Situated in the west-end of Toronto, this home is a unique synthesis of both clients' heritages, tastes, and sensibilities. The house draws upon, and re-interprets, many elements of traditional Japanese architecture, and marries those elements with a love for richness, colour and texture.
The inspiration for many design decisions stemmed from the story of one of the client's Japanese and Canadian ancestors. At the heart of the home is a wooden box used by his relatives on their journey to the internment camps in B.C. during the second world war. This box is honoured in a ‘sacred’ central zone, around which the stairs revolve. A custom mural spirals up and down beside the stairs, acting as a reference point on all floors. It is an always-present visual linkage back to the heart of the home. The sacred box is an anchoring beacon which reminds us where we came from.
The house is seen as a series of layers marked by thresholds. Layers of light and transparency delineate one room from the next, providing alluring glimpses of one space seen through another. Layers of history and materials, some new and some old, overlap and combine in subtle and unexpected ways. Zones range from the ‘public’ space of entertaining to the zen-like private retreat on top. The thresholds between spaces are subtle: sometimes marked by a change in elevation, sometimes by a change of material. The dining room, for example, is sunken one step to create a sense of comforting enclosure, bounded by a modern interpretation of a traditional shoji screen. A change in wood flooring pattern marks the room as distinct, the herringbone texture reminiscent of customary woven tatami mats.
Throughout the home there is an elegance and refinement in the details that reflects a Japanese sensibility - valuing things of quality and eliminating everything else. The restraint of this approach is married with a richness of pattern and colour. Geometric motifs appear throughout the home to add a touch of vibrant and textural ornamentation to the restrained palette and highly choreographed spaces. In the kitchen, a vibrant green feature backsplash tile stretches to the ceiling, creating a striking focal point, as well as complimenting the framed view to the lush, verdant yard beyond. The wood and steel screens framing the sacred box contain metal spacers, that when illuminated at night cast a random spattering of soft shadows, reminiscent of rain drops, across the white oak slats. The combination of traditional Japanese elements and thoughtful ornament result in spaces that are unique to this couple and their family.
In transforming the hundred-year old home in a way that is comprehensive, but respectful of its history and local context, the project is situated within a broader emerging movement in Toronto's evolution as a city. Rather than decamp to the suburbs with changing family needs, the clients' home was re-imagined in a way that respected the neighbourhood's history, honoured their personal heritages, and allowed the family to stay in the livable, dense, city they love.
