This project, designed by award-winning Dubbeldam Architecture + Design was narrow 130-year-old residence, located on a small lot in a dense downtown
The previously dark and cramped interior was carved out to produce bright, airy spaces connected through an open plan. A floating, open-riser stair at the centre of the house is topped with a large overhead skylight, which allows light to penetrate deep into the interior. Custom, built-in elements such as the stacked felt-clad fireplace delineate areas without closing off one room from another. Materials and built-ins emphasize linearity, creating the perception of expanding and stretching the interior space, directing the eye through the house towards the garden.
To strengthen this visual connection, large floor-to-ceiling glass panes help dissolve the boundary between indoors and outdoors and extend the ground floor living area into the backyard. The interior flooring material is carried through to the exterior, further emphasizing continuity between the two. An overhead wood and steel trellis defines an intimate outdoor room off the small living room. A horizontal whitened wood fence and deck envelops the back garden which is defined by recessed planters – containing fragrant lavender, colourful grasses, and Japanese maple trees – arranged to create the feeling of separate ‘rooms’ within the larger whole. The result is an intimate outdoor courtyard that changes with each season, complementing this light-filled, serene interior.
- AWARDS & RECOGNITION:
May 2013 – Through house featured on Dwell.com
Jun 2013 – Through House wins one of eight Canadian Green Building Awards
Jul 2013 – Through House on the cover of Globe & Mail Real Estate
Feb 2013 – Through House featured oncover of Design Lines Spring 2013 issue
Feb 2014 – Through House wins Ontario Association of Architects Design Excellence award
Jan 2014 – Through House featured in Sweden’s Vart Nya Hus magazine
Jan 2014 – Through house featured in Canadian Interiors magazine Houses issue
Mar 2014 – Through house featured on the cover of Toronto Life real estate guide
Apr 2014 – Through house short-listed for Azure award
May 2014 – Through house wins an Award of Excellence and the People’s Choice award at the OAA Awards
Jun 2014 – Through house wins an Award of Merit and the People’s Choice award at the Azure AZ Awards
Aug 2014 – Through house featured in London UK magazine Grand Designs
Dec 2014 – 2014 rounds out with 5 awards for DUBBELDAM projects
Services: Interior and exterior renovation