“You feel like Batman looking out over Gotham City,” says Colin McAllister, describing the view from Blackbirch. “You’re above it all, kind of superior.” That would be Colin of Colin and Justin, gushing over one of the cabins featured on their show, Great Canadian Cottages, in which he and his other half, Justin Ryan, tour some truly inspiring spaces. “It’s amazing to share these stories,” says Justin. “It’s a documentary series—we’re the nosiest people in cottage country. But it’s not about snooping around hugely expensive places. It’s about the heart and the thinking behind thoughtful cottages.” At Blackbirch, which the owners, Susan and Chris Meiorin, had built high on the shores of Drag Lake, Ont., the thinking behind the cottage is distinctly Mediterranean. “Chris is Italian, and Susan’s family is Greek,” says Colin. “For them, it’s all about food and gathering. Sharing is really important.” Common spaces abound. The open kitchen bleeds into the double-height living room, which extends into the screened sunroom.
“The whole wall of glass bifold doors between the screened room and the living room can open up,” says Chris, who owns a window company. With the wall open, two big rooms become one great one, perfect for parties.Though the main rooms are designed with entertaining in mind, the bedrooms are built for peace.“They wanted a bit of separation,” says Justin. “If there’s a party in the living room, that can carry on while you go off to sleep in quiet.” The cottage functions like two different buildings, with the bedroom side acting like a giant bunkie.“The glass in the bedrooms is a highly reflective Solar-cool,” says Chris. “It’s mostly for limiting heat, however, we use it to reduce visible light. It’s like having a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses on in the bedroom.” The reflective windows also offer privacy, and, with two panes of different depths, they reduce noise. “By offsetting the thickness of the two panes, you disrupt sound wave frequencies, making your space quieter,” says Chris.
“At some lakes, it’s all about being showy, isn’t it?” says Colin. “A big fancy cabin you can see from space. But there’s a new elegance in being stealthy. Dark grey or black cabins blend in to the forest. Inside, you’ve got great views, but if you’re on the lake, you can barely see the cottage. Blackbirch is modern, but it’s not too austere. It’s a fancy place, but it still has a heartbeat.”
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