Architect: Prosun Architects • Location: Toronto, Ontario • Photography: Riley Snelling • Structural engineers: Honeycomb Structural Engineers • Project manager: Prosun Homes • Windows and doors: Alulux Canada • Countertops: Better Marble & Marble Islands • Appliances: Miele, Sub Zero & Wolf Appliances • Cabinets: J&Y Cabinetry • Automation: Blue Genie Home Automation • Electrical: Legrande Adorne • Landscaping: TJH Landscaping • Swimming Pool: Silver Pools
A Study in Warm Minimalism
The architecture of quiet luxury
In the leafy heart of Toronto’s north end, 105 Park Crescent stands as a testament to how architecture can breathe serenity into everyday life. Designed by Prosun Architects, the residence blends precision and poetry – an exploration of proportion, light, and material restraint that feels both modern and timeless.
From the street, the home reads as a sculpted composition of smooth white planes and vertical slats. Its façade is punctuated with subtle geometric reliefs – shadows play across them through the day, animating the surface like moving art. A cedar-lined garage and recessed entry signal the tone within: refined, tactile, and human-scaled.
“We wanted the house to unfold slowly,” says the design team. “It’s about intimacy and discovery – each step reveals a new relationship between light, texture, and the landscape.”
Inside, sunlight filters through clerestory windows and a series of interior courtyards that act as open lungs. The home’s plan revolves around these voids – spaces of reflection that blur the boundary between interior and garden.
Living lightly: the heart of the home
Step inside and the main living and dining space immediately disarms with its warmth. Oak-clad walls and ceilings create a cocoon of calm, while the furniture palette – taupe, ivory, and muted bronze – grounds the eye in comfort. The design avoids spectacle; its beauty lies in balance.
Suspended above the dining table, a cluster of glowing globes hangs like a constellation, their cords intentionally casual, looping toward the ceiling. A sculptural mobile of folded copper leaves drifts above the living area, catching afternoon light like a kinetic artwork. Behind the sofa, a tonal painting and a carved wood coffee table reinforce the home’s tactile rhythm.
The seamless connection to the garden beyond is a quiet triumph: vast panes of glass erase the division between indoors and outdoors, reflecting greenery back into the room. The effect is cinematic yet deeply intimate – every frame of the home feels composed.
“We designed for stillness, not silence,” says the architect. “Light, air, and shadow are the real materials here.”
A courtyard for the soul
At the centre of the home lies an open courtyard – a miniature landscape that gathers light from above and redistributes it throughout the interior. From every level, the garden remains visible, shifting with the seasons. It is both anchor and oasis.
A child stands at the edge of the glass, her silhouette caught in reflection – one of the many moments where human scale interacts with architectural precision. Above her, a bridge of glass links the private wings, reinforcing transparency and flow.
Around the courtyard, circulation is treated as an art form. The stair, composed of solid oak treads and blackened steel, hovers lightly above the floor. Its sculptural simplicity defines the home’s movement sequence – ascending through filtered daylight to the bedrooms, descending into soft shadow below.
Fluted walls, live greenery, and curated niches layer texture throughout the interiors. Every transition feels intentional, guiding the eye toward moments of repose – a bench carved from a single log, a piano poised before a wall of oak shelving.
Material mastery: the kitchen and spa suite
The kitchen is both command centre and sanctuary. A monolithic marble island – striated with soft veining – anchors the space. Above it, two circular pendants hover like halos, casting even, architectural light. Behind the island, a wall of charred wood cladding provides contrast and depth, concealing appliances with quiet precision.
“The kitchen was imagined as furniture, not infrastructure,” says the lead designer. “Every detail, from the fluting in the marble to the line of the faucet, is choreographed.”
Large glass doors open directly onto a sheltered terrace, blurring the edge between cooking, dining, and entertaining. At dusk, the home glows outward, the warm timber ceiling of the patio echoing the light within.
Upstairs, the private spaces unfold like a tranquil retreat. The primary suite pairs softness and strength: a headboard wall of hand-textured stone glows with hidden light, and built-in shelving displays ceramic forms like a quiet gallery. The ensuite continues the narrative – back-lit mirrors float above a marble vanity, and a green mosaic wall in the shower evokes a living garden. Beyond, a spacious dressing room reveals a freestanding tub beneath a luminous cloud-like chandelier.
Personal spaces and subtle stories
While the architecture expresses refinement, the bedrooms infuse personality. A guest suite introduces pale pink ribbed millwork and arched mirrors – a softer, playful counterpoint to the home’s neutral palette. The materials repeat in thoughtful variation: warm woods, tactile fabrics, and light that feels painted rather than placed.
On the lower level, a water installation – a glowing archway inscribed with the words “soft enough to offer life, tough enough to drown it away” – acts as a meditation on balance. It embodies the home’s core philosophy: contrast as harmony, strength tempered by grace.
By night, the exterior transforms into a lantern. The layers of glass, wood, and stone reveal their structure, casting a warm gradient into the surrounding trees. Standing on the street, one senses that the house is alive – breathing, glowing, still.
“Every surface tells a story,” says the architect. “When you move through the space, you’re meant to feel both grounded and uplifted.”
Craft, light, and the human element
At 105 Park Crescent, Prosun Architects have created more than a home – they’ve composed an atmosphere. It is architecture that invites touch, quiet contemplation, and connection.
Every gesture, from the curve of a wall to the grain of a shelf, celebrates the human hand. The project is proof that restraint can be rich, and modernism, when handled with empathy, can feel deeply personal.
OD