Montreal studio Pelletier de Fontenay and architect François Abbott have included a plywood-lined meditation room in one of the three gabled volumes that form this home in Hatley, Quebec.
Hatley House is named after the small, rural community in southern Quebec, near the Canada-America border. Elevated on a natural plateau, the steep gables of the home are visible from a distance.
"Three identically shaped volumes of varying sizes and orientation are connected side by side without ever intersecting," Pelletier de Fontenay said in a project description. "Together, they form an uncommon yet coherent ensemble."
Pelletier de Fontenay – a Montreal studio led by Hubert Pelletier and Yves de Fontenay – designed the property in collaboration with Montreal architect Abbott. The aim was to reinterpret the design of nearby barns and sheds with contemporary materials and construction, including wooden cladding and standing-seam sheet metal for the exterior.
The largest of these pitched structures is in the centre of the 300-square-metre home. The double-height space contains the lounge, dining area and kitchen. It receives plenty of daylight through sliding glass doors that open to a terrace, and a skylight above.
"Inside the house, large windows frame carefully selected views onto to the agrarian landscape, while skylights in every double-height space fill the interior with natural light all day," Pelletier de Fontenay added.
The master suite is set on the southern side, with views of the mountains of Vermont, and is the smallest of the three volumes. Extra living space is provided by a plywood-clad mezzanine built above the bedroom that the owners use as a space for meditation.
The third wing contains two guest bedrooms. It is one step lower than the rest of the home, and can be accessed from a separate entrance and terrace for additional privacy. Similarly to the master bedroom, there is also a mezzanine built above the bedrooms, which serves as a quieter space away from the main living room.
Throughout the residence, the firm has teamed the simple finishes of polished concrete, white walls and plywood surfaces, with antique furniture. Photographs of the interiors show time-worn elements such as mismatched chairs in the dining room, an aged leather couch and a cast-iron fireplace.
Other residences in Quebec include a property by YH2 that also combines three separate volumes to form a continuous unit, and a gabled property by Atelier Boom-Town that overlooks the St-Lawrence River.
Photography is by James Brittain.
Project credits:
Architecture: Pelletier de Fontenay
Design collaborator: François Abbott
Structure: Lateral
Builder: Constructions Boivin