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"Once you use the pivot doors to enter these wet areas, spaces are lit from above and the center of the pod is white," says the firm. "Large sheet tiles that match the timber floor in tone are used for the wet area floors, and similar large format tiles in white are used for the majority of wet area walls." The vanity is fashioned from American oak, while the counter and custom sink are composed of white HI-MACS solid surface material.

The colorful cabinetry hides organizational features, like pull-out drawers, throughout.

Samuel chose a 36-inch, matte white Cafe Appliance range oven to match the rest of the white-on-white design.

This pastel-hued kitchen was part of a meticulous renovation of this midcentury property.

A Southern California kitchen features oak timber cabinetry and quartzite countertops.

Bathroom finishes are an inversion of the darker palette in the main spaces, using a white reconstituted stone counter atop a laminate cabinet, with blackbutt shelves and brass faucets.

The exterior is still clad in the original boards — Mitanidis guesses they’re either cedar or larch.

“The house is a three-story volume, but in order to minimize the reading of this volume from the street, we set the walls of the third floor back from the front and rear walls of the building,” Clarkson said. Black wood v-joint siding foils Douglas fir wood cladding around the door.

A 13-foot long dining table comprised of silver maple from Urban Tree Salvage is colorfully framed by Saarinen Executive side chairs. Over in the kitchen, a Liebherr refrigerator matches a Wolf stove.

“The black siding is contemporary, but the texture of the wood grain is friendly and complements more traditional neighboring houses,” Clarkson said. Windows are fabricated with Douglas fir. Ipe and stained black cedar make up the home’s various decks.

“The main and side entrance doors were handmade using the same plywood we used for the interior walls,” Adam says.

The 1000-square-foot ADU is two levels with a footprint that allows the owners to retain plenty of outdoor space for their dogs to play. The façade “is a rain screen system, so the heat gain on the Brazilian hardwood is minimized by being physically separated by an air gap between it and the membrane behind it,” said Knight. “So, the wood heats up when sun hits it and this is not directly translated into the wall on the interior; it is instead buffered by this air gap.” The large doors and second-story skylights then work together to pull a nice breeze through the house.

HardLife Products manufactured the bathroom’s custom concrete walls, floor slabs, and sink basins, which are paired with faucets by American Standard.

The Lais designed their house to be theirs forever. As such, they were able to make design moves that made sense for themselves but that wouldn't have high resale value, like the Japanese-style master bathroom in the middle of the second floor instead of off of the master bedroom. The traditional setup features bath stools from Muji for washing off.

A modular shelf system by Alu provides a more sculptural take on the classic bathroom vanity in this Toronto home.

The bathrooms are a break from the minimalist aesthetic of the living spaces, injecting color and interesting finishes that include the use of a dichroic glass shower divider.