Houzz Tour: A Minimalist and Monochrome Canadian Lake House
Expansive lake views and large, bright and airy spaces give this home a Zen-like quality
Spare and sleek don’t have to equal cold and stark. Although this family wanted a monochromatic, minimalist aesthetic for their holiday home on Lake Simcoe in Canada, they also wanted comfort. Interior designer Shirley Meisels paid careful attention to textural and colour contrast, adding warmth and interest to the uncluttered space in subtle ways. To fulfill the homeowners’ desire to make their holiday home as ‘super simple’ and fuss free as possible, she emphasised their vast lake views, made the most of the natural light and created a harmonious balance between gallons of white paint and darker accents.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here A couple and their 3 (soon to be 4) children
Location Lake Simcoe, north of Toronto, Canada
Size 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
Interior designer Shirley Meisels
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here A couple and their 3 (soon to be 4) children
Location Lake Simcoe, north of Toronto, Canada
Size 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
Interior designer Shirley Meisels
The kitchen, dining area and family room are all contained in one big, open space. The one-and-a-half-storey windows drove a lot of the design; Shirley didn’t want to obstruct or distract from the expansive views of the lake. To enhance the light and airy feeling, she opted for all-white walls and a light oak floor. The oak continues up the kitchen wall onto the cabinets, making the transition seamless.
‘We wanted to create functional spaces that would be comfy for the whole family to be together,’ Shirley says. A wool rug defines the family ‘room’; a dining table creates a buffer between that area and the kitchen.
Browse ideas for open plan living
‘We wanted to create functional spaces that would be comfy for the whole family to be together,’ Shirley says. A wool rug defines the family ‘room’; a dining table creates a buffer between that area and the kitchen.
Browse ideas for open plan living
The same Caesarstone is used on the worktops and the splashback, also to keep the look smooth. The homeowners wanted just one wall of cabinetry. ‘The open shelves were born of necessity,’ the designer says. ‘They wanted an easy place for the kids to grab and put away their cups and plates.’ As a bonus, the objects on the shelves add visual interest.
To temper the sleekness, Shirley brought in contrasting colour, a range of textures and striking silhouettes. ‘Even though everything is clean and simple, I wanted to rough it up a bit with imperfect elements, such as rougher woods, pottery and hammered steel,’ she says. ‘The cottage itself is pretty slick; if everything was perfectly clean and monotone, it would feel very sterile.’
One of the biggest ‘roughed up’ elements she added is the dining room table. ‘The contrast of the black helps ground the space and balances the other half of the room, she says. The curved silhouettes of the Vitra Panton chairs throw some curves at all of the straight, modern lines.
Dining table, Restoration Hardware.
Be inspired by monochrome schemes
To temper the sleekness, Shirley brought in contrasting colour, a range of textures and striking silhouettes. ‘Even though everything is clean and simple, I wanted to rough it up a bit with imperfect elements, such as rougher woods, pottery and hammered steel,’ she says. ‘The cottage itself is pretty slick; if everything was perfectly clean and monotone, it would feel very sterile.’
One of the biggest ‘roughed up’ elements she added is the dining room table. ‘The contrast of the black helps ground the space and balances the other half of the room, she says. The curved silhouettes of the Vitra Panton chairs throw some curves at all of the straight, modern lines.
Dining table, Restoration Hardware.
Be inspired by monochrome schemes
The family members come up to the lake to spend the majority of their time enjoying the outdoors, so they don’t need to keep much stuff here. They do have a comfy spot for gathering to watch TV in the family room. A large, deep sofa, two large upholstered ottomans and two Paulistano chairs provide comfy seating. A lacquered custom cabinet provides storage for toys and books.
Shirley picked a stain-resistant fabric for the sofa and wipeable leather for the ottomans and chairs. Details such as the wood and metal nesting tables and the wood side table bring in some roughness and texture. ‘I wanted to layer in some natural elements,’ she says. ‘The wood side table also helps tie in the caramel leather on the Paulistano chairs.’ Throw pillows and blankets add more softness. Black leather on the ottomans and other dark accents balance things out with contrast, while pottery pieces add interesting silhouettes.
Sofa and ottomans, custom via Shirley Meisels. Rug, Restoration Hardware. Nesting tables, West Elm. Black jug, Stefania Vasquez for Diamantini & Domeniconi
Shirley picked a stain-resistant fabric for the sofa and wipeable leather for the ottomans and chairs. Details such as the wood and metal nesting tables and the wood side table bring in some roughness and texture. ‘I wanted to layer in some natural elements,’ she says. ‘The wood side table also helps tie in the caramel leather on the Paulistano chairs.’ Throw pillows and blankets add more softness. Black leather on the ottomans and other dark accents balance things out with contrast, while pottery pieces add interesting silhouettes.
Sofa and ottomans, custom via Shirley Meisels. Rug, Restoration Hardware. Nesting tables, West Elm. Black jug, Stefania Vasquez for Diamantini & Domeniconi
In the master bedroom, Shirley continued her strategy of roughing up the very simple white space. ‘Using textures really helps warms things up in a light room,’ she says. The bed is upholstered, the rug adds furry softness underfoot, and the mango wood bedside table adds a rough-hewn, industrial feeling. ‘The combination of these textures makes the bedroom super cosy,’ she says.
Pottery in imperfect shapes helps to keep things from feeling too slick and rectilinear.
Bed and bedside table, West Elm. Pottery, Target. Table lamp, Restoration Hardware.
Bed and bedside table, West Elm. Pottery, Target. Table lamp, Restoration Hardware.
In the master bathroom, Shirley used the same oak wood she used in the kitchen on the vanity unit and the same Caesarstone worktop. The dark floor and mirror frame provide contrast. The floor tiles are porcelain planks shaped like boards that Shirley laid in a herringbone pattern. She has clever ways of keeping things from getting boring.
Huge 24in by 48in porcelain tiles that look like marble cover the walls in the bathroom. Paired with clear glass, they create a seamless transition into the shower cubicle. A slightly slanted floor directs the water into a long, linear drain.
TELL US…
What do you think of this home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US…
What do you think of this home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
The front door opens into a hallway with big views through the great room and out to the lake. A console table creates a landing zone, and the mirror reflects the view of the lake and natural light.
Table, Strut by Blu Dot. Mirror, Restoration Hardware.