La Comtois | An estate on agricultural land

Designed for a young couple and their two children, this house, with its beautiful country feel, was inspired by the architecture of the local old ones to blend into its agricultural landscape… and for a long time. Implementing it without disrupting the landscape is one of the strong points of La Comtois de Terrebonne, awarded silver certification at the Grand Prix du design.

Steeve Cousineau Gauvin and his partner, Julie Anne Ouellette, had a clear vision of this project in which they want to see their children grow up. On the large agricultural land, there would be a small estate which, they dared to dream, could pass from generation to generation. “We imagined a large single storey that allows fluidity with the exterior, with large windows and a cathedral ceiling,” describes the owner. DKA Architectures made this abstraction take shape.

The residence fits into its environment with a naturalness which is due to its nods to the old buildings of the area: an exterior wooden cladding, tiled windows, a sheet metal roof on which stand two imposing chimneys. These borrowings from buildings of yesteryear are interpreted from a contemporary angle which makes it possible to harmoniously combine two eras and two lifestyles.

“We spent a lot of time analyzing the site. The land is large, which allowed us to place the house set back from the path, which is busy. Since it is flat, the residence is however exposed to prevailing winds,” underlines architect Virginie Roy Montpellier, who designed the plans. Added to this constraint was a request for a garage large enough to accommodate three cars.

These challenges dictated the shape of the house, which unfolds in a U shape at the rear. La Comtois is made up of three volumes: the living spaces, the bedrooms, as well as the garage, the impact of which was minimized by positioning it to the side and omitting the openings on the facade, where it is discreet. To this last block are added the outdoor living areas, topped by a cathedral ceiling.

This long row of the service block extends the house on one side and creates an alcove which partially encompasses the courtyard and protects it from view and the wind. It is in this “favorite” space for the family that the outdoor living room is displayed, equipped with a large fireplace and a summer kitchen from where the family enjoys a view of a small wood. where the sun goes out at the end of the day.

A serene universe

Inside and out, white eclipses the structures to make way for the surrounding vegetation. The interior design does not become clinical, however. The country side of the place, conveyed by the bleached oak on the floor, the wood of the furniture and the cedar paneling on the ceiling, injects a gentle warmth into the space.

The residence is thus bathed in generous light which fully penetrates its center, where the living rooms are located, the walls of which are glazed on both sides. The heart of the house, conducive to bringing together family and receiving friends, is unifying, like its occupants.

In the kitchen, a large quartz island, extended by a wooden dinette, can accommodate a large number of guests. The storage and the stove are concentrated on a wall which separates the living block from the service area. The overload was circumvented by hiding the fridge and covering the cellar with frosted glass which reveals the bottles while blending them into the decor.

The atmosphere is peaceful, relaxed, without major contrasts, as desired by the owners, who were very involved in the interior design as well as the exterior layout. It is also Prestige Paysage, a company owned by Steeve Cousineau Gauvin, which created the landscaping which he describes as minimalist, thanks to the repetition of plants in the flowerbeds. This symmetry is reminiscent of agricultural fields.

“After living in the house for a year, I would say that we appreciate its brightness and its 18-foot-high ceilings even more,” says the owner. When we come back from vacation or visiting friends, we realize how big our house is! »