All in the Family

+ View Full Sized Image

Farkas—preparing a snack for the grandkids—deferred to her daughter about the design of the interior. "She obviously trusted my taste," Julia says. "She never shied away from the modern aesthetic."

+ View Full Sized Image

The Danish teak dining set belonged to Susan's sister-in-law.

+ View Full Sized Image

The galley kitchen, in classic white, is the one splurge within the interior: it was custom made by Bulthaup from their B1 series. A narrow window, with a frosted bottom panel, balances views and privacy.

+ View Full Sized Image

In the living room, Julia and Nick's furniture—a Case Study bed from DWR, a table by Bookhou and a lounger by Brothers Dressler—shares spaces with a teak hand-me-down. The backyard, enclosed by a cedar fence, is shared between the houses.

+ View Full Sized Image

Custom birch millwork, fabricated by Toronto's Gibson Greenwood, defines a home office space on the second floor. Susan brought the yellow couch at right when she emigrated from Hungary in 1969.

+ View Full Sized Image

Operable skylights help ventilate the house, which has no air-conditioning; a glass railing helps bring light down into the dining room. Susan loves the reveal detail on the handrail at the top.

+ View Full Sized Image

Julia designed the stair, which has no risers and only one steel support beam, to bring light into the lower floors.

+ View Full Sized Image