Meraki Shane Drafting + Design

Every project begins as an idea — a conversation, a sketch, a feeling about how a home should live within its surroundings.

This lakeside retreat was designed around natural light, expansive views, layered outdoor living, and a restrained material palette to create a home that feels both elevated and grounded at the same time.

One of my favourite parts of the process is seeing how thoughtful design decisions made early on shape the entire experience of the home.

I don’t think people are really searching for bigger homes — I think they’re searching for a feeling.

The spaces we spend our lives in quietly shape our routines, our relationships, and our sense of calm. That belief is at the center of every project I take on — creating homes that feel grounded, intentional, and deeply connected to the people who live within them.

Over the last year, I’ve been refining not only the work itself, but the vision behind Meraki Shane Design Studio. Moving toward a slower, more thoughtful approach to design rooted in atmosphere, restraint, and connection to place.

I’m excited to share more of that direction here.

The view was never the starting point - The land was.

This home was heavily inspired by the design language of Ponderosa — clean rooflines, restrained materials, and a calm, grounded palette — but the approach here was entirely shaped by the hillside. Rather than fighting the steep terrain, the home was carefully designed into the mountain to feel anchored to the rock and forest around it.

Framed views, elevated overhangs, dark natural materials, and warm interior light were all intentionally used to create contrast against the rugged alpine setting — capturing that quiet balance between shelter, simplicity, and the raw beauty of the site.

This is the kind of project we love most at Meraki Shane — architecture that responds to the land, not just the floor plan.

Some projects come together effortlessly… this wasn’t one of them.

This home represents one of the most complex and restrictive design programs I’ve taken on. Between riparian setbacks, preserving 200-year-old trees, unconventional zoning, and an incredibly detailed client program, every inch of this design had to be fought for.

We were the second designer to take on the project—and this is our second attempt at solving it.

But after countless iterations, long days, and a lot of problem-solving, we landed exactly where we needed to. A design that feels effortless, but is anything but.

This is the part of design that doesn’t always get seen—the persistence behind the outcome.

Lately we’re having a lot more conversations around cost — and how to design responsibly within it.

The reality is, complexity in form often comes with a premium.
But simplicity, when approached thoughtfully, can be incredibly powerful.

By focusing on proportion, restraint, and materiality, we’re able to create homes that feel elevated and architectural — while remaining efficient to build.

This project reflects that approach:
A refined, minimalist form designed to maximize impact without unnecessary complication.

Sorry we’ve been a little quiet lately — 2026 has been full steam ahead over here.

We wanted to take a quick moment to say thank you to all of the amazing clients who continue to trust us with their homes. It is never lost on us that these projects are very personal, and we feel incredibly lucky to be part of the process.

We thought we would share a few of the projects we’ve been working on lately. Every project is different, but they all have one thing in common — thoughtful design, collaboration, and clients who care deeply about creating something special.

More to come soon.

✨ Don’t just take our word for it… ✨
Our clients say it best! Hearing their experiences is the most rewarding part of what we do.

📖 Swipe to read their words and see what it’s like to design with us.