TORONTO — Situated on a corner lot within the context of traditional Edwardian gable homes in Toronto’s High Park neighborhood, the Westminster residence aims to provide an underlying sense of familiarity and continuity within the archetypal roof form.

On the main floor, a large, floating covered porch occupies the side yard of the corner lot beneath the heavy cantilevered roof, extending to a private garden. The primary bedroom above expands into a tall roof dormer, overlooking the garden below behind a 20-foot-tall brise soleil, which shields a private balcony and provides a courtyard feel within the city lot.

The material atmosphere is a marriage of Villain’s lair meets light and airy refuge. The restrained palette consists of dark stained plain sawn walnut, heavy unfilled travertine, concrete, and dark textural lime wash walls that juxtapose heavily against double height, light-filled soft lime wash walls, wide plank knotted white oak floors, and soft linen drapery and fabrics. The sequence of moving from a compressed cavernous spatial experience to its inverse is narrated as one moves throughout the home.

Project contributors include:

Architect of record + Interior designer: Batay-Csorba Architects

General contractor: Whitaker Construction

Metal frame windows: Heroal (Division 8)

Doors
Entrances: Bauhaus Doors, Whitaker and Custom B-CA design (front door), Heroal/ Division 8, Whitaker and Custom B-CA design (back door)
Interior wood doors: RK Doors
Sliding doors: Heroal (Division 8 Openings Inc)
Special doors: SlideGate (sliding exterior gate)

Hardware
Locksets: Joseph Giles, Halliday Ballie, FSB
Pulls: Dauby
Hinges: Tectus
Metal handrails and brackets: Urban Steel Products and Custom B-CA Design

Interior Finishes
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: EDM Canada, Whitaker and Custom B-CA Design (stone cabinetry and sinks), Cabinetlab, Whitaker and Custom B-CA Design (millwork)
Paints and stains: Pure and Original (lime paint), Benjamin Moore
Paneling: Cabinetlab, Whitaker and Custom B-CA Design (wood paneling)
Solid surfacing: Corian (laundry countertop)
Floor and wall tile: Stonetile (Travertine stone at fireplace, bathroom floor and wall tiles, entry and mudroom tile)
Resilient flooring: Canada Mats (gym)
Wood flooring: Moncer Flooring
Stone slabs: EDM Canada (Travertine slabs)

Furnishings
Sofa and chairs: Living Divani (Ital Interiors)
Side tables: Cassina (Ital Interiors), &Tradition (Basement coffee table)

Lighting
Interior ambient lighting: Nemo Vintage (kitchen), Luceplan (Dining pendant), Lumina (bedroom wall sconce), and Bocci (bathroom)
Downlights: Liteline and Delta
Exterior: B-Light (Darktools), FlexaLighting North America (Cas Di Luce)
Backlit mirrors: Grand Mirrors (bathroom)
Linear lighting: Lumentruss (light coves)

 

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