Country Homes

See A Newly Built Home Inspired By Rural Quebec’s Picturesque Landscape

Author: Matthew Hague

Published on July 30, 2024

When architectural designer Douglas Dawson’s sister asked him to design her new home in the Laurentians just north of Montreal, he decided to build a love letter to Quebec. Born and raised in la belle province, Douglas has fond memories of skiing at Gray Rocks, a resort close to Tremblant, and touring the quaint villages of Île d’Orléans near Quebec City. “I was inspired by traditional saltbox houses you find in the area with the steeply peaked roofs,” he says. “They have real character with their board-and-batten siding and sash windows.”

The project kicked off in early 2020, with Douglas collaborating with architect Dina Sarhane of DS Studio, and Montreal designer Yves A. Lefebvre tackling the interiors. Douglas’s sister had left Montreal years earlier and loved the country setting of the Laurentians, but wanted a more private new home that had main-floor living. “I wanted to be able to walk out my front door and get lost in the woods hiking or cross-country skiing,” she says.

The overall interior aesthetic, conceived by Yves, is also steeped in Quebec culture, albeit from a different region. Yves once had a place in La Malbaie, a town on the St. Lawrence River. “My client visited me there and fell in love,” says Yves. “La Malbaie inspired a lot of the texture in these interiors — the wood walls and the exposed joists on the underside of the cathedral ceiling, and all of the mouldings.”

Scroll down for a look inside this Farmstead-style home!

Photographer:

Justin Van Leeuwen

Source:

House & Home

Designer:

Douglas Dawson (architectural design)/Yves A. Lefebvre (interior design)