Light filled interior draws the outside in

Mid-Century Modern gets a new twist in this suburban home. The exterior boasts a strong composition while the interior features light-filled volumes

Inside, the first floor erupts into a light-filled architecture, building, ceiling, daylighting, floor, furniture, glass, home, house, interior design, kitchen, lighting, living room, property, real estate, room, table, window, gray, white

The owners of this home were drawn to architecture, building, car, city, home, house, cladding, siding, concrete, stained cedar, infrastructure, metropolitan area, mixed-use, neighbourhood, plant, real estate, residential area, road, sidewalk, street, town, tree, urban area, vacation, vehicle, woody plant, brown

The exterior of this home comprises two materials architecture, building, facade, home, house, property, tree, black, brown

Concrete forms the base of this house and architecture, building, facade, home, house, property, real estate, room, tree, wall, gray, black

Wood boards that form the surface for the architecture, building, concrete, courtyard, facade, grass, home, house, interior design, property, real estate, residential area, roof, room, tree, urban design, wall, white, brown

An open riser steel and glass staircase connects architecture, building, ceiling, daylighting, design, dining room, floor, flooring, furniture, glass, home, house, stairs, staircase, interior design, lighting, living room, loft, property, real estate, room, shade, table, window, gray, white

The program for this residence was a common architecture, building, ceiling, daylighting, design, floor, furniture, home, house, interior design, light fixture, lighting, walls, paint, property, room, table, window, yellow, white, gray

The main level of this home mostly comprises architecture, building, cabinetry, ceiling, design, dining room, floor, flooring, furniture, home, house, interior design, kitchen, living room, loft, property, real estate, room, table, white, gray

The predominantly white kitchen picks up on the architecture, bar stool, building, cabinetry, ceiling, countertop, dining room, floor, flooring, furniture, home, house, interior design, kitchen, kitchen stove, loft, material property, property, real estate, room, stool, table, tile, gray

Strategic positioning of a side wall of cabinetry architecture, building, cabinetry, ceiling, countertop, design, dining room, floor, flooring, furniture, home, house, interior design, kitchen, light fixture, lighting, loft, material property, orange, property, real estate, room, table, white, gray

The protected entertainment terrace is accessible from the architecture, building, cabinetry, ceiling, countertop, floor, flooring, furniture, hardwood, home, house, interior design, kitchen, property, room, tile, window, wood flooring, gray, white

Bathroom in a Mid-century Modern style home by architecture, bathroom, bathroom sink, bathtub, ceiling, floor, house, interior design, material property, plumbing fixture, room, sink, tap, tile, wall, gray, white

Designed by Mark Peters, Studio Dwell Architects

By the architect:

The owners of this home – a professional couple with children – were drawn to the Mid-century Modern aesthetic of Latin American architecture, where ornament made way for interest in volumes and planes and exterior materials were expressed and celebrated.

Drawing on the visionary work of that time from architects such as Oscar Niemeyer, Villanueva and Le Corbusier, they looked to explore those past innovative forms and materials with a fresh interpretation.

In response to their vision, the exterior of the house comprises two materials to ensure a strong composition; board-formed concrete and stained cedar. The concrete forms the base of the house and defines the public spaces, while the stained cedar upper volume defines the private spaces along with other accents of the house.

The two materials have a somewhat reciprocal relationship to each other. The wood boards that form the surface for the concrete below, leave an etched tracing of the wood that formed them, while the exposed cedar displays the true material itself. Both etched on the surface.

The plan for the residence was a common one in the city; how to provide an abundance of natural light while still ensuring privacy.

The first step for this solution was to determine the views, what needed to be controlled and what could allow for glimpses both inside and out.

The solution was to create a ribbon of windows, tight to the first floor ceiling that expanded downward in the public floor and upward in the private floor throughout the house. This gave the ability to control views, while still maintaining natural light coming in on the corner lot.

The main entry sequence of the residence offers the visitor a dramatic view of the 11m wide, 4m cantilevered cedar volume that defines and protects a private exterior entertaining terrace off the main level, but hidden from view from the street or entry door.

Inside the house, the first floor erupts into a light-filled seemingly transparent volume. Windows wrap the house allowing open and controlled views to the exterior tree lined streets.

This main level mostly comprises white drywall surfaces with accents of the board formed exterior concrete extending inside to form the cantilevered fireplace and other select walls.

The protected entertainment terrace is accessible from the entire main level, which then transitions down to a large landscaped and playful yard which includes amenities such as a whirlpool, a basketball court and an in-ground trampoline for their kids.

The upper private level, accessed from an open riser steel and glass staircase, consists of the bedrooms and a reading lounge that opens up to the living and dining rooms below, acting as an extension of those rooms with views to the exterior street below.

The composition of volumes and planes scored with ribbons of windows make passers-by stop and take notice – both day and night – on this active residential street corner.