This transformative intervention to a home in midtown Toronto comprises a complete renovation and addition to the second and third floors, reorganizing and rearticulating the private spaces to meet a young family’s evolving needs. The poetic heart of the project locates itself in the master suite on the second floor, which, in warmer months, draws in the majesty of the abundant trees on the property and in the adjacent park.
Comprised of an open-concept bedroom and luxurious bathing area plus ensuite, this is a refuge, a place of hushed serenity away from the demands of busy careers and frenetic urban life. A strategy to promote an enhanced connection to nature and landscape includes an immense south-facing window that stretches floor to ceiling, wall to wall.
White oak predominates: its warmth and pleasing grain registers in the floors, walls, ceiling and millwork. In complement, black steel is utilized as a framing element, and matte black light fixtures adorn the wall and ceiling. Handmade Moroccan tiles in a muted pink and white geometric pattern line the floor beneath the bathtub and sheathe the privacy wall – forming, in effect, a striking mural that reflects the vast number of significant artworks in the house.
Above the bathtub, the skylight emerges as the focal point of the room, providing an additional source of daylight while further enhancing the connection to a natural environment of sky and trees. Materially consistent with the walls, ceiling and floor, the oak-sheathed planar facets create an intriguingly sculptural void that channels light into the space, resulting in constantly shifting patterns of sun and shadow throughout the course of the day.
Tucked away within the narrowed core of the house, the remainder of the bathroom is cleverly and efficiently configured as a widened corridor leading to the generously scaled walk-in closet, featuring shower and sinks on one side, and toilet on the other. The mirrored back wall of the closet reflects the lush greenery of the garden, further amplifying the relationship to the outdoors.