The Indoor/outdoor Issue
After what felt like an incredibly long (and boring) winter, spring is here at last. And to honour its arrival, we’ve put together an issue that celebrates the connections that we can make to the great outdoors while safely ensconced at home.
Some of you might assume that we’re simply showing a series of houses with sliding glass doors. That’s an elegant solution – but one that is just not suitable for all Toronto homeowners. Instead, we present a variety of ideas from different housing types.
First, there is the terrace-less condo renovated by Odami (see p. 39). Adding windows and a balcony was obviously prohibited, so the architectural team, inspired by the suite’s view, pulled that vista indoors by creating a solarium. The now-plant-filled space was painted to match the aged copper roof of nearby St. James Cathedral – an accessible yet inspired fix.
The ticket for architect Rudy Wallman: a purpose-built house in Riverdale (see p. 43). Galvanized by the iconic glass houses of Mies and Johnson, the goal was to blur the lines between indoors and out in a busy part of town. His is a split-level glass cube that – thanks to a translucent facade and the placement of its various planes – enjoys sunshine throughout and offers enviable views.
Creating an indoor–outdoor connection on Craven Road in Leslieville, with its small lots and even smaller workers’ cottages, was certainly a challenge for architect Anya Moryoussef (see p. 48). With little more than a patch of grass separating her client from the neighbours, she designed a single sawtooth roof element whose origami-like ceiling treatment absorbs nature from above.
Lastly, we tour a new build designed by Ancerl Studio with a polished metal front that reflects the surrounding forest, nearly camouflaging it from the street (see p. 52). At the back, where the lot overlooks a ravine, a hangar door opens the house up to its environment, literally folding the boundary between the two
– an inimitable scenario, but a fun one to dream about.
From painting a solarium to installing an operable facade, there are innumerable ways to bring the outdoors in. We’d love to hear how you’ve blurred the lines between inside and out – send us photographs of the solutions you’ve come up with and we may just share them with other readers who, like you, are looking to make a greater connection.
Take good care,