Minimalist contemporary design is taking over, both indoors and out
story by Judy Ross
Have you noticed the trend in newly built homes – that steel and glass, flat-roof look that seems to be cropping up everywhere? Some neighbourhoods near the ski hills are riddled with these boxy houses clad in black and glass. Many new builds in the countryside appear to slope into the landscape with angled roofs and walls of windows. And in downtown Collingwood, it seems that every fixer-upper that gets torn down is replaced with something either bulky and gabled or minimal and contemporary.
In traditional neighbourhoods, residents often get shaken up by ‘edgy’ homes being built around them, protesting that these contemporary houses don’t fit into the streetscape. Duntroon-based architectural designer Jim Campbell of Rockside Campbell Design is well aware of the objections. Campbell was responsible for the ‘copper house’ at the corner of Cedar and Third streets in Collingwood. As the house was being built, it really got people talking, often in a negative way.
From Campbell’s perspective, if a house doesn’t elicit a reaction, then he questions whether it’s worth doing. “People need to realize that we’re in the 21st century,” he says. “If all we do is recreate historical stuff, it becomes a bit of a dead end.” He points out that both the Federal Building and Town Hall in Collingwood were cutting-edge architectural icons of their time and “we should be looking at what we can do to create future icons.”
Similarly, Corey Gannon, whose former company, Tom & Associates, built a striking white farmhouse-style residence on Second Street in Collingwood, says that “the house made the front page of the newspaper and not in a good news way. We had neighbours complain, councillors complain, the deputy mayor complain … there was a lot of friction.”
According to realtor Ian Hawkins, there are no rules when it comes to the exterior aesthetics of a house. No matter how much the neighbours object, “if it meets the zoning criteria and the building codes, then you can build anything you want, unless it’s in the heritage district.” He also notes that, from a real estate perspective, there is increasing demand for this contemporary look with its airy open spaces and minimalist appeal.
Historically, changes in architecture have created controversy. Architecture tends to reflect social trends, so when the status quo alters, outrage can follow. Consider the Victorian era and its showy homes with ornate mouldings, ornamental pillars and excessive embellishment, not to mention dark and chopped-up interiors. Collingwood’s Third Street offers examples of these red brick mansions. It was a reaction to this exuberant style that led to the rise of the 1920s modern movement in architecture.
There is some confusion about the terms ‘modern’ and ‘contemporary’ when used in architecture. ‘Contemporary’ essentially refers to buildings that are in fashion today. It changes as trends come and go. ‘Modern’ is a style that emerged in Europe from the 1920s to 1950 or so. It featured clean lines and stark minimalism and was born out of Bauhaus, a German School of Art and Architecture. The name Bauhaus is German for ‘building house’ and the school was famously responsible for the adage “less is more.”
There is a relation also between a contemporary look and the industrial style, which began in the 1940s when abandoned industrial buildings were turned into apartment complexes. These loft-style apartments were, and still are, much in demand in areas like New York City’s SoHo district. In the heritage sections of our local downtowns, some of this conversion is taking place as old brick buildings are being gutted, restored, and turned into edgy apartments with rooftop terraces and industrial interiors. In the Shipyards development, the condo building and townhouses mirror aspects of the original warehouses that were in place when Collingwood’s ship building industry was in full swing.
Nobody knows for sure how these new, trendy homes will be viewed in the future, but for now they’re pretty easy to spot. These are some of the architectural characteristics to look for.
- Flat roofs (or dramatically angled ones) and strong geometric shapes that give the building a cubic look.
- Straight and horizontal lines. No peaked roofs, arched doorways or curved window shapes.
- Enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, often installed asymmetrically to allow tons of light into the interior.
- Clerestory windows, which are narrow and horizontal and often placed at the top of a wall near the ceiling.
- Melding of outdoor and indoor spaces, allowing plenty of natural light into the interior.
- Outdoor spaces that have been purposefully landscaped to soften the hard lines.
- A feature wall or element such as a bold stone chimney put in place as a visual anchor for the house.
- Contrasting colours – often black windows and lighter wall covering. Blocks of primary colours are sometimes used to offset the monochrome nature of the building.
- A variety of textures used for exterior surfaces: wood, stone, cement, steel, etc.
- Rooftop decks, terraces and greenery.
- Restrained palette consisting primarily of neutrals, black and, increasingly, the use of white for exterior cladding.
Several ‘about to be built’ developments in this area feature modular design style. “It’s the flavour of the day for people purchasing homes,” says Clarence Poirier, owner of Poirier & Brightling Marketing, the firm that is promoting and selling Aquavil and Blue Vista, two upcoming residential developments being built by Royalton Homes. “People are tired of the ’80s and ’90s subdivision homes with their centre hall plans and circular staircases. They’re looking for something new and more interesting, a little less cookie-cutter.”
Phase One of Blue Vista (next to Scandinave Spa) has already sold out and will begin construction next year. “People seem to like the free form of architecture,” adds Poirier. “Each building is a little different. They have the same proportions and look, but there’s a little element that makes it unique. And everyone seems to want a rooftop terrace. It’s definitely the hot button right now.”
Contemporary homes with their horizontal planes, projecting overhangs and flat roofs lend themselves to rooftop decks or terraces, the newly coveted and trendy home attribute.
New and add-on construction of rooftop decks and green roofs has been on the rise in the last 10 years. When a rooftop space is thoughtfully designed and integrated it provides much added value. It’s another place to gather, be outside, and take in the views. Even without a view the space can be made convivial and private with planted shrubs and grasses.
Another advantage on a hot summer day is the breeze at roof level, and generally, a lack of flying bugs. By adding wi-fi access, the deck can become an outdoor home office; adding a wet bar will make sunset cocktails easy; and, if allowed, a firepit can extend the use of the rooftop deck into a four season retreat.
