Decorating & Design
July 3, 2024
H&H’s Best Boathouses, Guest Cabins And Pool Houses
From cottage boathouses cantilevered over the water to rustic cabins nestled in the woods, we’re taking a look back at some of the most memorable guest houses featured in the pages of House & Home. Having a designated structure on your property for weekend visitors or recreational activities will enhance you and your guests’ experience alike, so take cues from these experts who designed beautiful guest homes that echo the same great style as their main houses, while offering a tranquil respite for weekend company. “People settle into our Muskoka guest cabin and say, ‘Do we have to come out? Maybe we’ll just see you in a while,’ ” jokes Don Tapscott of his country hideaway on Lake of Bays. Scroll down for a look inside some of our best boathouses, cottage cabins and pool houses from the archives.
A Guest Cabin On Lake Of Bays
“We wanted the building to disappear into the setting,” says Don Tapscott of the gabled-roof cabin on his Muskoka property. “And we try to keep the grounds as natural as possible,” adds his wife Ana. “All of the plants are local, including the wildflowers.”
The guesthouse includes a foyer, living and dining area, kitchen, two bedrooms, a laundry closet, a full bathroom and a powder room. To complement the Adirondack lodge–style main cottage, they decided on a moody “Belgium meets Muskoka” vibe.
Designer Clarisa Llaneza of Clarisa Llaneza Studio echoed the main cottage’s brown exterior and went soulful and spare in the new space, layering in earthy hues and black shades to blend in with the Canadian terrain. An outdoor seating area with a Corten steel firepit can be glimpsed through the window.
Though a modest 1,040 square feet, the cabin feels three times as big, with not a single inch wasted. “It’s a perfect little puzzle with no dead space,” says Ana. “There’s nothing superfluous.” The bedrooms and a laundry closet are accessed through doors disguised as cabinets in the kitchen. “Guests might think the double door leading to the bedroom corridor could easily be a fridge or a pantry, giving the impression of a larger kitchen,” says Clarisa of the clever and compact space.
A Breezy Boathouse On Lake Rosseau
With its soaring rafters and walkout deck, this breezy two-storey Muskoka boathouse on Lake Rosseau by Anne Hepfer has a wraparound balcony and dock-level seating.
Anne chose blue and white upholstery for the dockside seating area, mixing tones and prints to create interest and depth.“If colors start to match too much, the whole scheme falls flat,” she says.
The boathouse’s main rooms were updated with new windows and doors, and light oak floors. A light and blue palette is complemented by hits of wicker.
A pair of polished-nickel task lights mounted on either side of the island are the stars of the kitchen, and are a subtle nod to outdoor dock lighting.
A Modern Pool House In The City
Before this modern pool house was a cool entertaining hub, it was an under-utilized mother-in-law suite that hadn’t been updated since the 1990s. When architect Chris Sanders was hired to reimagine space, he knew he needed to bring it into present day, while maintaining some of its unique heritage. “The pool cabana shares the site with a 1920’s-era historic home,” says Chris.
Although the pool house may be small on square footage, it was designed with functionality in mind. “We designed everything to co-exist: It can go from being a guest house to a kid’s space to a locale for parties and family gatherings, so everything had to serve a variety of functions,” says Chris.
You don’t need a full kitchen in your pool house, but having access to a sink, mini fridge or even beer on tap will turn it into the ultimate entertainment hub. To avoid overcrowding the small space with a staircase, Chris installed a sleek ladder made out of painted steel to access the loft area.
A Luxury Boathouse In Muskoka
When it came to rebuilding this boathouse in Ontario’s Muskoka region, the homeowners called on longtime cottager and designer Anne Hepfer. Creating a design plan that balanced beauty with practicality, Anne zeroed in on the sheer romance of a boathouse, a slice of real estate that’s half water, half wood, where cottage memories are made.
The boathouse contains a guesthouse, as well as space for entertaining, so it’s well-equipped: there’s a bedroom, kitchen, full bathroom, and dock-level powder room and bar. The decorating is graphic and understated, with subtle nautical touches, woven accents and plenty of white and blue. Wire-brushed white oak floors add warmth, and lantern sconces, rope mirrors and Breton stripes are nautical touchstones.
Anne chose wire-brushed white oak flooring and painted pine board-and-batten for the walls, which withstands moisture better than drywall or MDF and has a modern, nautical look.
