Modern Cottage
Story Gisele Winton Sarvis | Photography Rene Dawn
Residential designer Megan Drew made sure the kitchen, dining and family room all have a view of Lake Simcoe from the extra-large windows and doors from Epal Windows and Doors.
This new, modern cottage with its flat roof, high ceilings and huge windows nestles into the landscape on Lake Simcoe near Orillia like it should.
Megan Drew of Megan Drew Design was hired in June 2020 to design a new cottage to replace a small, brick cottage.
Owners Cathy Sarantopolous and Dino Manoukas purchased the property with the small three-bedroom bungalow in 2004.
“It was fine when our now 31-and 28-year-old sons were younger and could share a room with bunk beds, leaving a guest room,” says Cathy. “We realized if we were going to continue using the cottage and have the boys come up with friends and partners, we needed to think about renovating or adding an addition.”
The couple wanted to add an addition, raise the ceiling and make it modern.
Homeowners Cathy Sarantopolous and Dino Manoukas acted as contractors, designers and decorators for their cottage rebuild. A Hudson’s Bay blanket gives the family room a pop of colour.
The old cottage “felt very low when you were inside,” says Megan, a residential building designer. “So the main goal was to bring the sightline up and out to the lake. It became clear that we needed to tear down the existing walls to achieve what they wanted.”
“Megan was a great help convincing my husband that this is what had to be done and that we could somewhat stay within our budget,” Cathy says.
The walls were torn down and the cottage was raised on the original foundation. Building materials came from Orillia Home Hardware. New floor joists and beams were installed, and from there, walls and a roof, to create a year-round, spacious sanctuary for the family.
The entire bungalow cottage is painted Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White. The entrance offers a view through the home out to Lake Simcoe.
“The project scope went from a simpler renovation/addition to this,” explains Megan, standing outside the cottage.
Open the new front door and there’s a magnificent view of Lake Simcoe through the 18-foot glass living-room door at the back. The open-concept bungalow features a 10-foot window in the dining room. All the doors and almost all the windows are nine-feet tall.
The cottage faces east so they get sunrise views and sparkle off the water’s surface.
“We envisioned a large great room where we could gather by the fireplace, play games, watch TV and have huge windows to see beautiful Lake Simcoe summer and winter,” says Cathy.
The back of the house faces east, so the homeowners and their guests enjoy sunrises.
Megan designed the cottage with two roof elevations. Inside, the main entrance and living area have a 14-foot ceiling while the bedroom and bath areas have 10-foot ceilings.
“Megan was amazing to deal with,” says Cathy. “She made it come to life.”
The dining room with seating for eight and a large kitchen with a huge island and an industrial gas stove, eases the family’s ability to host barbecues, family dinners and big cottage breakfasts.
The owners incorporated elements of their original cottage into the new build, including the antique sideboard and industrial gas stove. The large kitchen island with seating and the dining room offer room for plenty of guests.
Built-in cabinetry allows storage while floating shelves house artwork and select items. The kitchen includes a surprise walk-in pantry with a sink and built-in cabinetry. Cabinetry was provided
by LCC Ontario Inc.
Dino wanted an outstanding fireplace that joined the inside to the outside of the structure. This was accomplished by using 24-inch tile on the fireplace wall and continuing that tile on the back exterior. He also wanted a large overhang on the lakeside patio. It’s seven feet.
There’s a second fireplace in the primary suite that shares a flue with the family-room fireplace.
Cathy wanted a space where she could escape to when the boys invited friends up or they hosted extended family. “My wish was a large primary bedroom with my own bathroom and sitting area that included a view of the lake,” she says.
The primary bedroom is a retreat for the owners and includes a lounge with a fireplace and TV, a chaise lounge and exercise equipment. The 24-by-24-inch tile, purchased from Studio Antica, is also featured on the primary bedroom’s fireplace surround and exterior.
Megan designed the primary suite to be that private retreat. The couple can look out their 13-foot-wide bedroom window to the lake or walk out a door to the patio. They have a king-size bed, a lounge with a fireplace and TV, and an en suite.
The primary en suite has a view of the lake from an extended wall with a vertical window and more light from a horizontal window.
There’s a push-out wall in the en suite, a very special feature. It wasn’t in the original plan but was added to give the homeowners a view of the lake through a vertical window.
The approximate 2,500 sq. ft. build also provides five bedrooms. Two bedrooms for the adult children are on one side of the front door, with shared bathroom. There are two bedrooms on the other side, also with a shared bathroom. These bedrooms feature nine-foot tilt-and-turn windows from Greece.
“I love the design,” says Megan. I don’t design many modern buildings like this one. I loved working with the clients, too. They were great to deal with and very supportive of me and my new business.”
Each of the guest rooms have a door-like window from Greece. Bedding for the guest rooms is from Gluckstein Home. The year-round cottage has five bedrooms to accommodate the couple’s adult children and guests.
Megan also designed the garage to mimic the home. The original detached garage blocked the view of the home. It was torn down, and, through a minor variance, the new garage was built closer to the property line.
The structure also has a two-tiered flat roof. The double garage has transom windows over the door like the ones over the home’s main entry.
“We really tried to match it,” says Megan.
There is a walk-in door and a single garage door at the side, which provides space in the deep garage to store personal watercraft.
Megan, who has had her own business since 2018, has been able to use this home to jump start her career into larger, more detailed builds.
“This was the first project of this scale and caliber I had at the time. There were a lot of details to consider with the modern flat-roof design, high ceilings, hiding roof beams and only leaving posts exposed to have a clean, flush ceiling.
Megan now has four completed projects on the same street. OH