Bridal Path Residence

Project Details

Project Description

Located in Toronto’s prestigious Bridle Path neighbourhood, this 1950's bungalow backs onto a 2.7 acre site, with a wide lawn that flows into a wooded ravine.

The interior of the original house consisted of a series of narrow rooms with low ceilings. The client requested a complete renovation of the interior that would create an open plan, capitalizing on the natural views and providing abundant natural light.

A striking intervention to the low rectangular form of the original house was created through the insertion of a new bay window, 24 feet wide by 15 feet high, along the full length of the living room. Fully glazed on three sides, this addition projects out over the patio below and provides dramatic views out to the ravine. The existing roof of the house was removed over this new glass box, and a cantilevered structure of heavy timber beams and wood decking was inserted, all supported on a single steel beam.
Demolishing the existing interior allowed for the substantial reorganization of the main living spaces. Within the new open plan, the dining, kitchen, family and living rooms are defined by the insertion of a series of custom millwork elements that also serve as storage and display units. In the kitchen, a built-in tabletop of cherry butcher-block cantilevers off the central island on a single steel beam. The stone mantle of the living room fireplace rests on a similar beam.

The millwork insertions are all fabricated of a mixture of cherry wood and off-white lacquer, with accents of limestone and acid-etched glass. A deeply coloured wood floor of Ipe ties all of the rooms together and extends outside to become the surface of a new large deck. Light and dark limestone mark the entry floor area and the new fireplace hearth.