Chown Cottage
Lake Joseph, Muskoka · ON
"A cottage is a clearing in the trees."
CPD · positioning, in one sentence
§ 01 · The Pivot
From renovation to new build.
The story of Chown Cottage began with an existing cottage on the shores of Lake Joseph. Our clients hoped to renovate, alongside plans for a new garage and boathouse. We approached the property holistically from day one — designing all three structures in tandem so they would read as a single, unified family compound rather than separate additions.
As the renovation drawings developed, the scope grew. New roof, new windows, new mechanical and plumbing, kitchen and baths, additions. Trade quotes varied widely. The cost gap between renovating and building new began to narrow. After analysis, we presented the clients with a clearer path: sometimes the best renovation is a thoughtful new build. They agreed, and the real design work began.
§ 02 · The Lake
Designing for the water.
A single inspirational photo from the clients became our guiding light: the idea of blurring the line between inside and outside. On the lakeside, we placed two sets of doors with eight inches of solid wall between them — an almost unbroken connection to the water. We filled the gable end at the fireplace with glass, opening the living area to light and view. Roadside windows strike a careful balance: generous, but private.
§ 03 · The Site
Letting the land lead.
Muskoka zoning shaped every move — site coverage capped at 10% across all structures. The north-facing orientation added complexity, so we ran solar studies and removed select trees to bring sunlight onto the boathouse rooftop deck. Topography became an ally. We split the cottage over levels that follow the land: garage lower level aligned with the driveway, garage suite above with views over the cottage roof, the cottage and boathouse held on comfortable walkable planes.
§ 04 · The Architecture
Restraint as a design choice.
The architecture celebrates simplicity. We used standard parallel-chord trusses for the roof — nothing reinvented, nothing overworked — to maintain efficiency and keep cost in check. That restraint freed the budget for the parts that matter: interior finishes, exposed timber feature framing, custom details. A dark grey exterior palette lets the buildings recede into the trees.
§ 06 · The Home
A home for the way they live.
Inside, the main floor became the heart of family life — open living, dining and kitchen for gathering, a primary suite for quiet, a generous pantry to support the entertaining that comes with cottage life. Downstairs: three bedrooms (including a bunk room for the kids), a small rec room, an office. A family of four can be together, or apart.
§ 07 · The Compound
One material language across three buildings.
A consistent palette runs across the cottage, boathouse and garage — wood tones, siding, standing-seam roofing, expansive glass. Sustainability is woven in quietly: a tight envelope, ICF foundation, high insulation. What started as a renovation became a single, light-filled retreat — rooted to its Lake Joseph shoreline and shaped to the way the family lives.
§ 07.5 · Three buildings · three pages
Continue the tour.
The cottage is one of three structures we designed in tandem. The boathouse and garage have their own pages.
Chown Boathouse →
Two-storey lakeside structure with a rooftop deck — featured in Style At Home, Summer 2025.
Chown Garage →
Two-storey shed-roof structure with a guest suite above and views over the cottage roof to the lake.
§ 08 · Sun Studies
Working with a north-facing site.
Lake Joseph’s setting handed us a north-facing orientation — a real constraint for a cottage where the long view sits opposite the sun. We modelled the building and its tree canopy across a calendar year, removed select trees only where they blocked the boathouse rooftop deck, and let the studies inform glazing strategy and outdoor living priorities.
§ 09 · In Print
Style At Home, Summer 2025.
The boathouse rooftop deck — the result of the sun studies, the tree-edits and the lakeside glass strategy — was featured in the Summer 2025 issue of Style At Home, in The Great Escape, a profile of nine outdoor retreats.
“Dreaming of spending your days soaking up the sun, dining alfresco and lounging by the lake all summer long? Draw inspiration from these nine stunning outdoor spaces…”
§ 10 · Gallery
Twelve frames.
A wider look at the cottage and its setting — Lake Joseph, October 2024.
A site, a brief, a long conversation.
Tell us about your shoreline, your family, and the way you want to live in it. We’ll take it from there.
