Summerhill Family Home was an urban home, re-designed to support a family-focused contemporary life, thoughtfully detailed to cradle the everyday.

The clients owned a home in an area of the city that they loved – but one that didn’t accommodate or reflect the life they wanted to live: Dark and partitioned, the interior was not conducive to entertaining their large extended family and the pool at the rear yard occupied the full garden leaving little room for hosting friends and family at the same time. The exterior was dated and the interior spaces were awkwardly separated for raising their two young children and, occasionally, overnight guests. They longed for a house where they could effortlessly host impromptu guests and that transitioned easily from a cozy family home to a space for friends and family to gather.

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Front exterior of a 3-storey residential home at dusk

  • Completed

    • 2023

  • Size

    • New Addition 745 sq.ft.
    • Renovation 3,305 sq.ft.
    • Garage 430 sq.ft.

  • Location

    • Summerhill, Toronto

  • Design Team

    • Barbora Vokac Taylor
    • Sarah McMurtry
    • Charlene Estabaya
    • Liam Van Steekelenberg
    • Craig Van Ravens
    • Michelle Harper

  • Interiors Team

    • Barbora Vokac Taylor
    • Andreea Denes

  • Landscape Architect

    • Saraga Taylor Landscape Architects

  • Art Advisor

    • Mason Lane Art Advisory

  • Contractor

    • Derek Nicholson Inc.

  • Structural

    • Blackwell Engineering

  • Mechanical

    • ZAAB Consulting

  • Millwork

    • La Fabrika

  • Photographer

    • Doublespace
A front walkway to the entrance of a home with red brick, blackened metal and weathered steel
Interior entrance to a home directly facing an ascending stairway. Materials include white oak flooring and handrail, slate tile, honed marble, and walnut millwork
A vignette shot peering through a divided wall showing the dining area materiality. Includes a chrome ceiling light fixture, and mixed-use of wood, and blackened metal accents
A dining room with 4 leather chair placed around a wood dining table and chrome ceiling light fixture. To the right, a custom walnut banquet acts as an accent wall. A little girl peers through a divided wall behind it.
A dining room facing a dividing wall that separates from the entryway. In the foreground, a wood dining table, chrome ceiling light fixture and custom millwork banquet. In the background, an ascent staircase to the floor above, a floating bench, and wood flooring throughtout.
A landing of the upper level staircase showing the ascending flight to the left, and descending flight to the right. A smooth, sculpted continuous white oak wood handrail acts as guide for users.
A young boy drawing with chalk on a sliding door chalkboard, and a father carrying his daughter up stairs in the background to the left
Two children laying on a bed with a light pink duvet in front of a Gucci accent wallpaper featuring a light green background and white herons
A girl and boy in a child's bedroom. The girl, to the left, sitting on the bed with a mustard duvet, and the boy toward the far right, sits on a blue chair holding a toy.
The upper landing of a staircase facing the top white oak steps, and to the back, custom walnut cabinets.
A master bedroom with a white king-size bed, a walnut ‘studiolo’ headboard, a green mushroom side table lamp, and a charcoal velvet lounge chair and ottoman
An ensuite shower with grey slate tiles, light blue spot patterned floor tiles, a skylight, and a custom millwork vanity in the foreground to the left
A view looking up to a steel grate of the upper floor patio.
A portrait of a long floorplan with a double-height ceiling that connects living, kitchen, and dining rooms. Materials include marble slabs clad steps, counters, benches and posts, warming concrete flooring, and custom walnut millwork.
The living and kitchen areas meeting. To the left, a white accent chair and modern mid-century fireplace, sitting on warming concrete flooring. To the right, a white kitchen pantry and marble island, resting above graphic floor tiling.
A portrait of a living room extending outdoors to the full garden’s depth.
Two children in a living room sitting on a royal blue, cloud-like sofa with a blackened metal coffee table in the foreground, custom walnut floating cabinet in the background and floor-to-ceiling sheer curtains to the right.
The garage bookends the eating area under an aluminum pergola. To the right, an outdoor seating area frames a fire pit, and to the left, a small year-round swim spa.
The exterior facade of a residential home features a sculptural weathering steel screen, a seating area to the left with a fire pit, and to the right, a small swim spa.

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