Joel and Meelena Turkel, the husband-and-wife architect team behind Turkel Design, have a little morning ritual when they spend their summers in Muskoka. "We love to get up early, make some coffee, Jump in the boat, and go for a long putter around the lake," says Joel. It sounds like a pleasant excursion for anyone, but Joel and Meelena also bring a professional zeal to the endeavour. They are both influenced in their work by a fascination with the unique architecture of Muskoka - a place Meelena spent the summers of her youth in and B.C.-raised Joel first fell in love with two decades ago. "Over the years we've probably trolled the entire shorelines of the Big Three Lakes," laughs Joel, "just looking at the cottages and boathouses."
For their practice, this research has been both inspiring and useful. As the evolution of architectural style in Muskoka has trended towards a modern aesthetic in recent years, not everyone has embraced it. Joel understands why. "The risk of designing in a modern style," he explains, "is that you may lose the kind of intimacy and material quality that you want to have in a home." Turkel Design guides their global clientele through a simplified, interactive design process, using 3D visualization tools to design the architecture, custom built-in casework, and fixtures and finish selections in order to ensure that each home is warm and welcoming.
Turkel design embraces modern architecture by avoiding the pitfalls that sometimes make modern buildings feel unfriendly or overwhelming. "We often describe our work as warm, approachable modern," explains Joel. "For us, it's very material-driven. My father was a carpenter, I worked my way through school with summer jobs in the sawmills of B.C. We're intimate with the materials of Canada - the stone, the wood, the light - they are what we design with."
A recent custom project on Lake Muskoka aptly demonstrates Turkel's approach. The firm was contacted by two families who frequently spend time at a property on the lake and were interested in building a new cottage that would meet both families' needs. Turkel relished the opportunity to dig into the essence of Muskoka living in a way that was sophisticated and contemporary, but not cold and unwelcoming. "We wanted the building to feel like it was of the place, not just on the place," says Joel.
A signature feature of the home is the way it combines the traditions of the great room and the Muskoka Room in a 20-by-40-foot space surrounded on two sides by lift-and-slide retractable glass doors. When it's a beautiful day, the doors are pulled back, the roll-down insect screens are deployed, and the house opens to the fresh air - transforming the communal living area into a giant Muskoka Room. Raised wooden decks on either side expand the space further, creating a sense for those inside that they are walking among the treetops.
Joel and Meelena wanted the home to embody the notion of what it really means to summer in
Muskoka. "Most cottagers don't get to be up here year-round," says Joel. "We really wanted to build a cottage that maximizes the experience of those summer months that are so precious to us in Canada."
Thanks to Turkel's unique design and construction system, the building was prefabricated in a temperature-controlled facility in Quebec, then temperature-controlled facility in Quebec, then shipped to Muskoka, assembled in the winter, and finished over the following months. It's a process Turkel has refined over two decades to help their clients achieve their objectives with minimal risk. "All of our efforts have been focused on increasing predictability: predictable timing, predictable quality, and predictable cost."
Prefabrication allows Turkel to achieve a remarkable level of precision, resulting in buildings that are square and tight - essential to a long-lasting and beautiful structure that will stand for generations. And even though their homes are replicable throughout the world, they're always tailored to specific site needs, and are completely customized to each client's wish list.
"All our efforts have been to increase predictability: predictable timing, predictable quality, and predictable cost."
Turkel Design undertakes 20 to 30 projects throughout North America and globally each year, sourcing the highest quality resources and materials while offering their clients the option to customize every detail of their home.
For Joel and Meelena, the refinement of their process has paid enormous dividends in client satisfaction and professional fulfillment. As Joel explains it, "Our tag line is 'This Way Home,' and what we're saying is, we'll help you find your home. We've discovered the way to do it."
