Two-storey villa in Quebec. Wood and steel for overlapping volumes

Canadian architect David Dworkind has created a two-storey villa composed of two superimposed structures, lying on top of a slope from where they seem to float among the trees of this vast mountain area on the border between Quebec and Vermont

The house is characterized by two overlapping spaces; a wooden clad space anchored to the mountain supports a cantilevered volume on the ground floor. The concrete block partially integrated into the slope contains the lower floor, while the upper floor is enclosed in a hut block covered with anthracite gray steel panels

The lower part of the roof is covered with slabs made of Douglas fir plywood. The long horizontal striped window framing the wide view of Mount Orford opens onto a wooden terrace that serves as a roof for a pine log shed and for cars

A house-shaped volume at the back of the living space separates a double bedroom and a private bathroom from the living room. A slit cut from one corner of this block creates a recess to accommodate the kitchen featuring light maple worktops and white units. A row of pendant bulbs hangs from the bottom of this sloping opening above the breakfast counter

Black metal framed stairs run down behind the gray unit containing the fireplace and log shed to the lower floor, where there is a second bedroom, bathroom and storage room

The living room and bedroom have the same color palette, with gray slate floors, a fireplace and a warmly laminated and blackened steel staircase. In the living room, a horizontal glass strip with thick black frames directs the view through the treetops to the valley below

The combination of steel with the warmth of the essences of local wood, fir and maple, creates a cozy, functional and contemporary taste