It’s safe to say that we have a soft spot for cabins. Woodland cabins such as Chris Tate’s Tent House, coastal cabins like Arkitektvaerelset’s Hooded Cabin and even mythical cabins, such as PAN’s high-rise buildings above the Nordic forest. Well, if you enjoy looking through relaxing retreats as much as we do, here’s another one – the Grand Pic Residence designed by Canadian design firm APPAREIL Architecture.
Inspired by traditional shapes and the surrounding nature, the chalet design is a unique piece of architecture tailor-made for its residents. The owners wanted a warm space, fit to host family and friends, and to sit in harmony with the environment, a space that breathes fresh air and replenishment. The Grand Pic cottage offers just that. Through simplicity and sober physicality, the home offers up a unique experience of symbiosis between nature and architecture.
Located deep in the woods of Quebec, APPAREIL Architecture has built a pair of light-filled cabins, both clad in corrugated steel and painted black. Each individual cabin is also linked together by a cedar decking, raised above the forest floor.
The Chalet Grand Pic aims to create a warm space, for friends and family, where residents can enjoy the simplicity of breathing fresh air while enjoying a rustic escape. An escape that was led by the objective of ‘being guided and inspired by the terrain’s characteristics,’ as APPAREIL Architecture explain. That’s why the decking offers a space for the cabin’s dwellers to entertain while a dock-like pathway runs around to the ancillary building.
In contrast to the building’s exterior, the inside of the larger cabin is characterised by a light-filled structural core covered in Russian plywood. The interior is organised according to this feature, with kitchen cabinets and countertops coloured white, while the sink faucet, bar stools, and dining chairs are all black. “The wooden texture on all walls and ceilings of the interior envelope allows the shape of the vernacular-inspired main interior volume to be accentuated,” adds the practice.
Photography by Félix Michaud
In the mood for even more of the world’s finest architecture? Then you’re going to want to see Koda; the movable home of the future.