When adding a rooftop deck to an existing home, many things need to be considered, primarily the age and condition of the existing roof. Most roofs weren’t designed to have people walk on them and certainly not meant to have add-on furniture. It can be complex and expensive to install.
You must comply with zoning and fire codes (in our climate, many people want to add a firepit or outdoor fireplace). In an emergency you need to be able to get people off the deck and outside in a hurry. Some neighbourhood bylaws require the rooftop deck to be invisible from the street.
Rooftop decks get full exposure to sun, wind and weather. In windy conditions even the strongest most expensive umbrellas won’t work. Permanent built-in pergolas or overhangs for shade provide the best solution.
Richard Young, a retired architect whose new Collingwood home has a beautiful rooftop terrace, says it is like an infinity roof or a green continuum; when you sit up there, you are in the treetops. He advises using pros for the plant installation. “There are living roof farms which grow plants specifically for rooftop gardens,” he notes. “Our terrace has mainly chives and sedums, scattered in random patterns and put down in palettes.”
Green rooftops are environmentally friendly and reflect one of the most significant changes in building in the last few years; a concern for the environment. Sustainable style involves fewer polluting materials. To be truly sustainable, the building materials should all be able to be recycled for future use.
Amongst almost all builders, there’s now a concerted effort to use environmentally friendly materials and recycled goods. And the ultimate in recycled building materials is the use of shipping containers for building.
Shipping containers may be the box home of the future. They’re sustainable, green, and environmentally friendly. Made from durable, stackable shipping containers that once crossed oceans on freighters or countries by train, they can be converted into a variety of building forms.
Originally, these used shipping containers were seen as a solution for affordable housing, but now they’re considered trendy. Many are being built on the rocky shores of cottage country, where they blend easily into the environment. And slowly, they are being introduced to town neighbourhoods.
Downtown Collingwood now has its first shipping container home. It was built from four 8-foot by 40-foot steel containers and brought in by crane to the site. “We’ve had a ton of interest in these container homes,” says Jason McLean of McLean Contracting, the local custom home builder responsible for this new build. “We started a company called Honomobo six years ago based in Edmonton, Alberta. We get used shipping containers, prebuild them there, finish the interiors, and then ship them all over North America. Since we began, we’ve built 90 container homes.”
Honomobo homes have a fixed layout and a set palette of interior and exterior styling options. “This form of modular home is a great solution for building in general,” offers McLean. “There’s great quality control, no surprises, no over-runs. The prices are all fixed. And we can build a home in three months. It’s a predictable and transparent building process.”
“I think of ‘style’ as a fake word,” says Richard Young, an architect who designed his own home on Minnesota Street in Collingwood. “As architects, we always look for truth in our work. We design for form and function, not style.”
Young’s house, built of white stucco with colour blocks of grey, yellow and brick red, connects quietly to the lot and its surroundings. It was built, as Young says, to reflect our current lifestyles, which have changed a lot in the last few years. “It’s a house that speaks of wellness and it brings light and joy into life.”
Unlike many contemporary homes, it is white, not black (“black houses eat light,” contends Young) and it has a pitched roof, not a flat one, because a flat roof “would be the only one on the street and would feel impolite.”
When Young designs a house, his goal is to achieve the best possible use for the individuals living in it. And the best use of the site. As he says, “The site brings messages to you.” In his own house, he considered elements like sun and wind patterns, relationship to the street and to the neighbouring houses, which are 40 feet away on both sides. The addition of a rooftop terrace above the garage is like “a beautiful surprise” where Young and his family can sit in the treetops and look down across the gentle treed curve of Minnesota Street.
So, it seems that contemporary architecture is having a moment. Avant garde buildings are bringing awareness and new appreciation of design in home building. In reality, a house should be designed to fit individual needs, regardless of what the neighbours think. As Redwood Homes, a local custom home builder, says on its website, “Your new home should match you, not the neighbourhood. The need for uniqueness is a human factor that simply cannot be denied.”
Maybe as this acceptance increases there will be less neighbourhood objection to new builds and more interest in what really makes a house a home. ❧
Contemporary Décor
How to make the interior match the exterior
Contemporary interiors, with their high ceilings, walls of glass and hard surfaces, can be stark and uninviting. “It’s not an easy style to design interiors for,” says Katherine Arcaro of Farrow Arcaro Design (F.A.D.). “It can be hard to add intimacy and texture. And some of the biggest challenges involve window treatments.”
Most houses will need some form of window covering, either for privacy, sun blocking in summer, or warmth in winter. “With these huge, oddly shaped windows, and different mechanisms for opening them, the planning for window treatments has to be done ahead of time, and it’s very costly,” she says. “Most of these homes will have roller blinds, but they have to be pre-wired for automation.”
Designer and author Jonathan Adler maintained that “everything in your house should have a raison d’etre. If you don’t know why it’s there, get rid of it.” This ideal reflects the concept that space is more important than things in a contemporary interior. The space must breathe. Most interiors feature neutral colours and fabrics (linen and cotton) with only occasional splashes of bold colour and very little use of pattern. Furniture tends to be clean-lined and made from light woods like birch or maple.
Generally, there are no moldings, but if there are, they will be simple and minimal. Large-scale art, particularly abstract paintings or arresting photographs, are commonly chosen as focal points.
While modern décor can feel cold, limiting and overtly minimal, contemporary style is calming and serene, with a focus on architectural elements, decorative details, and bold scales. It’s all about simplicity, clean lines, plays on texture, and quiet drama, with a concise colour palette to create warmth and exude easy sophistication. ❧
