Ellis Park Road

Ellis Park Road Condo is a two-bedroom apartment in a residential building set on the edge of Toronto’s High Park. The original developer-driven interior has been transformed by Jennifer Turner Architect to create an adaptable, bespoke home that invites the surrounding landscape inside. The result is a home architecturally defined by large, movable partitions that allow the space to be adapted as needed, and is a celebration of the natural setting.

The clients are a mature couple, who decided to sell their large house and split their time between a city apartment and a smaller holiday apartment. Their city apartment is located on a main street adjacent to High Park, and is a corner suite with rare expansive views over the trees. While the situation was ideal, the condo itself was part of a rather charmless development lacking dialogue with the surrounding greenery.

The entire home has been re-imagined in its renovation, both in how the spaces function and the experience they offer, but the existing layout has essentially been preserved. The entrance is on the more private first floor, where the bedrooms are located; and the main living spaces are on the ground floor, which is accessed by a central stair in a double-height atrium space. The second bedroom has been converted into an office, and a downstairs room – which now boasts an impressive bespoke wine cellar – has been conceived as an extension of the living-dining space and can be converted to a guest bedroom as needed.

The re-imagined home is permeated by a sense of openness and light made possible by the use of large-scale doors and moveable partitions. These not only allow for a flexible interior but for connection to the views from almost every room – and the effect is immediately apparent from the moment of entry.

Instead of a narrow, dark corridor facing a standard door, the front door now opens to views over the park through the north-facing windows in the first-floor office. When the client needs privacy, the concealed stacking partitions that enclose the office can be slid shut. The replacement of the existing third bathroom by ample storage near the entry further opens the space up and allows it to breathe.

The borrowing of the High Park landscape continues in the master bedroom, which is entered via a full-height sliding pocket door that opens to reveal floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides, with flowing curtains that create a soft counterpoint to the rectilinear architecture. This wall of windows extends into the new walk-in closet.

The removal of a wall between the hallway and the double-height atrium space above the stair essentially transforms the formerly dark circulation space into a light-filled ‘bridge’ that connects the entry to the master suite. Glass pendant lights in the void accentuate its verticality and draw the gaze down the stairs and to the glass doors that open out to the private courtyard.

On the ground floor, Turner has taken the same approach to opening up the floor plan. An existing windowless room, originally designated as an office, has been re-designed with stackable partitions that are concealed within a pocket wall when open. This allows the room to become an extension of the dining and living area when open, and a private guest bedroom when closed. This space also features a bespoke wine cellar with glass doors that proudly display the bottles and celebrate the couple’s passion for wine.

Throughout the condo, the material palette responds to the forested landscape. The graphic carpet on the stairs echoes the annual growth rings of a tree; the wine cellar features a playful pebbled floor that conceals the drainage; the floors are white oak; the kitchen island is topped with an enormous slab of marble; and the cabinets and backsplash are crafted from tactile frosted glass. In keeping with this approach, the neutral colour palette – a dynamic layering of charcoals and white – creates a sophisticated backdrop for the lush views and helps to reflect light around the space.

One of the major challenges of the project was working within the constraints of the existing architecture, much of which was bulky and inelegant. This was addressed by creating a series of drop ceilings to disguise the heavy mullions of the windows – a solution that also helped to create various functional ‘zones’ in the more open-plan space, and allowed room for the complex electrics designed in collaboration with the client, an electrical engineer. Similarly, the structure of the central stair was painted dark grey to dissolve its mass.

“From the beginning, the view was the biggest driver of the design,” says architect Jennifer Turner. “The apartment is like a treehouse amidst the forested views but it didn’t take advantage of the site. Now, when you walk in, you see the trees instead of a door and the outside views sing throughout the interior.”

Team:

Architecture & Interiors: Jennifer Turner Architect
Builder: SCE Construction Management Ltd.
Engineer: Mulvey and Banani International
Cabinetry (Master Closet): David O’Sullivan Millwork
Photography: Bob Gundu

Materials Used:

Wood flooring: Engineered oiled and stained rift cut white oak
Master Bathroom flooring and walls: 12” x 36” Statuario marble tiles
Kitchen countertop: Fior di Bosco marble
Kitchen cabinets: frosted glass cabinet fronts