LIFE IN THE TREES

Perched on a secluded Muskoka peninsula, Long Lake Cottage is a fully off-grid, multigenerational retreat that elevates everyday living into the forest canopy—blending sustainable design, immersive views, and year-round comfort in the heart of the Ontario wilderness.

Photo Courtesy - Riley Snelling

Set on a secluded, forested peninsula along a pristine motorboat-free lake in Ontario’s wilderness, Long Lake Cottage is an off-grid retreat designed for an urban couple seeking a deeper connection to nature. After spending a year camping on the land to understand the site, the owners envisioned a year-round refuge elevated among the trees — a place designed for accessible, multigenerational living and shared gatherings with family and friends.

Designed by Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, the two-level cottage is carefully embedded into its rugged landscape, maximising views while maintaining a light ecological footprint. Positioned below a ridge of exposed bedrock, the lower level remains largely concealed on approach, while the upper floor is reached via a slender bridge. Placing the primary living spaces above fulfils the clients’ wish for a living room that “floats above the forest floor.”

Expansive wrap-around glazing and sliding doors open the upper level to a generous deck with west- and south-facing exposures, dissolving the boundary between interior and landscape and immersing daily life in the surrounding forest and lake.

At the heart of the upper level, an open-plan living and dining area frames views through the trees. A cast-in-place concrete hearth anchors the room, with generous seating arranged to encourage gathering. A 17-foot-long built-in window bench with integrated storage offers a relaxed vantage point for enjoying the view. The kitchen combines white oak millwork with engineered stone surfaces, while a long island with bar sink and seating subtly defines the space. Overhead, continuous western hemlock ceiling boards add warmth and improve acoustics.

The lower level houses five guest bedrooms, each opening directly to the forest through floor-to-ceiling windows and private exterior entrances, giving visitors privacy and a direct connection to nature. The west-facing primary bedroom fully opens to the outdoors and includes an ensuite with an outdoor shower — a nod to the family’s love of camping. A fully accessible sixth bedroom and bathroom on the upper level ensure that every generation can comfortably experience the cottage.

Locating bedrooms below and living spaces above preserves the natural contours of the site while reinforcing the connection to the landscape — communal spaces within the tree canopy and private spaces immersed in the forest floor.

The offset arrangement of the two levels creates two generous outdoor rooms integrated into the architecture. The upper deck extends the living room outward with panoramic views on three sides, retractable bug screens, and an outdoor wood-burning fireplace for year-round use. Beneath it, the shaded lower deck nestles against a bedrock outcrop, staying cool in summer thanks to cross-breezes from the lake and the thermal mass of stone.

Completely off-grid, the cottage is powered by a large solar array and constructed from sustainably harvested wood, much of it milled locally. Greyed cedar and charcoal-stained spruce allow the exterior to recede into the forest, while brush-finished oak flooring and oil-rubbed hemlock create a warm interior palette. Hemlock ceiling boards continue seamlessly from inside to out, reinforcing material continuity and a strong connection to the landscape.

Fully winterised, Long Lake Cottage is designed not just as a summer escape, but as a year-round retreat — a place to slow down, gather, and live in rhythm with the changing seasons, light, and sounds of the forest and lake.