Linear House

Toronto, Canada

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Linear House

Toronto, Canada

Firm

Green Dot Architects

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2013

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

BUDGET

Undisclosed

The Linear House

This totally transformed, two-storey, brick and stucco home in East York, is first distinguished from its neighbouring homes by its maverick appearance: an epitome of super-modern geometric linear design.

The inspiration for this linear design was born out of the challenge of the narrow lot. Although the lot measures a mere twenty feet in width, the interior space feels much more expanded due to the designer’s attention to harmonious linear design and creative use of open space. The results are a feeling of spaciousness and unhindered flow of natural daylight, intentionally directed through the house to create a luminosity that produces a dynamic living space.

The focal point of this home is the front cube corner. Cradling this are two elongated, rectangular windows: one towering up vertically to the height of two stories and the other positioned horizontally, and paired with a row of lights that lead you to the sheltered main entrance at the side of the house. As you enter you face a glass tower containing a floorless, double-storey well of light from the skylight above it, and directly behind this, you will notice that the single-stringer stairs seem to hang suspended and float in open space. This main foyer staircase has a liberating and therapeutic effect from the two-storey glass tower next to it. On the main floor, even though the family room is sixteen feet wide and the living room area is fourteen feet wide, there is no feeling of restriction due to the eleven-foot ceiling in the living room and the split-floor design, which eliminates the need for some light-restricting walls. As you face the living area in the front of the house, a panoramic view of light hovers from the elongated windows covering three sides of this room. On the other side in the family room at the back area of the house, there is a convex expansion window beside the back deck, which stretches from the main floor into the basement level. You can’t help but feel washed in daylight and open space. On the second floor, large windowed openings have been designed in an adjoining wall between the bedrooms and hallway, to allow the feeling of openness to pervade. Another very special feature on this floor is a walk-out balcony that has window connections to a bedroom and master ensuite nearby.

The linear design model is consistent throughout the home. Continuous, clean lines define the space from your first glance and throughout, creating harmony, flow and balance. Thus it became known as The Linear House.