Skip to main content

Longing for an Isolated Cabin in the Woods? Check Out Poisson Blanc

We’ve all been watching a lot of Netflix ever since COVID-19 hit because, let’s face it, there isn’t much else to do when sheltering in place. Thanks to shows like Win the Wild and Alone, many of us are dreaming of leaving society behind and heading to the Great White North where people are few and adventure is plenty. Need a bit of inspiration for your isolation cabin? Look no further than Poisson Blanc — a bright white chalet tucked into the Canadian wilderness.

Poisson Blanc
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Minimalism is often referred to as a crisp and clean style and a look at Poisson Blanc shows why. The bright white exterior is unblemished and fresh, standing out against the trees in the summer and blending in with the freshly fallen snow in the winter. But just because minimalism is crisp and clean, doesn’t mean it’s boring. Poisson Blanc offers a stylish and inviting place to relax in the heart of the forests of Quebec.

Taking its name from the lake it is located on, Poisson Blanc was built with the main principles of minimalism in mind. The land it is built on informed the design of the home. The brainchild of the team at Nature Humaine Architecture & Design, this little chalet is located on a rocky and rugged site, which forced the footprint to remain small. However, anchoring the base into the bedrock resulted in a sturdy structure that is grounded in nature both literally and figuratively. This idea of nature first, of not disrupting the surrounding trees, is a key principle of the minimalist design movement.

Inside, the bright white continues, making Poisson Blanc a refreshing and welcoming space. Soaring vaulted ceilings are white like the walls, and even the exposed support beams are white, reducing visual clutter and keeping the focus on the views outside, which have been framed by carefully placed large picture windows. 

Image used with permission by copyright holder

In keeping with the minimalist vibe, there is little ornamentation to the architecture. Light gray floors offer only the slightest contrast against the bright white walls. A built-in shelving unit in the open-plan living area is done in unfinished wood, adding a touch of warmth to the space. The kitchen cabinetry is made from the same wood, bringing balance and continuity. 

Thanks to the slope of the land, Poisson Blanc was built down instead of up. Several things were achieved with this unique solution. The overall height of the home does not compete with the trees and building the private quarters into the lower level creates a sense of intimacy — ideal for the bedrooms and bathroom. The result is that when viewed from certain angles, Poisson Blanc appears to be a quaint one-story cottage on the edge of the hill. Only when you get closer do you see it is actually an architecturally grand two-story chalet anchored into the land, offering peace and solitude in a chaotic world. 

Editors' Recommendations

Kelsey Machado
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kelsey is a professional interior designer with over a decade of experience in the design field. With a passion for…
From Gilda Radner to Ali Wong, these are the best female comedians of all time
These women from all generations will make you laugh out loud
Ai Wong comedian 2017 Moontower comedy festival

Hot take: I don’t care for straight male comedians. It’s not that they’re not funny, they’re just … I don’t know, boring? Maybe that’s reductive of me, but I never seem to leave a straight male comedian’s set feeling particularly inspired. And though some may argue that it’s not important for a set to "inspire" its audience, I’d actually argue that the opposite is true. For me, I want to see a comedian use humor to address real issues and say real things about the world, even if they do it in a completely goofy way.

Therefore, I tend to prefer female and female-identified comedians. They’re sharp, tough, and have often seen shit that makes their comedy feel raw and true. Undoubtedly there are male comedians who do this, too, but to a much lesser degree, in my very humble and very personal opinion.

Read more
12 classic sci-fi books everyone should read
If you love science fiction and reading, these classic sci-fi novels are a must
Man reading a book and drinking coffee

It may feel like we were recently living in a science-fiction dystopia life -- and in some ways, we were -- but that doesn't mean that we should simply avoid an entire genre of writing. Hardly. In fact, this is probably the perfect time to explore classic sci-fi books, to see what the masters have written, and maybe even see if someone predicted anything like this. Many, though, simply ignore sci-fi wholly and completely because of an association with robots, aliens, and the like.

Long story short, if you think you don't like sci-fi, you have never read great books from the genre. But indeed, many such books abound, including a number that has delighted generations of readers going back well over 150 years. In fact, one of the best things about so many sci-fi books is their very timelessness. As by definition, this type of fiction breaks away from the norms of the everyday world -- whether slightly twisting things or taking place on entire other worlds -- the stories often feel as fresh and relevant today as when they were published decades ago.

Read more
The 7 best classic fantasy books to get lost in
Even adults can enjoy entering the fantasy world
Man reading a book

Using the term "fantasy" when it comes to fiction, we are admittedly casting a pretty wide net. After all, think about just how many shows and movies could technically be considered fantasy, too. If. we're talking about classic, canonical fantasy, though, the net shrinks considerably. If a book is to stand the test of time to be considered a classic -- regardless of genre -- it has to be damn good. At the risk of offending plenty of authors and fantasy fans both of yesteryear and today, most fantasy writing ... how should I put this? In a few decades, it won't be on some future writer's list of fantasy classics.

I say all that as an absolute fan of fantasy writing. From the Game of Thrones books, our era's Lord of the Rings, to the novels of Neil Gaiman, to the Twilight series (except not that), there is a plethora of great fantasy writing being produced today. But if you're looking to get into the genre or are already an aficionado with a few gaps in your reading list, classic fantasy novels are always a fine choice, as are classic mysteries, classic adventure books, and on it goes across every genre of literature.

Read more