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A Unique, Modern House That’s Designed To Respect the Landscape

05.16.23 | By
A Unique, Modern House That’s Designed To Respect the Landscape

Bourgeois / Lechasseur architects are the team behind this unique home located in Les Forges by the Saint-Maurice River in Quebec, Canada. Built within dense pine trees, the Des Forges Residence, which resembles a three-sided star or a triangular speaker found in many conference rooms, resides on the edge of a cliff with access from the main road via a long private driveway. The house is designed to both “reflect and respect” the topography, surrounding vegetation, river curves, and the views.

end exterior view of modern house with stone ground level and wood and glass upper level

Local building restrictions limit if and how buildings can be constructed near the river’s cliff to prevent erosion. To make the Des Forges Residence happen, the structure had to align with the profile of the cliff and be distanced at least 20-meters away.

elongated exterior view at twilight of modern house with stone ground level and wood and glass upper level

The sculptural home spans two floors with three wings joined by a central space that includes a curved staircase. The stone clad lower floor houses the two-car garage, front entryway, and curved staircase. It also features the guest areas and utility rooms.

daytime exterior view of modern house with stone ground level and wood and glass upper level

In addition to the stone foundation, the upper level is supported by a steel structure and secondary wooden structure. The wooden structure comes to light in the central part of the home on the ceiling above the grand staircase.

daytime exterior view of modern house with stone ground level and wood and glass upper level

Along with the natural stone, the black spruce siding helps visually disguise the house in nature. The contrasting colors give the upper level the appearance that it’s floating amongst the trees.

end view of exterior view of modern house with stone ground level and wood and glass upper level

elevated sky view of exterior view of modern house with stone ground level and wood and glass upper level

closeup exterior view of modern house with rounded wood and glass doorway

The outside entryway is surrounded by four stone arches that lead to a semi-circular, solid wood and glass front door.

interior view of modern home's circular white and wood staircase

down interior view of modern circular staircase with wood treads and white banisters

upper interior view of modern house with circular opening for curved staircase and wood ceiling

The central part of the home highlights the double-height staircase with a stone wall, modern white banister, cascading chandelier, and triangular wooden ceiling.

interior view of modern living room with modular sofa, white builtins and wood ceiling

The upper level includes the public living spaces and primary bedroom suite. One wing houses the living room with a large modular sofa and bank of built-in storage cabinets. Just past that is a pool table and seating area, all surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows.

interior view of modern living space with large windows framing wooded view

interior view of modern home with unique curved staircase and patterned wood ceiling

interior view of modern home with stone fireplace

The large kitchen, dining room, and another seating area make up another wing, all with equally alluring views.

interior view of modern kitchen with white cabinets and long wood table

interior view of modern home with black wall

The private wing includes the main bedroom, bathroom, office, and laundry room.

interior view of modern bathroom with white marbled surfaces

interior view of modern bathroom with white marbled surfaces

Photography by Adrien Williams, courtesy v2com.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.