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The Hansen Residence—also known as Modern Surf Shack or Casa Los Arboles—is a simple concrete construction, providing a robust envelope to withstand storms (the walls are double the thickness required by code). From the beach, stairs lead up to the main bedroom.

When they needed more room for visiting children and grandkids, Karen and Rick Hawkins paid homage to a once common Midwestern sight, the corn crib, by adding to their family farm.

The primary suite prioritizes intimate indoor-outdoor living, complete with a wall of bi-folding glass doors that open up to the manicured backyard gardens.

For the interior, “We worked hard to basically keep the tones the same, even if the wood may have changed, from a hardwood to a soft wood,” says Sabbeth. Interestingly, the couple first wanted to whitewash the wood, but that treatment was eventually deemed too cold for the year-round coziness everyone was after.

A dining table from Shoppe Amber Interiors sits with Organic Modernism chairs beneath an Apparatus chandelier.

Floor Plan of Little Portugal House by Creative Union Network

From one end, there’s a stunning view of West Toronto; on the other side, the family overlooks a vibrant alleyway (“We see garages and houses, a patchwork of people’s interests,” says Shelley.)

A view from the second-floor hallway shows the stainless-steel kitchen counter and its leathered black granite surround. On the wall in the dining area is an etching by Richard Serra titled Vesturey I.

Large windows and sliding glass doors were placed in key spots in the new layout, with the rolling doors reinstalled to act as large “shutters,” says architect Doug Huntington.

A shed roof descends from the living/dining area, extending beyond its edge to shield an expansive porch from the elements.

The floors are a handmade ceramic tile and the vanity is covered in micro-cement, with a stone vessel basin.

The bedroom is home to a platform bed that Curtis built herself and has since moved from house to house.