Text description from the architects. This four-bedroom single-family home is located on a hillside lot in east Toronto, in a ravine with steep slopes in the backyard and across the street. Canadian studio Reigo & Bauer designed this new build from the ground up, using geometric maneuvers to make the most of the narrow lot and create a striking structure.
The building’s tall, vertically accentuated form recalls the mature trees that tower over the houses and climb the hills on either side. The exterior is almost entirely clad in gray diamond-shaped bricks that continue from the walls above the garage door and roof, making the building appear as a cohesive volume. On the south side, part of the envelope is cut out to make room for steps to the front door and additional windows on the sides of the bay windows created by this partial setback. These face each other rather than looking out onto the neighboring property, bringing significantly more light into the center of the house while complying with zoning restrictions.
Part of the south facade is set back from the main facade and highlighted by white concrete panels that extend to the roofline and also arch over the entrance steps below, shielding the access route from the front of the house. Playing with simple geometries to create unexpected results – a frequent ace in Reigo & Bauer’s hand – is also found on the roof, which is made up of triangular facets that connect the offset roof peaks diagonally from the front of the house to the rear.
Narrow, offset windows on the shorter front and back let in plenty of light while still providing residents with a degree of privacy. In the street-facing dining room, these windows are pulled above the ceiling plane to provide further vertical accentuation. At the back, however, the living room ceiling curves upward and slopes to accommodate the elongated windows and draw the view to the wooded hill behind the house. These clever gestures make the rooms seem much higher without taking away space from the floor above.
On the entry level, a central block contains a powder room, pantry, and storage space that faces two sides, helping to divide and organize the spaces around it, which flow into one another without doors. The kitchen occupies the area between the dining and living rooms and features minimal white cabinetry and finishes for a clean, unobtrusive appearance. A muted green wall separates the kitchen from the stairs, but a pair of pill-shaped cutouts between the cabinets provide sightlines and natural light for both the upper and lower floors. A similarly shaped mirror in the center reflects a view of the kitchen, creating a fun visual trick. The green wall extends upward to become a solid railing for the skylit upper-floor corridor that runs between two bedrooms at the front and the master suite at the back. Another bedroom is located in the basement behind the garage.
Other colorful vertical surfaces can be found in the living room, where one wall is painted a pale dusty pink and the master suite bathroom is a slightly darker shade, leaning more toward terracotta. Most of the remaining walls are white and the floors are light oak throughout, leaving the clients with a neutral backdrop against which to add statement rugs and furniture pieces. Subtle details, including the repetition of spherical light fixtures both inside and out, help to tie the entire project together. When Reigo & Bauer have full control over the architecture of a home, as in this case, they demonstrate an astute sense of three-dimensional space and the ability to manipulate it within tight constraints to fully optimize the conditions on offer. The result is an exterior that is different from anything else on the street, but still seems appropriate for its surroundings, and interiors that feel dynamic and balanced at the same time.
