Toronto firm Akb Architects has created a multi-generational family cottage clad in rough-sawn cedar boards and western red cedar shakes to merge with the northern Ontario terrain of windswept trees and Pre-Cambrian bedrock. The 7,500-square-foot residence comprises three interconnected volumes that form an interior of cozy spaces and open rooms with spectacular views of a freshwater lake. Its simple, volumetric shapes are distinctly contemporary while also embedded with vernacular features that give the house its cabin-in-the-woods appeal, including gabled rooflines with pronounced chimney stacks and an abundance of naturally aged wood.

The client requested a year-round retreat that would serve as an inviting destination to entertain guests while also being comfortable for their family of five. To accommodate, Akb nested each volume above and within the existing topography with minimal structural disruption. A single roof plane resides over a large open-concept living and dining area framed by a vaulted ceiling encased in hand-brushed European oak boards. The cladding extends beyond a sliding glass partition into an outdoor porch with additional dining, lounge and bar. To delineate the kitchen and outdoor areas as separate and more intimate spaces, Akb used a flat ceiling to define rooms within rooms in a free-flowing floorplate.

The interior finishes focus on the elemental, with bespoke concrete vanities and kitchen cabinetry made to blend into the wall boards and run flush with the island's granite countertop. Soft furnishings and area rugs in neutral tones add warmth to the architecture's gentle interplay between rustic charm and finely tuned minimalism.

What distinguishes this cottage from others is the elasticity of the boundary between inside and out - the flexibility of the perimeter walls, the interstitial spaces they create, and the cottage's earthen materiality. Craftsmanship expressed through precise joinery and material transitions, along with the restraint of rudimentary forms layered with textural qualities, create an ambience felt as much as seen. Unpainted Venetian plaster walls in the bedroom have a comfortably aged softness. So, too, with a hot-rolled steel custom rack for storing firewood outdoors. It is destined to patina over time, reflecting the organic nature of a home designed to age with grace.