Oakmere
Designer: Carly Neal
Millwork: Jason Good
Photographer: James Jones
Tucked into the rock along the sloped shoreline of Portage Inlet, Oakmere is a custom home humble in presence yet unwavering in purpose. The project began as a deeply collaborative effort with clients who had spent years in commercial architecture in Alberta and were ready to build their ideal retirement oasis on the coast. The home was designed for big family dinners, out-of-town rowing friends occupying the upper floor, and a private bedroom retreat where the hosts could quietly withdraw while the gatherings carried on.
Design began before the pandemic, and construction navigated the full weight of its disruptions: closures, supply unknowns, and clients remaining in Alberta throughout. What the project required, and what it received, was meticulous coordination, a well-detailed plan, and a team willing to adapt with creativity and assurance.
The result reflects the clients' values precisely: clarity of vision, architectural integrity over trend, and richness held in careful balance with restraint. Anchoring the home is a dramatic stone-wrapped core that runs from exterior to interior, roof to foundation, grounding the design in the landscape while concealing mechanical systems and integrating generous storage. Beauty and function, here, are the same thing.
Interiors unfold with lightness and tactility. Natural stone, oak, and plaster form a quiet backdrop for an evolving rotation of art and daily life. Solid glass wall sconces punctuate the double-height plaster wall like suspended sculptures, cascading along the stair to the main floor. In the morning their soft light warms the plaster's texture; by afternoon, light reflected off the water animates the same surface, a living interplay of material and place.
Wood and stone were sourced locally, and local craftsmen were engaged throughout, reinforcing sustainability while honouring the skill of makers close to home. Custom millwork supports both practicality and display, offering places for pottery and a literature collection without competing with the expansive views beyond.
Oakmere is a family home of quiet strength, minimal without austerity and precise without coldness, designed to hold ease, connection, and memory in equal measure.
Oakmere is a family home of quiet strength, minimal without austerity and precise without coldness, designed to hold ease, connection, and memory in equal measure.
