Brock House

Brock House, Toronto

Picnic Design’s transformative Brock House project uplifts a 1920s Toronto abode with a rear extension in urgent need of structural rebuilding into a visually bold, unified and functionally comfortable home.

Inspired in part by the home-owner's bright, bold, colourful and extensive art collection, Picnic set out to instill key design elements throughout the Wallace Emerson area home that inspire the imagination while maintaining practicality.

“In the early stages of planning for the project, we were fascinated by our client’s extensive collection of modern and other artworks. That really inspired some of the original design elements and colours we chose for the interior.” – Eric Martin, Partner, Picnic Design

A series of contrasting transition areas, or zones, introduce intense blocks of colour – deep blue and teal tiles in the bathrooms, earthy terracotta in the kitchen – with pleasing shifts in material or texture that elevate the interior. Framed vistas create continuity between spaces in the home, and fully exploited natural lighting, including the addition of a skylight on the second-floor hallway, adds an airy spaciousness to a formerly cramped home.

The previously small entrance area is now expanded into a five-foot-deep vestibule zone that spans the width of the house, demarcated by a dark-hued tile floor. This area incorporates Picnic’s signature nook – a large, picturesque window bench with storage. This also acts as a focal point for the living and dining areas. Wide-plank, muted white oak flooring in the living area creates a sharp dark-to-light contrast moving from the vestibule to the living space.

“Our aim was to create a cohesive space by connecting design ‘zones’ on the ground floor using unifying elements, while maintaining a sense of playfulness and levity, and referencing the intersecting lines found in modern art.” – Eric Martin, Partner, Picnic Design

A long wall feature in thermo-fused, detailed woodgrain laminate, nicknamed the Black Strip, acts as a functional and unifying element between living area and kitchen, main house and rebuilt rear addition. Near the front of the house, the Black Strip conceals a powder room with hidden hardware and flush panelling, before segueing into seamless tall cabinets, a built-in fridge and a wall oven in the kitchen.

The strip terminates in a white oak bench adjacent to glazed doors leading out to the back patio. A black, perforated metal, open shelving unit playfully peeks beyond the large arched frame of the kitchen entrance, mirrored by a peninsula beneath it, as viewed from the living area. This peninsula is topped by a crisp, bright porcelain slab that completes the kitchen countertop. The base of the peninsula facing the living area is wrapped in a solid white oak, half-round tambour, adding an intriguing graphical texture for a visual pause before entering the kitchen. A slim strip of window acts as a linear block of light nestled between matte grey laminate overhead cabinets and the sink.

The previously unfinished basement is now eighteen inches taller and houses a guest bedroom, bathroom, laundry closet, utility room, storage closet and recreation room. The entire refinished basement is heated with an energy-efficient in-floor hydronic heating system.

An extra floor above the rebuilt rear addition gathers additional natural light, and a lofty master bedroom with ten-foot ceilings features a Zen-inspired ensuite bath. The bedroom’s west-facing window is capped on the exterior by a brise-soleil with louvres arranged to block high-angle summer sun and reduce heat gain and glare, while in winter, low-angle sun warms the façade with passive solar heat. Norwegian fluted vertical siding in a recycled composite of Brazilian Ipe wood wraps around the addition’s exterior façade, adding a modern, castellated profile with a narrow shadow line.

A backyard once little more than a field of weeds now features an extended cedar wood deck and trellis for partially shaded outdoor entertaining. The parking area is topped by an open post and beam carport made with structurally strong and lightweight Douglas fir. A pergola roof allows evening light to enter the house while providing partial shelter from the elements.

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