An old Annex gem, this property includes a main residence and rear coach house, distinct structures that define an intimate courtyard designed as an outdoor extension of the living space. The courtyard evolves from day to day and season to season; it is a play area, patio for BBQ’s, or quiet place on the way to yoga in the coach house.
The originally chopped up main house was reworked to create an open plan, divided by built-in elements other than walls that both delineate and connect spaces through a play of rich materials and curated openings. These dividing elements frame specific views, creating a dialogue between spaces; they define the character of each room, and evoke an impression of connected larger spaces. The ground floor is organized around a central wood-clad volume that disguises storage, ductwork, and structural elements, while featuring a linear fireplace, niches for display and built-in seating. In the centre of this volume is a void – a discrete washroom dressed in white marble with floating fixtures and a custom stone vanity – luminous and smooth like the interior of a shell. In contrast, the volume’s outer surface is clad in white oak and limestone and articulated in a play of closed and open sections for storage and display. Between the kitchen and dining room, a walnut-clad volume – housing a bar, wine fridge, storage and TV – has cleverly-located openings to allow for views, conversation and exchange between the two spaces.
The linearity of the wood cabinets directs views to the large openings at the rear, and beyond to the courtyard and coach house. As the spaces of the interior are joined through views and materials, the coach house and house are intimately connected in the same fashion. Each is clad in a different warm tone of wood veneer fiber cement panels with aligning seams and window openings, allowing plentiful views between them.
