Peekaboo House

The vestibule looks directly toward a new custom maple staircase that features clean lines and curved details on its white-powder-coated steel handrail. The entrance affords oblique views to the dining area and is separated almost entirely from the adjacent living room by a partition wall, save for a subtle reveal: a six-inch opening at the juncture between the south and partition walls that creates a glowing ridge of natural light, defining the far edge of the living room in an unexpected way. In this layout, coats and shoes remain out of sight, but the two spaces forge a connection through a radiant line of communication.

While the living and dining areas occupy two different sides of the same open space, they remain distinct thanks to intentional details. Illuminated by a generous window on the south side, the living room is both open and cozy, delineated by the partition wall and the fireplace on the opposing wall. The latter is flanked by built-in benches for sitting, stacking books, and showcasing objects. One of these benches signals a subtle transition between the living and dining areas, helping to keep the programs distinct yet connected.

Light, bright, and warm, the dining room is just as suitable for casual weeknight family meals as it is for intimate holiday gatherings with loved ones. Across from the table is a maple servery — one of the most fun and functional millwork pieces we have ever had the opportunity to design. Tucked under the stairs, this multipurpose unit can be used as an auxiliary serving and tableware storage space or, in the case of our vinyl-loving clients, the perfect spot for a record player and albums. The unit also performs double-duty as a piece of infrastructure, cleverly hiding the HVAC requirements for the space. A mass of ductwork sits behind the maple façade, critically eliminating the need for a bulkhead; the custom grill carved directly into millwork acts as a “cover” for the air return vent.

The second floor houses the children’s bedrooms, bathroom, and playroom, which doubles as a guest bedroom. As the stair transitions up to the third floor, the steel railing gives way to a solid maple guardrail that creates a dividing wall between the second and third floors, with a feature vee-shaped cutout — a “peekaboo” moment — that enables a partial and playful view from the stairwell to the second floor.

Every room on the top floor is awash in natural light. In the primary bedroom, we replaced and right-sized the dormer window, which projects south-facing light across the space and down the hallway when the pocket door is open. One of the greatest feats we executed in Peekaboo is the skylight in the primary washroom. Inspired by James Turrell’s Skyspaces, we designed a seamless aperture above the shower so that one feels as though they are directly immersed in the elements. Natural light cascades down, bouncing off the large-format grey porcelain tiles that extend from the shower throughout the entire room and softly illuminating the white-oak vanity on the opposite wall.

Bathed in north-facing light and overlooking the backyard, the third-floor study is lined with custom maple millwork — a desk, cabinets, and shelves — designed to meet our client’s work-from-home needs. The pocket doors create two distinct experiences: when they are open, the landing flows into the office to create a bright and spacious area at the top of the stairs, and when closed, the study becomes a luminous cocoon for quiet and focused work.

The stairs that step down to the mudroom and lead into the basement are also made of solid maple and similarly feature a vee-shaped cutout that allows light from the backyard window to filter down to the basement. This bottom floor is a heated polished concrete that offers a subtle contrast to the wall of functional maple millwork that lines the east side of the room. The millwork hides a fridge, a freezer, and a wine fridge as well as a compact workspace. This area opens into a den that serves as both a family room and a recording studio. We expanded the window niches in the den to bring in more light, and because we were able to hide all the ductwork in the custom cabinetry, we again eliminated the need for bulkheads, resulting in eight-foot ceilings. The basement bathroom features custom sage-coloured grout on classic white ceramic tile (formerly known as “Ontario” tile).