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The HVAC has been carefully positioned around a structural beam which is the low point of the ceiling, allowing the rest of the basement level to benefit from higher ceilings. “It’s a classic Frank Lloyd Wright move,” says architect Trevor Wallace. “You compress the hallway and then every room feels bigger at the end of it.” The lighting in this space—which has been designed to drive movement down the hall—is a thin LED as there was only a few millimetres between the drywall and the HVAC.

The wrapping of the stairs mirrors that of the slide—and allows the stairs to fit beneath the low-point of the basement ceiling. “We wanted to create a light balustrade that felt a bit like a ribbon,” says architect Trevor Wallace. “The mesh was a nice way to integrate that movement.”

View to the Captain's Deck

“It’s very similar to what you’d see for corn storage,” the homeowner says of the custom designed stairwell screen. On the landing, a long vertical window frames a picturesque view of the property. As a passageway that you would typically walk through quickly, the design details in the stairwell create an experience where you instead stop and linger.

Blue hues continue into the bathroom. The elegant, oversized sink is controlled via the black faucet handle carved into the stone wall.

The bathroom has been entirely clad in large Fior di Bosco marble panels, creating a simple backdrop for the arrangement of plants overlooked by the tub.

A Wyndham Collection freestanding tub anchors the master bath. Low-flow fixtures are installed throughout.

Master bathroom

Now, a walk-in shower and soaking tub are tucked under the roof line.

The original ensuite featured an awkward triangular shower, and was, as Daniel recalls, “the size of a closet. It looked like a powder room.” Clever use of millwork redirected the light from the skylight away from the bedroom and into the bathroom.

Passionate about recycling, a Belgium designer couple Michaël Verheyden and Saartje Vereecke upcycled a beautifully veined marble tabletop from Vereecke’s parents’ house as the backsplash for their kitchen, pairing it with metal countertops for a chic industrial look.

Loader Monteith tends to have a "fabric-first" approach to sustainability. Any work happening on the roof or walls received a thick coat of insulation, and all glass is triple-glazed. "It’s like the house has a warm hat and jacket and a dry pair of Welly boots," says Loader. "Once you’ve done a lot of the hard work, you can make the heating system as small as possible." Photovoltaic solar panels on the roof collect energy throughout the day.