A Modern Toronto Residence That Blends Into Its 1920s-Era Streetscape

Drew Mandel Architects was faced with the tough task of ensuring a completely new design fits within a historical context when designing Moore Park Residence in Toronto. Moore Park Residence marks the first tear-down replacement on a street that mainly includes 1920s-era single-family homes, so the challenge was to integrate the home into the existing streetscape.

The design process involved lengthy discussions with the owner, neighbors, community design review groups, and city officials to ensure the design met the neighborhood’s standards.

Though the home’s exterior was required to reflect many ideals of the original homes on the block, the interior reflects a much more modern aesthetic. The master bedroom, for example, features clean wood flooring, stark white walls and a massive window that mimics the shape of the home’s A-frame topper.

The kitchen’s appliances and fixtures are kept all white to create a clean surface that blends into the white walls and ceiling overhang, while the living room highlights warmer accents like wood floors and a fireplace. The dining room is arguably the warmest room of all due to its tonal wood floors and wood walls with alcoves for books and art.

The space offers plenty of hidden nooks to sit and reflect in.

The third floor is set back at the front and rear, which creates space for green moments like roof terraces. An exterior board-formed concrete wall ups the privacy while still allowing light to reach all three levels.

Photos by Ben Rahn.