Located within a heritage enclave in midtown Toronto, House on the Park encompasses the comprehensive renovation and restoration of a stately century-old home, as well as the addition of a new wing and a penthouse bedroom suite. The updated Edwardian-era property preserves the architectural essence of the original structure while introducing warmth, playful elegance, and enhanced functionality and efficiency.
The project objectives were both ambitious and precise: to retrofit and revitalize the historic structure with heritage components in a creative and elevated manner; to implement strategic expansions; to redesign formal spaces for a more welcoming and fluid atmosphere; to optimize energy efficiency and circulation; and to introduce additional daylight and views of Lake Ontario.
A new addition on the east side, connected to the Edwardian residence through a glazed link, complements the original house while offering a contemporary counterpoint. This addition features a modern façade composed of fiber cement and aluminum panels, glass, and brick, forming a thoughtful dialogue with the preserved stone-and-brick exterior. The project also involved bringing the historic structure into compliance with – and surpassing – twenty-first-century building codes and performance standards, all while maintaining the heritage masonry shell. Across the property, materials were carefully selected for durability and compatibility, ensuring an extended lifespan and improved performance for the century-old home.
Inside, the renovation includes a new eat-in kitchen that opens toward a reimagined sunroom with expansive landscape views. The sunroom, illuminated by south-facing light and an ocular skylight, is framed by custom-designed bronze screens and white steel columns with marble inlays – an homage to previous design elements. It provides a unique vantage point for appreciating the layered spaces within the home. The kitchen, dining room, living room, and library are designed to communicate seamlessly with one another, featuring glazed doors that open to the outdoors, maximizing natural light and enabling passive ventilation.
Original architectural details, such as the Zodiac ceiling in the living room, were meticulously restored. A collaboration with Pencil Design resulted in a warm, wide-ranging interiors scheme that includes bespoke elements like oak thresholds, sliding doors, custom bronze hardware, vivid marble floors, fireplaces, and linen wall finishes. These details introduce artisanal touches that soften the formality of the home, creating an atmosphere infused with color, personality, and unexpected contrasts.
Two new sculptural staircases reimagine the original ones, admitting more light and making bold design statements that align with the home’s grandeur. Utilizing 3D modeling software as a parametric sculpting tool, the design team achieved a visually seamless curve across all floors despite the challenges posed by varying floor thicknesses at each level.
A striking blue spiral staircase winds upward like a wave, connecting all levels from the renovated basement to the discreet penthouse addition. The penthouse steps back incrementally to blend with the roof, minimizing visual impact while offering new views of the city and Lake Ontario. At the staircase’s apex, an ocular skylight casts light deep into the home’s layout. The flowing structure harmonizes with the Edwardian curves of the original home while its color and form echo the swirling brushstrokes of a mural by Tisha Myles in the dining room across the hall.
The second feature staircase, a modern reinterpretation of the grand central staircase, rises from a new herringbone oak floor. This white, statuesque steel ribbon, lined with a handrail, oak treads, and risers, twists gracefully to form a striking second-story overlook within a double-height atrium. The atrium walls, clad in curved white linen panels, mirror the organic flow of the spiral staircase, fostering a cohesive design experience. Above, a constellation of rippling glass pendants creates an ethereal illumination, enhancing the room’s grandeur and sense of wonder OD
Size 13,500sf • Completed 2023 • Design Credit • Superkül + Pencil Design • Structural Engineer Kieffer Structural Engineering • Mechanical + Electrical Engineer Hayward Consulting & Design Stairs EeStairs • Landscape Architect Janet Rosenberg & Studio General Contractor Anjinnov Management Heritage Architect EVOQ Architecture • Heritage Restoration Specification Consultant GBCA Architects Arborist Cohen & Master Tree Services • Building Science Consultant Synergy Partners