Cabana 18
Cabana 18
Tucked quietly into the landscape, Cabana 18 feels less like an addition and more like a natural evolution of the home’s everyday rhythm. What began as a simple desire for a place to gather became a warm, contemporary retreat—an outdoor pavilion shaped not just for living, but for living well. Sunken gently into the earth and illuminated by a luminous circular oculus overhead, the cabana draws family and friends into a world of cooking, lingering, and year-round connection. It transforms the backyard into a calm, inviting sanctuary where the pace of life slows, conversations stretch a little longer, and the outdoors becomes part of home.
Set within an early-2000s neighbourhood of two-storey brick and stucco homes, the site carries a gentle westward slope. Rather than resist it, the design embraces the grade, lowering the cabana into the land so it feels settled—almost carved into place. From the home’s west-facing living room, the structure appears grounded and calm, part of the natural terrain rather than imposed upon it.
This sensitive integration reflects the measured approach of FrankFranco Architects to treat the landscape not as a backdrop, but as an active partner in design.
The clients—restaurateurs with full schedules and full hearts—wanted a space where family, friends, and spontaneity could unfold freely. Their lives blend work, travel, hosting, and retreat. They needed a structure as adaptable as they are: a durable, welcoming, modern cabana shaped for long evenings, lively gatherings, and quiet Sunday mornings. This project became an opportunity to craft a small building with the emotional range of a full home.
At the core of the design is an inverted T-shaped plan, placing an al fresco dining area beneath a sculptural circular oculus. This opening—simple, pure, and material-wrapped—acts as a vertical aperture to the sky. Light drifts through it throughout the day, animating the dining space with sun, shadow, and breeze.
The oculus is both practical and poetic: a source of natural ventilation and a reminder of the world above. It is the heart of the project, a gesture that reflects the ethos of an architecture firm that values clarity and experiential richness.
Lowering the cabana into the earth strengthens its horizontality. It grounds the structure, bringing scale, privacy, and a sense of retreat. On one side, an enclosed living room offers year-round comfort; on the other, a series of support spaces—bathroom, changeroom, mechanical room—keep the experience seamless and uncluttered. The result is fluid circulation, quiet transitions, and a modern landscape design shaped around moments of connection.
Designed for all-season use, the cabana supports a complete and flexible outdoor lifestyle.
Outdoor Cooking Suite - A robust collection of cooking tools—a gas BBQ, charcoal smoker, and pizza oven—supports everything from quick meals to all-day gatherings. For clients who live through food, this kitchen becomes a stage.
Dining Under the Oculus - Placed at the plan’s center, the al fresco dining space is protected yet open, private yet connected. The oculus above introduces daylight and fresh air, creating a dining experience guided by weather and season.
Year-Round Enclosed Living Room - A conditioned, glass-enclosed lounge and bar extend comfort into every month of the year. Here, movie nights, sports events, and late-evening conversations unfold with ease, blurring the boundary between interior and landscape.
Supporting Spaces - A bathroom, changeroom, and mechanical rooms sit discreetly behind the dining zone, preserving both flow and serenity.
Materiality plays a quiet but powerful role. Two tones of porcelain from Ciot Vaughan create the effect of a seamless carved mass, shifting subtly as light moves across floor and wall. Above, a cedar soffit softens the geometry, wrapping the space in warmth and grounding it in natural texture.
This balance—stone-like solidity below and wood’s gentle warmth above—embodies the essence of modern architect–driven design: clarity, contrast, and calm.
Due to the cabana’s footprint and required variances, the project underwent a formal Committee of Adjustment process, including neighbour engagement and site-specific zoning considerations. Approval spanned seven months, followed by a year of construction—a reflection of the meticulous standards typically applied in award-winning residential architecture.
Cabana 18 is a refined modern cabana crafted with the precision of Toronto architects and the warmth of residential design. It elevates a standard suburban yard into a modern outdoor landscape shaped for gathering, cooking, resting, and reconnecting. Its sculpted materiality, lowered profile, and luminous oculus create a place that feels both intimate and expansive—a gentle retreat with a quiet presence, designed to be lived in, lingered in, and loved for years to come.
(And according to the neighbours—the envy is real.)