Plus: Paul Raff creates a focused workspace with backto-back bureaus

Paul Raff Studio installs back-to-back bureaus that give a busy couple fresh focus

An academic researcher and entrepreneur needed their new digs in North Toronto to include a serious study – but didn’t want a sequestered cave that cut them off from the kids. Architect Paul Raff met their wishes by outfitting the north-facing room with a 2.6-metre-tall mahogany-framed glazed wall from Bauhaus that allows parents at work to feel connected to children at play in the front yard. By facing the room’s work zones in opposite directions, the layout allows for focused concentration as well as impromptu chitchat.

Slate paint by Sherwin Williams visually delineates the office alcove from the airy, 4.88-metre-tall living room it’s linked to. The interconnected spaces give the den a clear sightline to the street, though a heavy curtain can be used to block off the space when it comes time to buckle down.

Custom 3.7-metre-long wall-mounted walnut desks and shelving above keep clutter confined to the edges of the office so as not to interrupt its flow. PAULRAFFSTUDIO.COM