Situated on Wabamun Lake, Josh Kjenner Architect completes a contemporary cabin which offers a retreat for a young family an hour just outside of Edmonton. The homeowners—an academic and an entrepreneur—grew up spending summers at Alberta lake cabins and envisioned this as a place to recreate those memories for their two young children where kayaking, skating, hockey and tobogganing unfold through the seasons.
Designed and built during the pandemic with budget in mind, the brief called for warmth and comfort, but without excess—something that felt like a true cabin while still accommodating big family dinners and weekends of hosting. The design distills these priorities into a two-storey compact form with three small bedrooms and one full bathroom upstairs, and an open, generous main-floor living space anchored by a fireplace.
Set on a 0.29-acre lot in Moonlight Bay, the site is quiet, wooded, and sloped toward the water. The cabin is positioned on a mid-slope plateau to create a natural outdoor terrace, with parking tucked discreetly below. To maximize sun exposure on the outdoor areas, the cabin was placed on the north edge of the site, with one axis gently rotated toward the view. This small adjustment creates a bit of play between the two geometries, adding interest and variety to a compact plan.
The massing channels the simplicity of a classic A-frame cabin, common in northern Alberta, articulated in a pared-down, contemporary expression. . Exterior materials—fibre-cement siding, acrylic stucco, and corrugated metal—were selected for affordability and longevity in Alberta's extreme climate, and elevated through careful detailing and craftsmanship.
Inside, the palette is warm, modest, and thoughtfully expressive. Knotty fir is used for upper-floor flooring, cabinetry pulls, ceilings, and moments of trim—bringing texture and glow to the restrained interior. Resources were focused on the communal areas, where burnished concrete floors, modular cabinetry with custom lacquered fronts, and colourful purple cabinetry and pink tiles instill a sense of personality.
The spatial sequence provides richness within a compact footprint: a sunken entry, a tall story-and-a-half main room under the sloped roof, and a lower and more intimate living area beneath the upper floor.; The upper floor hall overlooks the living space below, recalling a classic Canadian sleeping-loft cabin format. Furnishings remain minimal, with sculptural light fixtures placed selectively to accentuate moments of spatial character. Each element reflects the project's ethos of resourceful sophistication—making more with less, and elevating simple materials with care.
The result is a durable, contemporary retreat deeply rooted in family memory and the pragmatism of the Canadian prairies. Designed for gathering across generations, the cabin creates an evolving backdrop to childhood summers, winter rituals, and the quiet everyday rhythms of lake life.
