Jesse Sahlani’s Nordic Modernist Barnhouse Cottage in Tiny, ON, is a sleek and unique home that uses simple and raw materials in order to stay true to the roots of this exotic custom design style. The heavily wooded lot offered a number of different natural features that were considered, and protected, through the design process. The main focus in designing this structure was to create a highly designed space on both the interior and exterior that supports family fun, health and wellness, and weekend entertaining, while truly interacting with the natural surroundings. The roofline, a tall, steep, and dramatic feature of the home and is clad in standing seam metal that contrasts nicely against the natural wood vertical siding used throughout the exterior to create a noticeably muted massing. Large floor to ceiling windows are used to harness natural light into the great room and offer views of the outdoor entertainment area.

On the interior, the two storey great room and a large entertaining kitchen offers the amenities a family of up to 4 would need to enjoy this home for summer use. Each bedroom has a spa-esque washroom and walk-in closet connected to it, and the principal bedroom also sports an exterior balcony overlooking the heavily wooded lot. Utilizing a clean and simple natural palette consisting of wood tones, white painted walls, and black fluted feature wall accents, this home is simplistic, minimalistic, yet impactful finished.

The exterior design works around the trees we mentioned earlier, and manages to include a dipping pool that is accessible in the winter months for cold plunges, an exterior dry sauna designed in traditional nordic fashion, a large deck, and a second-floor terrace that is surrounded by stone retaining walls, and an elaborate outdoor jungle gym that takes advantage of the volume of trees on the lot.