The downstairs bar has a pass-through with pocket windows for serving snacks and bevvies to guests outside. “The porcelain tile feels very ‘Italian café,’ and it’s also weatherproof,” says Anne.
The completely rebuilt boathouse is designed to echo the main cottage. The covered cabana provides shelter so the dock can be enjoyed in any kind of weather. Meanwhile, bags and towels are always at the ready for a boat ride.
A Guest Cottage In Quebec’s Eastern Townships
When the owners’ of this lakehouse on Lac Memphramagog realized there wasn’t enough space to accommodate everyone who visited, they knew an additional guest house would be the answer. For a while, they had wanted to convert an old garage on the property and lockdown life in 2020 gave them the final push. Drawn to neutral palettes, the warmth of wood, and with an affinity for classic, timeless design, the couple looked to Mélanie Cherrier and Laurence Pons Lavigne of Blanc Marine Intérieurs to pull off the garage conversion.
The design brief was simple: to create a warm and inviting space that was big enough to include two bedrooms and a kitchen. Contrary to the main house (a more formal family home), this two-storey, 1,800-square-foot, two-bedroom cottage is open concept, light and airy. “I wanted it to feel like you’re outside, immersed in nature, no matter where you are in the house,” says the homeowner.
The serene, lake-facing principal bedroom has a private balcony.
A vintage wood dresser pops against white panelled walls and painted wood floors.
A Classic Boathouse In Cottage Country
Leave it to Cory DeFrancisco, principal designer and owner of Muskoka Living, to design the ultimate cottage retreat. When his clients, a couple of avid boaters, acquired property on Lake Muskoka, they knew the exact style of boathouse they wanted. “We wanted to be very true to old Muskoka style,” says Cory. “The whole boathouse, both inside and out, has that relaxed look and feel of sitting on a veranda.”
The lower level holds three boat slips, plus a storage room (background) that’s usually pressed into service as an entertaining space. Furnishings in a breezy classic pairing — white upholstery and natural textures — instils a summery vibe.
“The bedroom was an exercise in discipline,” says Cory. “How can we stick to all-white but still make it interesting?” Using wider horizontal wall planks in the lower half of the space and running narrower shiplap vertically above the exposed rafters brings visual interest to the pale scheme. The addition of luxurious Portuguese cotton bed linens and a jute rug delivers a hit of texture and sophistication.
A Cool California Pool House
Cory DeFrancisco, who splits his time between his cottage and L.A. home, was inspired by Muskoka when it came to designing this luxe LA home. The pool house is L.A.’s answer to the bunkie: a separate 800-square-foot structure that could also function as a recording studio, gym or office. “We looked at this backyard like our lake, which, in cottage design, is your sacred space,” he says. “You take the key elements of the build and try to have them all either touching the water or having a view to it.” In this case, a pool stands in for the lake, while olive and citrus trees take the place of Muskoka’s white pines and sugar maples. Some things, though, transcend geography. “We always try to make a home feel cosy,” says Cory. “And we really focus on the layers and the details.”
The interior is an appealing blend of contemporary and traditional design, with a host of rounded architectural elements and curvy furniture. With light woods, natural textures and a neutral, sun-kissed palette, the design feels integrated into the landscape — soft, dreamy and organic.
A Petite Guest House Kitchen & Bathroom In Florida
Canadian designer Ashley Montgomery wanted this two-bedroom Florida guesthouse to echo the same style as the charming main house. “We wanted the petite guesthouse kitchen to double as a pool bar,” says Ashley, who filled the limited space with pattern and personality.
The guest house bathroom follows suit with quiet color, brass accents and shiplap panelling. “I wanted the decorating to look as if the English countryside collided with California cool,” she says.
A Modern Boathouse On Lake Joseph
Like the rest of this contemporary cottage designed by Akb Architects, the boathouse has a quiet presence on the water.
“This sunny spot on the boathouse dock is where we spend all of our time,” says the homeowner. “It’s beautifully designed: if you want shade, there’s plenty of it; if you want sun, there’s plenty of that, too.”
The boathouse’s lower-level sitting area creates the sensation of floating on water.
A sitting area on the boathouse’s upper level is kept breezy and spare with sculptural furnishings in light hues. Sliding glass doors allow the space to be opened up to the outdoors. “Because we’re on a small bay, there’s little boat traffic here, making it very peaceful,” says the homeowner.