Second Look: Tree House
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Sharephotos by: Claude-Simon Langlois
August 1, 2008
When architect Gavin Macrae-Gibson set out to create a new lakeside summer home for his family in Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains (see "Bridging the Gap," page 106), he took his cues from the site’s pristine landscape. "Everything is designed to stimulate the sense of being in nature," he says. Doing so required that Macrae-Gibson bring a bit of the forest indoors.Quebec craftsman and master carpenter Louis Pelletier helped Macrae-Gibson repurpose the property’s fallen trees and branches, which appear throughout the home as both decorative and functional elements. Maple and poplar branches served as materials for exterior terrace railings and custom tables. In the living room (pictured), entire maples frame the hearth and the kitchen entry, and an ash makes for a dramatic newel post.
"All of the wood came from trees that were downed in a big
storm," says Pelletier. Large trees destined for the interior were stripped of
their bark and installed before Pelletier carefully cleaned them to preserve
their natural textures. Once dry, the trees were then varnished. The entire
process took about two months, but the results, says Pelletier, are worth the
wait. "I have a 28-foot maple in my own home," says Pelletier, who also has
worked on dozens of Laurentian historic restoration projects. "The trees bring
drama, nature, strength, and beauty to a house."
Louis Pelletier, 819.322.1453
