A home of textures and angles brings serenity to a ravine-side street
Virginia Aikenhead, Johnston & Daniel Division of Royal LePage R.E.S BrokerageRiverview House is a rare residential project by KPMB Architects partner Bruce Kuwabara.A little more than a decade ago, Toronto software entrepreneur Doug Steiner and his wife were looking to downsize: His kids were going to university, their one-acre property in Hogg’s Hollow was too big and, after building a cottage, they began to think bigger about what a dream house could be.
“He just blew me off,” Mr. Steiner says. “‘We do industrial only, we don’t do homes ... there’s nothing in it for us.'” Indeed, KPMB designed Canada’s embassy in Berlin, and has done everything from city halls to concert halls and schools to prisons. Mr. Steiner though, tried reverse psychology. “I was gonna give you a challenge: Can you build me a sustainable house? But, if you’re not up for a challenge...” he grins.
There are two side-on entrances in the front: On the left side a service entrance opens up to a hidden mudroom; on the right is a grander door set into the wood-clad garage section that opens into a more formal entrance foyer.The kitchen cabinets and fridge are built into the wall at the bottom of the L.According to Mr. Kuwabara, it should be thought of as a courtyard house: The interior structure is L-shaped, but in the angle of the L is an outside deck that unifies the two wings.
Everywhere in the house there is this tension of materals: space-age finishes next to woods of various hues. The floors are all reclaimed elm, with different stains and finishes depending on the use: A darker stain and wider plank defines the kitchen ; a more mellow, pale gold colour in the living room and second-level floors. It’s a rare wood for modern building material, and these were milled out of beams rescued from the demolition of old factory buildings.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Home of the Week: Retirement wanderlust comes full circle with upscale Toronto loftAfter stops in Martha’s Vineyard, Nevis and Niagara-on-the-Lake, couple takes a tony suite with an emphasis on privacy
Read more »
Dubas: Gardiner remains week-to-weekMaple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas didn't have an update for the injured Jake Gardiner and says that the injuries wouldn't have altered his trade deadline plans if they happened before the deadline passed.
Read more »
Canadians among hundreds of ISIS brides who want to return homeSaturday at 7pm on CTV: For a W5 investigation, London bureau chief Paul Workman was granted unprecedented access to a refugee camp in Syria where several Canadian women are being held.
Read more »
This Week in History: 1933 A giant ape climbs the Empire StateThe film was a considered a technical marvel at the time, and drew huge crowds.
Read more »
Eric Fehr reflects on the year he and his Jets went home to Manitoba - Sportsnet.ca.Cityofwinkler native Eric Fehr made a few stops during his NHL career, including a StanleyCup with Pittsburgh. He spoke to SachdevaSonny about fulfilling his childhood dream playing for the NHLJets when they returned to Manitoba. | hometownhockey_
Read more »
Scarborough Kindergarten student walked home without staff noticing she was goneAdministrators at a Scarborough elementary school are introducing new safety measures after a kindergarten student left the classroom and walked home without staff noticing she was missing.
Read more »
The Globe’s stars and dogs for the weekA humorous look at the companies that caught our eye, for better or worse, this week
Read more »
We need to talk about seniors getting into trouble with home equity line of creditThe rising delinquency numbers raise the possibility that HELOCs are ill-suited to seniors who are not financially secure
Read more »