Designed for a couple leaving behind the city experience of Montreal, Knowlton Prairie by architects L.McComber, saw a tired 1970s bungalow updated into a contemporary cottage. Located in the surrounds of a quiet village, the finished home demonstrates the architect’s brief: to design a new building that appears naturally rooted in its environment while responding to the character and charm of the neighborhood at large. 

Set parallel to the road, the house takes on a modest scale, mirroring the neighbouring buildings. With its traditional casement windows and divided panes and stained pine cladding, the reference points of the home’s exterior chime with the architectural language of the village. Inside, basswood panelling creates a warm atmosphere, blurring the line between a rural cabin and a village home. Ceilings are clad in yet more of the beautifully tactile timber, adding a cocoon-like calm throughout the interior. The restrained palette of white walls and neutral furnishings, allows the carefully crafted details space to breathe, placing an emphasis on the work of the local carpenters, joiners, and cabinetmakers who collaborated on the project. 

A sensitive remodel that built on the bones of what came before, Knowlton Prairie embraces the textures and scale of the surrounding buildings, settling quietly into the neighborhood – much like its own residents. While the home has an underlying sense of the traditional and familiar, the contemporary details show striking panache in their subtle updates. Discover more projects by L.McComber.

Photography © Ulysse Lemerise