living

The renovated property sits nestled on a quaint, tree-lined street, just steps from the coveted Riverdale Farm—a working, 7.5-acre farm located in downtown Toronto which opened in 1978.

Furniture designer Tom Deacon teamed up with pal and architect Andrew Jones to renovate his Toronto townhouse. “Architects tend to think of the building first, the interiors second, and last, the furniture. Our approach was the opposite,” Jones says.

“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.

“Sustainability is very important to us,” lead architect Heather Dubbeldam says. “It is easy to design with passive systems, to use passive sustainable principles to influence the design and layout of the house.” Her team reduced the need for air conditioning and artificial lighting through carefully positioned doors and windows that draw in natural light and breeze. New insulation, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and low-energy lighting also minimize the homeowners’ dependence on utilities.

In the dining area, a Guild chandelier hangs above a table and chairs from Carl Hansen.

The fireplaces juxtapose ornamental wood and a modern concrete finish on the firebox surround.

The home has retained much of its historic character, including its original wood floors and doors.

After: The living room overlooks the great room below. Now when you walk in the house, you can see clear out to the trees in the back—an idea sparked by an interior designer friend who commented that the most important aspect of a design is what you see when you walk in the front door.

For a family of four, Ueda Design Studio restores the luminous-yet-drafty midcentury home of Alden Mason with warm materials and sensible restraint.

“I wanted to bring in a little bit of apricot to nod to the name of the studio,” says Troup of the $25 USD orange velvet curtain he hung as a space divider.