So instead, the Thomsons opted for a south-facing home on the edge of a ravine in Meaford, with vistas of farmland on one side and forest on the other. Working with architectural designer Jim Campbell of Rockside Campbell Design and builder Frank Wyssen of Creek Valley Inc., the Thomsons created a modern home that uses light, views and energy-efficiency in all the right ways.

Helen, a former interior designer, worked closely with Campbell to achieve the desired result. “I knew certain things I wanted, and Jim knew how to make them work,” she recalls. “I said I want windows that come down to the ground, I want boarded concrete, I want some glass floors, but I wouldn’t have known how to use those to get the same result.”

It doesn’t hurt that this gem of an environmentally-conscious home—it’s only 1,638 square feet—is set down, modular piece by piece, on a gorgeous, forested lot in Meaford, with a view of Georgian Bay in the distance.

But letting the beauty of the surroundings speak for themselves in the actual design of the home was the genius of their collaboration with MAFCO’s Diane and Dan Molenaar and Gilchrist.

Step into this sleekly simple, bare-bones home and you somehow feel that you are out-of-doors. The rooms on both floors of the home are almost wall-to-wall windows.

On the main floor, the home is surrounded by forest.

Upstairs, a brilliantly designed triple sliding door in the main bedroom opens completely to a walk-around deck with a spectacular view of the forested valley and the Bay.

The other two bedrooms sport huge windows, too.

“It feels like a treehouse,” says Michelle, who says it will be even more cozy when the couple complete their landscaping plans, which could include a pool amidst the gardens, next summer.

The simplicity of the home’s exterior design—black wood siding from Maibec with black framed windows—is echoed on the inside, too.

The main floor is polished concrete. And that clean feel, too, repeats throughout the home.

A large, low concrete platform that the couple designed, for example, runs across the width of one end of the living area.

It supports a fireplace from The Fireplace Stop at one end. Underneath, the couple can store wood, or their son’s toys. Above, they plan to place a framed TV, which Michelle says looks like art.

Meanwhile, the sinks in the main floor and upstairs bathrooms are also a warm, rust-coloured concrete.

The furnishings, too, are simple.

Opposite the fireplace sits a gorgeous, dove-coloured sofa from Restoration Hardware.

The dining area is defined by the back of the sofa on one end, and the kitchen island on the other.

In that space sits a simple, light wood dining table and chairs from the Canadian online smash-hit furniture store Article. “That’s the beauty of direct-to-consumer,” says Michelle. “They have stock!”

In the kitchen the couple have chosen to install an open shelf over the stove and counter, instead of cupboards.

Kitchen storage is in a pantry that runs along the hall between their kitchen and the front door, built by local carpenter Sean Robson.

The neutral-coloured island cupboards are from Ikea.

But where the couple really invested is in their top-of-the-line appliances. They source a gas range from ILVE and the “drawer” dishwasher and integrated fridge are by Fisher & Paykel.

Lighting, too, reflects their minimalist aesthetic.

A beautifully crafted wall sconce and pendant in the primary bathroom are from Huey Lightshop in Meaford. Lights in the bedroom are by Cedar & Moss.