This Quirky Toronto Home Is Full of Geometric Cutouts and Natural Light

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here. 

Project Details: 

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Year Built: 1997

Architects: Francesco & Aldo Piccaluga

Footprint: 5,906 square feet (3 bedrooms, 4 baths)

Stylist: Bentley Bryan, RAE Property Styling / @raepropertystyling

Photographer: Raffi Tutundjian, Jagged Lens / @jaggedlens

About the Home: Brothers Francesco and Aldo Piccaluga are renowned for bringing their distinct brand of postmodern architecture to the city of Toronto—and 31 Governors Road is one of their landmark residential projects. The monolithic 1997 home was recently listed for rent, and in the process it was revived by stylist Bentley Bryan and photographed by Raffi Tutundjian. Read on to learn more about how they approached the project.

Tell us a bit about this project, and the architects who designed it.

Bentley: Completed in 1997 by Francesco and Aldo Piccaluga, 31 Governors Road is a postmodern villa that showcases the Italian brothers’ innovative, space-age style. It’s situated on the border of Leaside and Rosedale, both affluent neighborhoods in Toronto known for their classic Victorian and Edwardian homes.  

Bentley: Known for projects like the CN Tower restaurant (built in 1976), the Piccalugas brought color and geometry to Toronto’s skyline and residential streets. Though initially met with skepticism (and rumors of being egged), the Governors Road house has since become a celebrated residential landmark.

Raffi: The property was unique in comparison to most homes here in Toronto, so I reached out to Heaps Estrin (a client of mine) and they connected me with the agent on the house, architectural historian Alex Mckinlay Corey, to see if it was possible to destage the house and bring in different furniture, to which they agreed.

How did you approach styling the home? 

Raffi: I had a vision for the kind of aesthetic I wanted in regards to the furniture so I reached out to some of my contacts here in Toronto and was able to secure Porch Modern as a collaborator, who provided several high end pieces of furniture for us. Having Porch modern on board basically opened the door for us to approach several other vendors in Toronto with a similar aesthetic. 

Bentley: Tasked with styling this home for our creative shoot, we aimed to highlight its unique architecture by sourcing vintage pieces like a Pierre Jeanneret Kangaroo chair, a restored Maralunga love seat, and a Mario Bellini Lamp chair. These iconic designs complement the Venetian plaster walls, marble staircases, herringbone floors, and geometric windows. Our goal was to bring the house back to its former glory, the way the Piccaluga brothers intended it to be.  

Bentley: The styling of this home also celebrates the incredible talent of Toronto’s design scene, featuring furniture and artwork from local vendors. Embracing a departure from traditional staging, we sought to honor the innovative spirit of the Piccaluga brothers, who broke conventions when they first designed the home. We focused on showcasing the house’s architectural beauty, prioritizing its interior design over conventional notions of a "livable" space. This approach reimagines how a home can be presented—emphasizing design as an art form in its own right.