House on the River by Atelier Échelle
Atelier Échelle’s House on the River is a 4,500-square-foot residence with a 1,060-square-foot winter garden, designed for a couple with deep family roots on the site. Located in the riverside village of Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Québec, the home sits on land held by the family for generations. The footprint of a 1970s prefab bungalow was used as the basis for a new studio and winter garden—an homage to the owners’ legacy as passionate gardeners.
House Reads Like a Small Village
The house assembles five interlocking pitched volumes, each corresponding to a vaulted interior space. Inspired by vernacular forms, the home reads like a small village, unified by a consistent material palette.
The main living space is anchored by a 50-foot (15-metre) window offering expansive river views and connecting the kitchen, dining, and lounge areas. This central volume is flanked by an outdoor kitchen and pool area on one side, and the primary suite on the other.
Outdoor amenities include an Argentinian-style grill, motorized mosquito screens, and heat lamps for seasonal comfort.
Relaxed Connection to Nature
Clad in Shou Sugi Ban—a traditional Japanese technique of wood charring—the exterior stands in sharp contrast to the winter landscape and recedes into summer foliage.
Each room opens to the river, maintaining a continuous connection to nature. Inside, 18-inch-wide (46-centimetre) white oak floors, richly veined Taj Mahal quartzite countertops, and integrated lighting create a refined, textural environment.
The kitchen, designed for a client who is an accomplished cook, includes an oversized pantry with direct access to a carport roofed in translucent PVC. This arrangement allows functional prep work behind the scenes while keeping the open kitchen at the heart of entertaining.
Single Framed View of Water
A writing nook leads into the primary suite, where oak-lined walls and closets enclose a compact bedroom focused on a single, framed view of the water.
The adjoining bathroom is generous and sunlit, finished with Bianco Dolomite tiles, Calacatta marble, a freestanding tub, and tumbled mosaic flooring. A dedicated makeup vanity and enclosed WC complete the suite.
Three guest bedrooms occupy a separate wing. One features an en suite bath with indigo Japanese tile and white oak vanity; the others share a bath split into separate shower and toilet rooms—ideal for families.
Each guest room includes a large window seat framed in oak millwork, offering moments of quiet connection to the landscape.
Rare Sink Embedded with Veins
A nearby powder room features a rare blue stone vanity with chocolate and white veining, paired with a ceramic light fixture by a Montreal-based father-daughter studio.
Blending memory, craft, and landscape, House on the River is a finely tuned architectural response to site, season, and story.
Photography by Maxime Brouillet
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