New Addition Breathes Life Into This Toronto Home
A century-old house expands and opens up with a new light-filled kitchen, family room, master suite and TV lounge
From the Front Door, a Clear First Impression
The addition’s construction led to a remodel throughout the home. Before, this original portion of the house contained a narrow hallway and a closed stairwell. Near where Louis is sitting was a closed-off galley kitchen on the right and a small dining room on the left. “The kitchen was so small that two people couldn’t work together in there,” Asquith says.
While this is an older home, it did not have any grand or remarkable details intact that were worth saving, except for one stained-glass window seen in the photo below. The remodel opened up the house from front to back — this is the view from the front door. A new staircase with a glass railing also keeps the views open and allows light from the second floor to brighten the foyer.
The addition’s construction led to a remodel throughout the home. Before, this original portion of the house contained a narrow hallway and a closed stairwell. Near where Louis is sitting was a closed-off galley kitchen on the right and a small dining room on the left. “The kitchen was so small that two people couldn’t work together in there,” Asquith says.
While this is an older home, it did not have any grand or remarkable details intact that were worth saving, except for one stained-glass window seen in the photo below. The remodel opened up the house from front to back — this is the view from the front door. A new staircase with a glass railing also keeps the views open and allows light from the second floor to brighten the foyer.
Asquith established the material palette in the front entry area and used it to provide continuity throughout the house. The flooring in the front entry is slate, and the custom built-ins and cabinetry throughout the home are white oak.
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Creating Cohesion in a More Open Plan
To the left of the entryway is the original living room. The fireplace used to have an old brick surround that was in bad shape. Asquith brought it up to code and gave it a minimalist surround composed of custom concrete panels.
She used slate on the hearth to tie into the slate in the front entryway.
To the left of the entryway is the original living room. The fireplace used to have an old brick surround that was in bad shape. Asquith brought it up to code and gave it a minimalist surround composed of custom concrete panels.
She used slate on the hearth to tie into the slate in the front entryway.
This thoughtfully designed space is part hallway, part piano room and opens up the flow from the living room to the back of the house. Asquith continued the built-ins around the corner from the entry and then extended the white oak in a ceiling treatment. The floating look of the ceiling is enhanced by integrated lighting.
The open plan and expansive views to the backyard make the dining room feel brighter and more spacious than before. The bump-out on the left marks where the original house ends and the addition begins.
The open plan and expansive views to the backyard make the dining room feel brighter and more spacious than before. The bump-out on the left marks where the original house ends and the addition begins.
Past the dining room is the addition. The new family room’s large windows provide views to the backyard. The room is also completely open to the kitchen. The TV and stereo are in a new lounge on the lower level of the addition, which keeps the main floor free of TV noise.
An Artful Wall on Display
Asquith put a lot of thought into the range wall’s design. “Because the kitchen is so open, the backsplash wall can be seen from multiple vantage points — it is totally on display,” she says. She helped the owners choose a Carrera marble backsplash, picked for its beauty and its quiet range of colors and veining patterns. She concealed the appliances with panel fronts and then played around with geometry and graphics when considering the cabinetry’s composition. She balanced a food pantry and appliance garages on the left side with the refrigerator on the right.
Farther to the right is an exception to all this appliance concealment: a coffee fiend’s beloved espresso maker and java station. “He’s really into coffee,” Asquith says of one of the homeowners. “And this machine is beautiful — it’s not something to hide.”
Asquith put a lot of thought into the range wall’s design. “Because the kitchen is so open, the backsplash wall can be seen from multiple vantage points — it is totally on display,” she says. She helped the owners choose a Carrera marble backsplash, picked for its beauty and its quiet range of colors and veining patterns. She concealed the appliances with panel fronts and then played around with geometry and graphics when considering the cabinetry’s composition. She balanced a food pantry and appliance garages on the left side with the refrigerator on the right.
Farther to the right is an exception to all this appliance concealment: a coffee fiend’s beloved espresso maker and java station. “He’s really into coffee,” Asquith says of one of the homeowners. “And this machine is beautiful — it’s not something to hide.”
This custom piece on the wall was the solution to a problem. The protruding part of the wall marks where the original house meets the addition and contains a plumbing stack. Since the homeowners wanted a place to display some of their favorite objects, Asquith designed this shelf, which makes the protrusion seem like an intentional design choice. It also provides another connection between rooms: It’s a miniature version of the staggered display shelves in the entry.
Another notable detail is the backsplash directly above the range. Its slate color is a deliberate tie-in to the entry floor, hearth and patio. She topped the dark tiles with a Carrara marble ledge that eases the protrusion of the plumbing stack. “The ledge brings in another line behind the stove. Plus this porcelain can handle cooking splashes better than marble,” she says.
Another notable detail is the backsplash directly above the range. Its slate color is a deliberate tie-in to the entry floor, hearth and patio. She topped the dark tiles with a Carrara marble ledge that eases the protrusion of the plumbing stack. “The ledge brings in another line behind the stove. Plus this porcelain can handle cooking splashes better than marble,” she says.
