Carle revived the home’s exterior by recladding it in fresh cedar planks, local stone, and black anodized aluminum. He also replaced the original windows — all damaged — and changed the sizes of some to respond better to the outdoors.
In the 1940s, the distinguished Canadian architect John Bland designed an elegant vacation house near Lake Masson in Quebec. Seven decades later, the midcentury gem was at risk for demolition due to soaring property values that made the land more valuable than the structure itself. Thankfully, architect Alain Carle stepped in. He not only restored the box home to its original glory, but also opened up its floor plan and improved its relationship to the surrounding landscape. “We’ve tried to push it beyond the limits of the original owner at the time of the construction,” he says.
