Résidence des Grands Jardins, Québec, Canada

A large, cantilevered overhang is one of the project's key design elements
Dramatic yet at the same time homely and inviting, the Résidence des Grands Jardins boasts spectacular vistas of the St Lawrence River valley
An element of surprise was key in the project's conception. 'When you arrive on site you can only see the first upper level of the house. Then when you are on the other side of the house, that is when the entirety of the structure can be seen,' explains head architect and company co-founder Olivier Bourgeois
The rich-red cedar wood panels that clad the interior are all locally sourced from Québec
In contrast to the natural, wooden panelling, an exposed black painted steel framework and polished concrete floors create a look that balances the atmosphere of a warm family home with a distinctly contemporary aesthetic
Kitchen units are sleek and minimal, ensuring nothing detracts from the incredible view
The clients are art enthusiasts, and their new house has provided a perfect space for their collection
The house merges contemporary style and a minimalist Nordic aesthetic with the traditional cedar-wood chalet style of housing that is typical of this region
Full-length windows and substantial use of mirrors enhance the sweeping views
The master bedroom on the third floor
The freestanding bath is in prime position for enjoying the view
Wood panelling is offset with stark white walls
Geometric tiles bring in pattern to the bathroom
The owners' art collection peppers the space
The horizontal cedar wood planks outside are painted bright white, uniting the building's different parts in a contemporary approach
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).
-
Sotheby’s is auctioning Mercedes Gleitze’s Channel-crossing Rolex
The historic Rolex that started the sport-watch synergy is going under the hammer, amidst a contemporary boom in sporty-elegant timepieces
-
Cosy-up in a snowy Canadian cabin inspired by utilitarian farmhouses
Inspired by local farmhouses, Canadian cabin Timbertop is a minimalist shelter overlooking the woodland home of wild deer, porcupines and turkeys
-
Margaret Howell celebrates the ‘modern and grounded’ work of British weaver Peter Collingwood with a rare exhibition and calendar
One of the 20th century’s seminal weavers, the exhibition provides a serene respite from Frieze London, unfolding in Margaret Howell’s London store
-
Cosy-up in a snowy Canadian cabin inspired by utilitarian farmhouses
Inspired by local farmhouses, Canadian cabin Timbertop is a minimalist shelter overlooking the woodland home of wild deer, porcupines and turkeys
-
Buy yourself a Sanctuary, a serene house above the British Columbia landscape
The Sanctuary was designed by BattersbyHowat for clients who wanted a contemporary home that was also a retreat into nature. Now it’s on the market via West Coast Modern
-
La Maison de la Baie de l’Ours melds modernism into the shores of a Québécois lake
ACDF Architecture’s grand family retreat in Quebec offers a series of flowing living spaces and private bedrooms beneath a monumental wooden roof
-
Peel back maple branches to reveal this cosy midcentury Vancouver gem
Osler House, a midcentury Vancouver home, has been refreshed by Scott & Scott Architects, who wanted to pay tribute to the building's 20th-century modernist roots
-
A spectacular waterside house in Canada results from a radical overhaul
Splyce Design’s Shoreline House occupies an idyllic site in British Columbia. Refurbished and updated, the structure has been transformed into a waterside retreat
-
Hilborn House, one of Arthur Erickson’s few residential projects, is now on the market
The home, first sketched on an envelope at Montreal Airport, feels like a museum of modernist shapes, natural materials and indoor-outdoor living
-
This Canadian house is a precise domestic composition perched on the Nova Scotian coast
Bishop McDowell completed a new Canadian house overlooking the Atlantic, using minimal details and traditional forms to create a refined family home
-
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