A custom home is a custom reflection of its inhabitants. Designed according to the lifestyle of its owner, IN House is home to a revered Toronto stylist, his wife, and his often-visiting family. And thus, the aesthetics and spatial relationships of this residential architecture is reflective of the taste and thoughts of those who inhabit it. Delivered by a rigorous design and construction process, the collaborative architecture-designer team, selected carefully by the owner, conducted observational research in order to understand the lifestyle of the family to reflect it back in their home.

Located at a corner lot, in Toronto’s North York, IN House is a contemporary, custom home tailored for the lifestyle of its residents. Carefully cloaked in natural granite contrasted with precast panels and reclaimed wood, the four facades are composed in natural materials, contrasting in visual aesthetics. The same compositional strategy is applied throughout the interior of the house: minimal, yet trendy and distinct. Inside, this stylish home features natural marble tiles, a state-of-the-art kitchen, and large-scale windows, and expertly-sourced furniture pieces. Abundance of natural light, fresh air, and views penetrate the the comfort of the interior spaces. The house curates the spaces carefully around an open, sizeable kitchen, directing the circulation from room to room and ensuring the penetration of natural light into the spaces. Large-scale, operable windows blurr the separation between the interior spaces and the exterior landscape, but the careful arrangement and planning of the spaces safeguards the residents’ privacy.

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IN House features commercial elements such as a sculpted glazed staircase, cove lighting throughout its spaces, high-velocity HVAC system, a state-of-the-art kitchen, a marble-cladded fireplace and large-scale, operable windows. These elements offer the owners robust and enduring architecture that not only increases the quality of their lives, but also decrease the maintenance costs of the household. Our design team conducted rigorous research of innovative systems and ideas that are used in various commercial, industrial, institutional and retail projects, incorporating them seamlessly into its residential design. The challenges revolved mainly around reflecting the lifestyle of the residents in architecture form, sourcing of the specific features, customizing the commercial elements for a residential home, and managing the design and construction process. A collaborative effort, IN House is a testament to tailoring a home while leveraging expertise and managing a creative team—on time and on budget.