At the height of Toronto\u2019s real estate euphoria, an unusual confluence of events led Mark McAdam and Vincz Lee to purchase a sturdy Edwardian-era house sight unseen. <\/p>\n
The couple made an appointment to tour the home in the city\u2019s Riverdale neighbourhood before flying to Portugal that night. Suddenly all viewings were cancelled, and the two were faced with the choice of tossing in a bid or missing out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went in fast,\u201d says Mr. McAdam.<\/p>\n
On the way to the airport, Ms. Lee called her mother to break the news: \u201cWe bought a house.\u201d<\/p>\n
That significant milestone was followed by Mr. McAdam\u2019s romantic sunset proposal on the edge of a sandstone cliff in the Algarve.<\/p>\n
The newly engaged couple returned from Europe to tackle the more prosaic business of taking possession of a rundown 2 1\/2-storey detached house with a dark interior and odd layout.<\/p>\n
Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Nanne Springer\/Nanne Springer<\/p>\n Despite the challenges, Mr. McAdam and Ms. Lee were mostly undaunted, they say, because they had landed their ideal location on a leafy street near Withrow Park. They also knew they would renovate eventually.<\/p>\n When that time came, the couple brought in architects Winda Lau and Andrea Yeatman of Toronto-based Studio Lau to transform the early 20th-century residence into a contemporary family home.<\/p>\n Mr. McAdam found the chopped-up spaces oppressive \u2013 especially compared with his former address at a light-filled loft on nearby Broadview Avenue.<\/p>\n \u201cOpen it up,\u201d was his simple appeal to the architects on their first visit.<\/p>\n Ms. Lee also felt the urgent need for change after the arrival of the couple\u2019s son Carter in 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted him to be able to play in a bright space,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Ms. Lau and Ms. Yeatman concentrate much of their practice on reconfiguring the long hallways and formal rooms of Toronto\u2019s Victorian and Edwardian-era houses, which create gloomy interiors and formal rooms that no longer serve the way that most families live today.<\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Nanne Springer\/Nanne Springer<\/p>\n \u201cNatural light is always the initial driver,\u201d Ms. Lau says of the projects they take on.<\/p>\n The architects also favour creating flexible spaces so all areas are useful in daily life and can evolve over time.<\/p>\n Ms. Lau and Ms. Yeatman admired the Riverdale home\u2019s brick exterior, but they found little remaining character in the interior after a poor renovation in the 1980s, they say.<\/p>\n \u201cIt had beautiful bones, but it needed to be opened up,\u201d says Ms. Yeatman.<\/p>\n Their goal was to keep the footprint of the original house despite the constraint of a 20-foot-wide lot. As in all of their residential projects, they also aimed to improve the connection to the outdoors.<\/p>\n The architects showed the couple a few different configurations before they finalized a plan and construction began in the summer of 2024.<\/p>\n Today the homeowners and visitors arrive to a porch that runs the width of the house with a simple overhang above.<\/p>\n Inside, the entryway is delineated by a drop ceiling wood detail which creates separation from the main living area.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always want to create an entry so you\u2019re not walking straight into the house,\u201d says Ms. Yeatman.<\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Nanne Springer\/Nanne Springer<\/p>\n A floor-to-ceiling window almost the width of the living area opens up the home to the light and views of the street. <\/p>\n The dining area stands at the centre, and the kitchen at the rear, where a wall of glass slides away to extend the kitchen area into the back garden.<\/p>\n The architects chose white oak floors and millwork for a harmonious backdrop. They also created curves and rounded edges to soften elements throughout the home.<\/p>\n Ms. Lau points to the rounded corners of the kitchen island, for example, which create a nearly oval shape.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea was to soften the edges and encourage movement around the fairly narrow space,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Nanne Springer\/Nanne Springer<\/p>\n Curves reappear in the dropped ceiling detail that separates the kitchen from the dining room and smooths the edges of the living room fireplace.<\/p>\n The motif is carried outside to the street fa\u00e7ade, where a radiused corner on the dormer reinterprets the dwelling\u2019s traditional silhouette, she says.<\/p>\n Custom built-in cabinetry also defines various spaces and helps to reduce visual clutter. For example, the architects hid a powder room tucked into a corner on the main floor behind a panelled door integrated into the millwork.<\/p>\n One set of built-ins was customized for Ms. Lee, who works at home as a financial analyst.<\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Nanne Springer\/Nanne Springer<\/p>\n On the second floor, the architects brought in light from a skylight above the staircase. At the front of the house, they created an office for Mr. McAdam, who works in investment management. <\/p>\n Carter\u2019s spacious bedroom at the rear has a large window with views of the treetops and a balcony overlooking the backyard.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a really, really beautiful room for him,\u201d says Mr. McAdam. <\/p>\n The third floor was turned into a haven for the couple with a tranquil bedroom, large walk-in closet and a large rooftop deck. The curves continue in the private ensuite bathroom with a stand-alone tub in front of the window. <\/p>\n A pocket door slides across to keep the space private if the couple invites friends and family to lounge on the deck.<\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Nanne Springer\/Nanne Springer<\/p>\n