The kitchen still has a galley shape, but unlike the original closed galley kitchen, there’s plenty of room for two to enter from different places and to work in here at the same time. The island measures 4 by 9 feet and contains the sink, dishwasher, and trash and recycling pullouts. “Basically it hides all the stuff you don’t want to see,” Asquith says.
The island has a Carrara marble countertop that matches the display wall. The waterfall design maintains the room’s seamless feel. And the linear white-oak light overhead adds another line to the geometric play. It was made by Toronto artisans hollis+morris.
Another notable piece is the custom china cabinet, designed by Asquith as a freestanding piece for glassware. It’s also made of white oak.
The island has a Carrara marble countertop that matches the display wall. The waterfall design maintains the room’s seamless feel. And the linear white-oak light overhead adds another line to the geometric play. It was made by Toronto artisans hollis+morris.
Another notable piece is the custom china cabinet, designed by Asquith as a freestanding piece for glassware. It’s also made of white oak.
Outdoor Connections
Let’s pop back outside before we head upstairs. The open door leads directly into the kitchen. Just beyond the door is a grilling area that’s protected from the elements by the balcony’s overhang.
The patio and water feature are slate-colored, which connects the garden to the interiors.
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Let’s pop back outside before we head upstairs. The open door leads directly into the kitchen. Just beyond the door is a grilling area that’s protected from the elements by the balcony’s overhang.
The patio and water feature are slate-colored, which connects the garden to the interiors.
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The lower level’s large south-facing windows were important to the new TV lounge’s design. “I created a soft terracing down to the patio, as we didn’t want to add a deck that would block the southern light from this basement window,” Asquith says.
The landing and 90-degree turn of the stairway and the matching planter provide a pleasing transition down to the patio.
The landing and 90-degree turn of the stairway and the matching planter provide a pleasing transition down to the patio.
A New True Master Suite
The addition allowed the homeowners to create an upper-level master suite that includes a new master bathroom, closets and a private balcony. In the bedroom, a long built-in window seat provides a great perch for viewing the garden as well as deep drawer storage for blankets and sweaters. “This master suite is a nice size but is certainly not palatial. The storage in the bench meant they wouldn’t need to add an extra armoire or large dresser,” Asquith says. This helps maintain the new streamlined look.
The addition allowed the homeowners to create an upper-level master suite that includes a new master bathroom, closets and a private balcony. In the bedroom, a long built-in window seat provides a great perch for viewing the garden as well as deep drawer storage for blankets and sweaters. “This master suite is a nice size but is certainly not palatial. The storage in the bench meant they wouldn’t need to add an extra armoire or large dresser,” Asquith says. This helps maintain the new streamlined look.
The master bathroom does not have any exterior windows, so Asquith installed a clerestory window that shares the bedroom’s southern light exposure.
For the vanity she chose walnut instead of white oak because it plays off walnut furniture the homeowners have in the master bedroom.
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For the vanity she chose walnut instead of white oak because it plays off walnut furniture the homeowners have in the master bedroom.
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On the master suite’s private balcony, a teak wall provides privacy from the neighbors, while a glass railing on the south side keeps the views to the garden and tree canopy open. Another built-in bench is a great spot for sitting and enjoying the views.
Takeaways
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Takeaways
- Rooms can be tied together by repeating materials, shapes and colors.
- An open staircase can provide the lower floor with light from above.
- Even if a space is one you’ll mostly be passing through, it’s smart to think about that experience. In this home’s piano room, the built-ins and the ceiling treatment enhance the experience of moving through the space and inspire people to pause.
- Considering all the views into an open kitchen is important when arranging cabinetry and appliances, choosing an island design, and picking out a backsplash.
- Stretching a window seat along an entire wall can provide room for two to lounge. Using drawers instead of the typical flip-up setup gave this couple a lot of storage that’s easy to access.
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Addition at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their dog, Louis
Location: Toronto
Size: 550 square feet (51 square meters)
Architect: Heather Asquith of Asquith Architecture
Soon after the last of their three sons had grown up and moved out, this Toronto couple was ready to expand and remodel their 100-year-old Edwardian home. They loved their leafy neighborhood in North Toronto and didn’t want to leave, but they were tired of the small, closed-off rooms in their house. They hired architect Heather Asquith to plan an addition containing a lower-level TV lounge, a main-level kitchen and family room, and a top-level master suite. The scope of the project evolved into a reworking of the first floor to open things up, fill the rooms with light and create an easy flow from room to room.
“The original house had three small bedrooms, a cramped kitchen and a small dining room that were all divided up,” Asquith says. “When they came to me, they knew they wanted a two-story addition that would include a new open-concept kitchen and family room that opened up to the garden, with a new master suite above. And they wanted to modernize everything technologically and aesthetically.”
The addition has an 18-by-20-foot footprint. A private master balcony forms an overhang for the grilling station below. Also, meet Louis, the family dog. He loves the camera, and the camera loves him.
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