore the Perry Estate, a lesser-known Arthur Erickson project in Canada
The Perry estate – a residence and studio built for sculptor Frank Perry and often visited by his friend Bill Reid – is now on the market in North Vancouver
-
A new lakeshore cottage in Ontario is a spectacular retreat set beneath angled zinc roofs
Family Cottage by Vokac Taylor mixes spatial gymnastics with respect for its rocky, forested waterside site