Toronto, Canada

According to architect Donald Chong, when his clients wanted to build a house in The Beaches, a popular Toronto neighborhood, “they were committed to the idea that they could live well in a compact square footage.”

This was to their advantage, says Chong, a founding partner of Toronto’s Williamson Chong Architects. Narrow infill projects can scare off buyers. The couple found a 19-foot-wide lot with one catch: a 100-year-old Norway spruce in the backyard. Saving the tree and compressing the footprint for the three-story, 2,300-square-foot house “was our first big chess move,” says Chong. He bumped the living room up to the second floor with the children’s bedrooms and created a “kitchen studio” on the first. It spans the length of the house, with window walls at each end.

Rift-cut white-oak-veneer plywood panels line one wall, hiding mechanicals and cabinetry. Nary an appliance is to be seen: The seamless plane of the cabinets, interrupted only by an angled cutout for counter space, was driven by the clients’ anti-clutter aesthetic. A monolithic quartz countertop with an attached oak table anchors what clients Ken Leung and Bonnie Lam call the heart of the home. “When we have friends over, we never end up leaving,” says Leung.

The master bath on the third floor has a view of Lake Ontario. A freestanding glass wall separates a bathtub from a depressed-floor shower. Limestone tiles ease the transition from the bedroom’s warm wood palette. The effect is spa-like, but Leung and Lam, with a young child and another on the way, had a special request: three-sided access to the tub and room to step over toys.

People

Formal name of building:
Blantyre House

Location:
Toronto, Ontario Canada

Completion Date:
October 2011

Gross square footage:
2300 sf

Total construction cost:
withheld

Owner:
Ken Leung and Bonnie Lam

Architect:
Williamson Chong Architects
235 Carlaw Ave., Suite 400
Toronto, ON M4M 2S1
(416) 703-9271 tel.
office@williamsonchong.com

Special credit:
Partner in Charge:
Donald Chong, OAA (registered architect with the Ontario Association of Architects); Betsy Williamson, OAA; Shane Williamson; Chris Routley; Bernard Sin

Engineer:
Blackwell Bowick Partnership Ltd.

General contractor:
Derek Nicholson Incorporated

Photographer:
all photos by Bob Gundu

Renderer:
all drawings by Williamson Chong Architects

  

Products

Windows (all windows in the house)
Wood frame:
Custom Spanish cedar windows by The Window Place (Toronto, Ontario). The operable windows are ‘lift and slide’.

Glazing
Glass: Double glazed with low-e coating

Interior finishes
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork:
KITCHEN — Designed by Williamson Chong Architects — Fabricated by Khang Le, KGA Custom Cabinetry. ¾” thick select grade rift cut white oak veneered plywood panels with either 1/8" solid edging or 1-1/2” tapered solid edging.

EN SUITE BATHROOM
Washbasin Cabinet - ‘Block Bathstone by Cosmic’ — 4 Drawer Cabinet with 2 sinks, Matte.

Paints and stains:
KITCHEN, Millwork Stain — Double-boiled linseed oil
Kitchen and Bathroom — Paint — Benjamin Moore CC-40, Cloud White

Paneling:
KITCHEN — Designed by Williamson Chong Architects, fabricated by Khang Le, KGA Custom Cabinetry - ¾” thick select grade rift cut white oak veneered plywood panels with either 1/8" solid edging or 1-1/2” tapered solid edging.

Solid surfacing:
Ceasarstone quartz countertops in ‘blizzard’ with custom edge detail.

Floor and wall tile:
Third Floor, ENSUITE BATHROOM
Floor tile: 30cm x 60cm ‘White Sands Honed’ Limestone tile from Stone Tile
Shower floor tile: 30cm x 60cm ‘White Sands Honed’ Limestone tile from Stone Tile
Wall tile: 60cm x 60cm ‘Groove Lava’ tile from Stone Tile

Wood flooring:
KITCHEN — ‘Traditional Collection — Euro Oak’, White Oiled, 180 mm wide from The Sullivan Source Inc.

Furnishings
Tables: Dining table by Williamson Chong Architects, “Harvest Table”

Lighting
Downlights: ‘B1 STRATEGY’ from Eurolite

Plumbing
Ground Floor, KITCHEN: Faucet: ‘590V’ — by Vola

Ground Floor Powder, BATHROOM
Toilet:’Starck 2’ — One-piece toilet — by Duravit
Sink: ‘Waterproof’ — Washbasin, Matte — by Cosmic
Faucet: ‘111’ — Wall-mounted faucet — by Vola

Second Floor, BATHROOM
Toilet: ‘Stark 3’ — One-piece toilet — by Duravit
Sink: ‘Compact’ — Washbasin with towel bar, Matte — by Cosmic
Faucet: ‘HV1’ — Single-hole faucet — by Vola
Shower Fixtures: ‘171T’ — by Vola
Shower Tray: ‘Starck’ — Shower Tray — by Duravit

Third Floor, BATHROOM
Toilet: ‘Stark 3’ — One-piece toilet — by Duravit
Sink: ‘Block’ — 4 Drawer Cabinet with 2 sinks, Matte — by Cosmic
Faucets: ‘KV1’ — Single-hole faucet — by Vola
Shower Fixtures:’2471-081’ — by Vola
Shower Drain: ‘Quartz’ — Linear floor drain — by Arco
Bathtub: ‘Upgrade’ — Bathtub with faucet, Matte — by Cosmic

Appliances
Refrigerator: 24”, Fully Integrated, Liebherr BioFresh (HRB 1110)
Freezer: 24”, Fully Integrated, Liebherr (HF 851)
Dishwasher: 24” Porter & Charles (DWPC6FI)
Cooktop: 36” AEG (98001K)
Rangehood: 36” ‘Scirocco’ — downdraft vent — by Faber
Oven: 30” Porter & Charles (SOPS76)

Other unique products that contribute to sustainability:
At the macro level, the biggest sustainable idea is that of infill housing. To increase density in an urban neighbourhood, we actually severed (split) a double-wide single family lot and made it two. Building within an existing neighbourhood on strips of available land, taking care not to disrupt the native tree canopy, allows us to exacerbate the idea of minimal building in the city. Blantyre House is a repeatable typology that can co-exist with current bylaws and zoning requirements while giving a family urban connectivity, generous space, and even sanctuary.

Using first principals of through-ventilation, resilient materials for longevity and natural finishes help this small home engage green building in an honest and straightforward way.