It all started with a Norway maple. Tall and leafy, the decades-old tree stood on the west side of a triangular lot in Toronto’s Little Italy neighborhood, bringing shade to the front yard of a 1914 home. The maple, along with the historic character of the house and its close proximity to the University of Toronto, attracted James Macgillivray and Vivian Lee, the husband-and-wife team behind LAMAS Architecture.

James and Vivian had each been offered a teaching position at the university in 2014, and they jumped at the opportunity to purchase the home and move to the city, which is James’s hometown, from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Before: Entry

“Little Italy is an interesting neighborhood with a mishmash of architectural typologies,” James says. “Growing up I didn’t live anywhere near here, but it’s where we would come as precocious teenagers to drink espresso.”

After: Entry

Great neighborhood and vintage charm aside, the couple knew from the outset that they wanted to remodel the house and add an office for their architecture practice. Certain details, such as a basement with low ceilings and an uneven settlement (the house was built on a landfill comprising burnt, demolished buildings from the Great Toronto Fire of 1904) were a turnoff for most prospective buyers, but James and Vivian saw potential.

“There was nearly a foot of settlement difference across the house,” Vivian says. “I think that scared off a lot of people, but we’re both architects, so we thought we’d take advantage of the reduction in cost.”

Before: Entry Stair

After: Entry Stair

The couple moved in with their son in November and spent the next three years getting to know the house. “It’s always nerve-racking to start a project,” Vivian says, “I feel like this experience has helped me as an architect to have even more empathy for our clients.”

Before: Exterior

In 2017, disaster struck—the beloved Norway maple came crashing down and took out part of the porch. “That was really the trigger for us to start the remodel,” says Vivian.

After: Exterior

Going into the project, she and James wanted to retain the shape and size of the home’s exterior envelope to keep it in context with the surrounding neighborhood and the identical “sister” house next door. Inside, they reconfigured the layout by adding two bathrooms and one bedroom to the second level, converting the attic to a TV room, and transforming the basement into a studio.

“When it came to the interiors, it was all about reorganizing and maximizing space,” Vivian explains. “The first thing was to add the office. We’ve always designed for other people, so it was an exciting opportunity for us to do something for ourselves.”

Before: Office

“We spent some time operating our office out of the basement with only six-foot-high ceilings,” James recalls. “It was pretty depressing. We were able to add height, so they are now eight-and-a-half feet tall, and we also installed three large windows and heated floors.”

After: Office

The rectangular layout and wall-flanking wood desks embrace a minimalist aesthetic, and while some might claim that having an office in the basement would make for a difficult work/life balance, for Vivian and James, it allows them more flexibility to do things like walk the dog at lunch or tackle projects as a family.

Although the two can access the office from their home through a laundry room, they generally use a newly installed street-level door. “It helps us keep a sense of separation,” James says. “Sometimes, when we’re not working, we’ll go down and do yoga or paint with our son. There’s flexibility in the space.”

Vivian notes that they had hidden floor drains installed in the basement—a move that gives them the option to easily turn the studio into an apartment in the future.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

The kitchen, dining, and living rooms are located on the main level of the house. The stairs at the front entry underwent a transformation—the couple replaced the dated banister and carpeting with white oak steps (to match the new flooring) and a wall-mounted handrail. In the living room, the original Art Deco green-marble fireplace takes center stage amongst a suite of midcentury-style furniture, including a Wassily chair by Marcel Breuer.

Before: Dining Room

After: Dining Room

One room over, the architects nodded to European sensibilities with ceiling millwork based on a semicircle pattern from a Murano glass pendant that hangs over the dining table. “We’ve always enjoyed the eclecticism of adding different style elements together,” Vivian says, noting that one can find Japanese, European, Shaker, and Arts and Crafts influences throughout the house.

Before: Kitchen

The family enjoys preparing meals together, so the kitchen received a sizable upgrade that includes U-shaped counters, open Shaker-inspired shelving, and a breakfast nook where Vivian and James’s son often does homework while they cook. “Most people have an island in their kitchen, but we felt like it would get in the way of how we move around the space,” Vivian says.

After: Kitchen

For the table in the breakfast nook, James wanted to buy an expensive slab of French marble, but the couple admits that by the time they got to the kitchen, the budget was tight. “We ended up going to a local stone yard and found a slab that has an interesting geological pattern,” he says. “We got it for a couple hundred bucks.”

Before: Primary Bedroom

After: Primary Bedroom

It’s a move that encapsulates James and Vivian’s approach to the project: using a thoughtful mix of elements to create a cohesive whole, while not shying away from budget-friendly materials. As Vivian puts it, “our house feels like a big sketchbook of ideas come to life.”

After: Primary Bathroom

More Before & After Stories:

An All-Too-’80s Condo Trades Its Popcorn Ceiling for a Chic Sunroom

A Toronto Couple Level Up Their Dingy Attic Into a Spa-Like Suite

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: LAMAS Architecture / @laaaamaaaas

Builder: 3 Stones Custom Homes

Structural Engineer: Entuitive Engineering

Interior Design: LAMAS Architecture

Cabinetry Design: Jim Coedy

Photographer: Félix Michaud / @michaudfelix_photo

Tree Service: Central Tree Care

Appears In

Before & After: Two Architects Bring Balance to a Shaky Toronto Home