Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

This Artist Couple’s Off-Grid Dream Home Was a Decade in the Making

This Artist Couple’s Off-Grid Dream Home Was a Decade in the Making

After escaping over the years to Lake Huron’s Manitoulin Island, a pair of painters tap Solares Architecture for a sustainable pine-clad cabin.

It turns out paradise is just a six-hour drive from Torontoขat least that’s how Donna Creed and Oliver Girling see it. When the couple first visited friends on Lake Huron’s Manitoulin Island 15 years ago, they stumbled upon dramatic water views, spectacular stars against a dark sky, and peace and serenity among a forest of cedars. Immediately, it felt like something special; it felt like home away from home.

Soon after that visit, they snapped up a property of their own and spent the following years escaping the city to camp out on the land. Later, they upgraded to bunkies to make stays a little cozier. But with retirement drawing near, the couple, both teachers and avid painters, started to wonder if it was time to upgrade their island accommodations. They weren’t asking for much: "We just thought having a place to cook indoors and running water might be nice," laughs Oliver.

Solares Architecture, a Toronto-based firm reputed for their eco-conscious designs, helped them dream a bit bigger: The Manitoulin property now boasts a gorgeous 1,500-square-foot beachfront cabin that blends with the wilderness.



Clad in natural pine, the building is designed to weather with time. "As artists, Donna and Oliver love that idea of something living," says Lolley. "The house is sort of like an art piece in and of itself. What will it look like next year? What will it look like tomorrow?"



The roof is made of steel sheet metal, another sustainable choice. "Two generations from now, whoever wants to replace the roof can just recycle it," says Lolley.



Plans for a separate artist’s studio on the property are currently in the works.

Since the remote island didn’t have infrastructure to provide gas or electricity, going off-grid was a more a necessity than a choice. But the team at Solares, which specializes in solving for arrangements like these, had plenty of tricks up its sleeve.

Solar panels collect energy daily for the beachfront home, and backup power is provided by a propane generator and batteries. "It’s tough to fully survive on solar in Canada," explains supervising architect Christine Lolley. "When people say off-grid, they really mean off the hydro grid. You’re pretty much always on the fossil-fuel grid in this country." An airtight envelope and high-quality insulation work double time to make sure no energy goes to waste. "It's kind of like the equivalent of buying a really really nice big parka," says Lolley, "but also making sure you zip it up."



The office and studio doubles as a guest room for those who make the trek out.



The home is a huge step up from the handmade bunkies that used to exist on the property. "We were basically glamping," says Donna.

As painters, allowing natural light to pour into the space was critical for Donna and Oliver. High-efficiency windows provide plenty of daylight, and views of the stars at night. "We just follow the light all day," says Donna. "You actually notice the shifting of the solar system through the year."

By implementing clerestory windows in the living room, the area below on the tall walls could be used for hanging the couple’s completed pieces. "We bought a scaffold to put artwork up," says Oliver.



Solar panels clip on easily to the steel roof, and rainwater runs off smoothly into collecting barrels. The metal roofing also helps reflect heat.



IKEA Pax cupboards with birch panel doors are banked in the entryway. A carpenter friend made the bench; another friend painted it. The dark slate flooring contrasts with maple floors throughout the rest of the home.



Most materials were sourced from local hardware stores, with all of the wood siding coming from a nearby mill. The high-performance windows, which came from Toronto, were a major exception. The cabinetry is from IKEA.



The white walls act as the perfect gallery space for the couple's works. "The walls are a bit of an odd proportion because the ceiling is so tall, but I think there’s kind of a beauty in that oddness," says Lolley.

With so much sunlight coming through the southwest-facing windows during the summer months, the home can get a little toasty. To escape the heat, lead architect Elise Snyder designed a huge porch facing the lake to create a shady, breezy space. "You’re either physically outside on the ground, or you’re physically outside on one of the porches, or you’re inside and you’re looking out," says Lolley. For the couple, paradise is there at every turn.



"At first we thought the fireplace was going to be too big… but now I think it’s just fabulous," says Donna.



The bathroom floor is equipped with radiant heating and finished in grey porcelain. A cedar wall adds warmth to the space.



The couple are avid readers; a hallway of shelving is now home to their ample book collection. "As we walk by, we catch a glimpse of something we haven’t read in 30 years," says Donna, "or something we’ve never read at all."



While designing the home, project lead Elise Snyder and another Solares staff member stayed overnight on the property to get a sense of the landscape. "It had an old-fashioned logging camp feel to it," says Snyder.



The remote location offers incredible views of the stars.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×