Finding happiness in the forest | The Press

Located on the mountainside on one of the peaks of Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs, a slender house offers a breathtaking view of a landscape of mountains and forests. It is this horizon which he had planned to take advantage of during his free time that a couple of city dwellers “down to the tips of their nails” ended up falling in love to the point of spending most of their time there.

Isabelle Morin
The Press

Invested in their research, rigorous in their approach, Marielle Paradis and Pierre Dansereau took the time – a year and more than 50 visits – to find land that met their criteria in all respects. First, a location “with a view” one hour from Montreal to facilitate round trips between the city and the countryside. Then a place where you can hear the “silence” – one filled with the chatter of birds and the rustle of the wind tickling the foliage.

There, they could carry out their project to have a place built to measure for their needs. A “house-nature”, as they describe it, where to take deep breaths of air during their free time to regain, refreshed, the energy of the city, its cultural effervescence, its abundance of restaurants and all that makes vibrate convinced city dwellers.

And then came spring 2020.

“We thought we were leaving town for two weeks. It’s been more than two and a half years now, ”announces Pierre Dansereau who, in the process, retired, while his wife continues her practice in teleconsultation. Unexpected turnaround: the Montreal condo has become the pied-à-terre. From now on, happiness is in the woods…

Geometry in a Laurentian haven

The couple targeted their architects with the same attention given to the search for the land: by interviewing different firms. His choice fell on Thellend Fortin, a duo composed of Louis Thellend and Marie-Louise Fortin, whose contemporary and creative signature matched his vision. “We wanted a house that hugs the terrain and maximizes the view,” says its owner. We fell in love with their plans. »

From an abrupt relief was born a house on two levels whose architectural language remains elegantly discreet to the benefit of the landscape it espouses. The planning of the cabin succeeds in extracting the maximum from the surrounding decor.

The elongated rectangular shape of the building offers a succession of rooms, each generously lined with windows: on one side, a panoramic view; on the other, a striking light bursting from the south.

The enfilade of rooms is energized by changes in levels that allow the structure to mold itself to the topography of the land. The exterior can thus be approached on the same level from most rooms, despite the slope of the ground.

A slight inclination in the roof – five degrees of slope, however decisive – makes it possible to modify the volume of the rooms. The ceilings, at the highest in the living room, gradually decrease to the bedroom which thus seems more intimate and enveloping.

An omnipresent landscape

Daily life is lived on the upper floor which includes the living rooms, the outdoor dining room and the master suite. “The kitchen is my favorite place,” says Pierre Dansereau, who found a new interest in cooking in this well-planned space with two 12-foot-long counters. “Having time,” he says, “makes the experience doubly enjoyable. »

The garden level hosts a family room which is also used for training and two bedrooms for visits, one of which has been transformed into an office. Both floors have their own landscaped outdoor garden.

“We wanted a big house – spacious and airy – but we wanted to rediscover the concept of private space so as not to have the impression of always being together in the same room”, underline the owners. Without being partitioned, the living room, located at one end of the house, is separated from the kitchen and the dining room by a covered outdoor terrace surrounded on three sides. At the other end of the building, the master suite extends cantilevered and gives the impression of floating in the treetops.

Inside and outside, always this wood which gives the place this natural and warm touch. Everywhere, this generous light and this vision of a changing and never monotonous nature.

“This spring, there is a dazzling burst of buds. Last year was different. This contact with nature is a constant surprise”, notes Marielle Paradis, describing an authentic landscape: a forest all around, the mountain in the distance, the valley below and the sky which offers a changing and sometimes grandiose picture when it is fills with stars. An endless pleasure…