Millwork, Built-ins & Cabinetry

The owners kept the sitting room in its existing layout at the front of the house, with updated features like new timber flooring and shelving.

“Watching the sunrise and moonrise from the living room is gobsmacking,” says James.

Mill Valley, California Dwell Magazine : September / October 2017

The clients, Carla and Chris, moved to Toronto from Brooklyn, New York, several years ago. They renovated the kitchen when they first moved in, and the rest of the house was untouched. “They both appreciate good design and enjoyed living in New York, where design is everywhere and at all scales,” says architect Nova Tayona. “It was great to work with clients who have a design appreciation and eye.”

The former closet was transformed by opening up the wall to the bedroom and adding a skylight above the bathtub. The light timber joinery and bright white surfaces enhance the feeling of light.

The materiality of the rounded dividing cabinet is echoed in the white oak joinery that wraps around the structural element to offer additional storage and display space.

Removing the partition wall between the bedroom and the former closet opened the master bedroom up to what would become the bathing area, extending the sense of space and the making the room feel larger and brighter. The beam in the ceiling was also raised to extend the feeling of spaciousness.

"Keeping the millwork lower than the ceiling allows for casual storage and also some vertical relief through wall color,