Designlines

21st Century Victorian

Concept complement­s reality in this heritage home conversion by Lee and Macgillivr­ay Architectu­re Studio

- By Jeremy Freed Photos by Tom Arban

LAMAS mixes academic theory and practical expertise to create a contempora­ry living space in a historic Annex house BY JEREMY FREED

IT WAS ONCE A STATELY VICTORIAN FAMILY

HOME full of fireplaces and crown moulding, but the years had not been kind. Chopped into odd little apartments with poky rooms, hardware store light fixtures and acres of dark carpet, it had suffered an untold number of sketchy renovation­s and amateur plumbing jobs. It’s an all-too-common “before” picture in Toronto, which, combined with the limitation­s of budgets, permits and timelines, threatened to derail the new owner’s dream of a compelling modern space. Fortunatel­y, Lee and Macgillivr­ay Architectu­re Studio (LAMAS) proved uniquely suited to the task of bringing high architectu­ral concepts gracefully down to earth for the renovation of this triplex. With a strong mix of academic theory and practical expertise, the firm created a bright, beautiful and functional living space in a historic Annex house.

“We do pursue things that you could talk about in an academic setting, but then we also take ideas from the research end and try to infuse them into practice,” says James Macgillivr­ay, who met his wife and business partner, Vivian Lee, at Harvard’s school of design. Following stints at several New York City firms and teaching positions at the University of Michigan, the duo returned to Toronto in

2014. In addition to teaching at the University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty of Architectu­re, Landscape and Design, Lee and Macgillivr­ay recently completed a modern farmhouse in Quebec, and a craft brewery in Leslievill­e is currently in the works. 

 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada