Through House
Architecture Residential Toronto, Ontario, Canada
21 Images
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1. The owners of this historic 130-year old home in downtown Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood looked to Dubbeldam Architecture + Design to turn the dark, cramped Victorian interior into a sweeping plan that draws connections to the rear garden. 4853 px 6270 px 5 MB A3 print |
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2. An extensive rethinking of the traditional room layouts was necessary to expand the living space on the interior while still preserving the intimate rear garden on a small lot in Toronto. The result is a powerful connection with the outdoors that visually extends the living space. 7360 px 4912 px 14 MB A3 print |
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3. The floating stair is topped by a large skylight, inviting light to penetrate deep into the interior. 6080 px 7340 px 10 MB A3 print |
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4. The cool blue glass stair panels wrap the staircase in various shades from the basement to the second floor, drawing connections with the glass-walled bathrooms on the upper landing. 6952 px 4912 px 7 MB A3 print |
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5. Display niches filled with the owner’s collection of East African masks and the rich wood of the custom dining table warm the otherwise crisp material palette. 4912 px 5905 px 15 MB A3 print |
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6. Horizontal lines and built-ins draw the eye outside and visually elongate the living space. On the first floor, the connected kitchen island/dining table runs parallel to the wall-mounted, full-length cabinetry clad in rift-cut white oak. 4659 px 5886 px 14 MB A3 print |
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7. Large floor-to-ceiling glass panes dissolve the boundaries between inside and outside, extending the ground floor living space into the backyard. The floating limestone counter and heated porcelain floor’s linear pattern extend past the transparent back wall, becoming a barbecue surround and tiled terrace planted with perennials. 4924 px 5912 px 15 MB A3 print |
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8. Clad in horizontal layers of stacked industrial felt, the open fireplace defines the dining and living room without closing off the space. 7018 px 4924 px 16 MB A3 print |
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9. 4924 px 7124 px 16 MB A3 print |
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10. The custom-designed linear stainless steel fireplace with extinguishing lid, uses biofuel and burns without smoke or fumes. 6418 px 4924 px 21 MB A3 print |
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11. The interior flooring tile continues uninterrupted to the exterior. Paired with an overhead wood and steel trellis, it defines an intimate outdoor room and continues the indoor living spaces. 4924 px 7378 px 14 MB A3 print |
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12. An extensive green roof cools the house’s flat roofs and absorbs rainwater runoff, further reducing the house’s ecological impact. 4924 px 5388 px 16 MB A3 print |
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13. The floating white stone fireplace morphs into a bench and wall ledge, providing a place to display artwork and collectibles. Recessed lighting slots in the ceiling simultaneously draw the line of sight to the exterior while spotlighting specific points in the space. 5314 px 4144 px 12 MB A3 print |
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14. Connected to the central stair on the upper level, large panes of translucent glass define two bathrooms, partially revealing spaces that are normally concealed. 4912 px 6820 px 12 MB A3 print |
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15. Softly illuminating the bed, a custom acrylic light fixture is embedded into the floating, linear shelving. This shelving connects the master bedroom and the adjacent study. 4721 px 3363 px 8 MB A4 print |
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16. Large panes of translucent glass allow the bathroom spaces to glow with a softened bluish light, creating a watery feel. 4912 px 6277 px 14 MB A3 print |
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17. Recessed niches are carefully curated to display the owner’s collection of East African art. A narrow line of frames from the custom fireplace chamber warms the space. 4222 px 5342 px 5 MB A3 print |
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18. 4779 px 6558 px 16 MB A3 print |
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19. 4917 px 6285 px 19 MB A3 print |
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20. Dubbeldam’s design for the landscape encloses the rear garden with a whitened fence and a floating deck to create a low-maintenance garden with recessed planters containing fragrant lavender, colourful grasses, climbing vines and Japanese maple trees. 4917 px 6303 px 20 MB A3 print |
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21. 4924 px 6025 px 20 MB A3 print |
Description
The owners of this historic 130-year old home in downtown Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood had an environmentally conscious agenda and a desire for contemporary design. They looked to Dubbeldam Architecture + Design to turn the dark, cramped Victorian interior into a sweeping plan that opens the interior to light, expands the useful living space and draws connections to the rear garden. “Our clients were seeking an alternative to condo living: a small and energy efficient home within walking distance of work and public transit, and with enough room to entertain and accommodate out of town visitors. Within a modest footprint, they are able enjoy a quiet neighbourhood and the pleasures of a modern and light-filled design with a compact garden,” explained principal Heather Dubbeldam.
In order to expand the living space on the interior while still preserving the intimate rear garden on a small lot, the challenge was to ‘expand’ the 1,400 s.f. house without increasing its footprint. This was accomplished by a rethinking of the traditional room layouts and by creating a powerful connection with the outdoors to visually extend the living space. Custom designed built-in elements, such as the stacked felt-clad fireplace, delineate rooms without closing off one space to another. Interior finishes emphasize linearity, create the perception of enlarging and stretching the space, and direct the eye through the house towards the garden. Large floor-to-ceiling glass panes dissolve the boundaries between inside and outside, extending the ground floor living space into the backyard which is designed to be appreciated year-round. Dubbeldam’s design for the landscape encloses the rear garden with a whitened fence and a floating deck to create a low-maintenance garden with recessed planters containing fragrant lavender, colourful grasses, climbing vines and Japanese maple trees. The interior porcelain tile flooring continues uninterrupted outside to form an outdoor patio, and the stone kitchen counter extends across the dining room seemingly through the exterior wall to the outside, morphing into a built-in BBQ counter. An overhead wood and steel trellis on the patio creates the feeling of an exterior ceiling and defines an intimate outdoor room. The trellis also helps to screen the high sun in summer, while allowing natural light to bathe interior spaces in winter.
Simple green strategies keep energy costs down. A central light well brightens the interior and reduces the need for artificial lighting. A floating, open-riser stair is topped with a large overhead operable skylight, which allows light to penetrate deep into the interior and, when opened, for natural ventilation drawing cooler air up from the lower levels of the house. Varying shades of translucent blue stair guard panels unfold from the basement to the second floor, and on the upper level large panes of translucent glass define two bathrooms, drawing a calming blueish light into the bathing areas of the home. An extensive green roof cools the house’s flat roofs and absorbs rainwater runoff, further reducing the house’s ecological impact. Radiant infloor heating and newly-insulated walls provide a toasty warm interior environment in the winter while significantly reducing energy bills. The result is a sustainable, light-filled and airy home with an intimate outdoor courtyard that creates a serene retreat for busy urban professionals.
Architecture/Interior Design | Dubbeldam Architecture + Design
Project Team | Heather Dubbeldam, Jason LeBlanc, Bindya Lad, Oliver Dang, Jacob JeBailey, Johanna Bollozos, Lynden Giles, Suzanna MacDonald
Location | Toronto, Canada
Size | 1,450 s.f. / 135 s.m.
Photography | Bob Gundu
For more information about Dubbeldam Architecture + Design: www.dubbeldam.ca
T. 416.913.6757 | E. press@dubbeldam.ca
Social media: @dubbeldamarch
Details
| Project size | 1450 ft2 |
| Completion date | 2014 |
| Building levels | 2 |
Project team
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Dubbeldam Architecture + Design | Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Design |