Summerhill Family Home

An urban home re-designed to support a less formal and more family-focused contemporary life, thoughtfully detailed to cradle the everyday.

The clients owned a home in an area of the city that they loved – but one that didn’t accommodate or reflect the life they wanted to live: Dark and partitioned, the interior was not conducive to entertaining their large extended family and the pool at the rear yard occupied the full garden leaving little room for hosting friends and family at the same time. The exterior was dated and the interior spaces were awkwardly separated for raising their two young children and, occasionally, overnight guests. They longed for a house where they could effortlessly host impromptu guests and that transitioned easily from a cozy family home to a space for friends and family to gather.

Located in the Summerhill area of Toronto, the property is both urban yet also private and discreet. The full gut renovation also included a 3 storey rear addition, a new garage, swim spa and extensive landscape interventions for both the front and the rear gardens.

The young family are the heart of a large, blended and wide-in age ranging extended family. They frequently and informally host family events and friends. The family also has an extensive contemporary art collection that enlivens the home and everyday life.

The existing home was long since stripped of its original architectural characteristics and the street-facing exterior and interiors were carefully re-composed to reflect the client’s contemporary taste whilst maintaining the proportions, features and character that remain on the neighbourhood and street.

On entry, a large sidelight was added to the front door to bring in much needed natural light to the foyer which opens directly to the kitchen and living room beyond. The spaces flow seamlessly from one to the next – accommodating activities in the space to spill over and overlap. The ground floor is freed of its previous divisions and the large sliding door opens to continuously connect the heated floor of the living room to the heated deck of the patio – opening the entire ground floor through to the rear garden for entertaining.

Thoughtfully detailed custom cabinetry is, at times, a feature of a space adding texture and interest to a muted room. At other moments, it is a quiet backdrop to the family’s art collection and contemporary furnishings which add an energy and vibrancy that reflect the spirit of the family’s taste and lifestyle.

The landscape is intended to connect from the outside to the inside to the outside of the home: organizing the back patio and swim area and at the front of the house, offering privacy as well as dampening the sound from the busy street. The greenery subtly makes its way into the home in small quiet moments where various species offer a freshness at window ledges, terraces and landings throughout the house.

Where the reorganization of the spaces yields a flexibility for both a family of four and an easy transition for impromptu entertaining, the interior details elevate daily life – inviting interest and offering delight: marble slabs clad steps, counters, benches and posts – offering a rich and sensual surface both to the eye and to the touch.

The living room at the ground floor is united with the second-floor kids lounge room – where entertaining friends of all generations can happen together, but separately.

The basement houses spaces for recreation, overlapping them with guest accommodations when needed: a washroom with cold rinse double shower off of the sauna sit just apart from the main recreation room that includes a TV, space for a stationary bike and has heated floors for yoga and Pilates. A guest room, laundry room and utility room are also included.

A smooth, sculpted continuous white oak wood handrail leads one from the public floors up to the private spaces where the rooms support the activities of the family and reflect how they want to live. A central skylight sits atop the central stair washing bright daylight deep into the center of the long floor plate. The operable skylights enable warm air to passively ventilate out of the house during the warmer months, by way of the chimney effect.

The third floor was re-conceived as a master suite: The new addition meant we were able to accommodate an ensuite bath and walk-through closet. The master bedroom opens up to a new 3rd floor terrace that overlooks the back garden and the green roof of the garage.

The rear elevation features a sculptural weathering steel screen - offering an expressive focus for the back elevation – a meaningful composition reserved for the private enjoyment of the family from the rear garden, hidden from the view of the street – gracefully aging over time, it’s custom perforated pattern delightfully diffusing light in the evening hours,