Blouin Tardif Architecture has unveiled Panorama House. At the edge of the forest, between a valley and a grassy marsh, the Panorama house is a refined interpretation of the traditional cottage, complete with pitched metal roof and dark-stained Eastern cedar shingles. Sitting on a typically rolling Laurentian site, the house is based on a simple rectangular volume.
The orange front door leads to the ground floor, where the bedrooms and garage are located. Once inside, the visitor is beckoned upward by a stairway.
The design strategy was to put daytime activities (dining room, kitchen, living room, porch) together on the upper floor in order to make the most of the view and natural lighting. The rooms are carefully thought out as a panoramic series running along the southeast side, ending with the porch. A cathedral ceiling provides the most expansive volume possible on the second floor.
Inside the large common area, two volumes finished in eastern cedar divide the space. The first volume holds a steel fireplace, and the second houses functional spaces: kitchen, pantry, washroom.
Photos: Steve Montpetit