Pavillon Reimagines a 1970s Family Cottage in Quebec

Montreal-based studio Pavillon reinterprets the memory of a former family home through a contemporary design shaped by its surroundings in Quebec’s Laurentians.

Designed by Montreal-based studio Pavillon, this newly built home located in La Minerve, Quebec’s Laurentians stands out for its unconventional geometry and the way it reinterprets the memory of the place. Shaped by the constraints of the site, its trapezoidal form stems from careful consideration of its placement on the land and its relationship with the surrounding environment. The interior design pays tribute to this history, sensitively bringing past and present into conversation.

This long-gestating project draws inspiration from the family cottage built in the 1970s, which was destroyed by fire several decades later. Julie Bureau, one of Pavillon’s founders, remembers its red facade, floral patterns and woven light fixtures, but above all, the weekends spent riding motocross bikes through the nearby woods. Memories of Lac Chapleau nourished and gave rise to the identity of the new project, where the colours, materials and evocative details of the original cottage are reinterpreted in a contemporary way.

The new home is entirely wrapped in a silver-coloured corrugated metal skin, giving it a restrained, modern and intriguing presence. Its materiality captures changing light, the colours of the sky and the subtleties of the landscape. The cottage blends discreetly into its surroundings while asserting a distinctive architectural identity.

Given its unusual shape and limited floor area, the interior layout was carefully designed to make the most of every habitable corner. Circulation space has been kept to a minimum, while certain areas are multifunctional and flexible, adapting to different activities and to the needs of those who stay there. A closet can become a small office, and the hallway leading to the powder room also provides access to the refrigerator and pantry. One bedroom can be easily reconfigured to accommodate additional sleeping spaces.

Indoors, the atmosphere is intimate and enveloping. An earthy palette harmonizes with the landscape outside, which the large square windows frame like paintings. The furniture and decorative elements sometimes play with contrast. In the living area, the stainless steel table echoes the building’s reflective, rigid exterior, while the velvet sofa by élément de base invites guests to linger in comfort. Shades of red, yellow and brown are reinterpreted through a distinctly innovative language marked by formal simplicity.

The project thus weaves together memory, architecture and landscape. Without giving in to nostalgia, it translates the spirit of the original cottage into a contemporary expression. Every choice of form, material and colour helps preserve the identity of the place and extend its memory. The new cottage is both a retreat rooted in its surroundings and a place where new memories can take shape.

For more information, visit Pavillon’s official website.