Ken Simpson
One of the great things about doing what we do is getting to work with talented designers and watch their ideas come to life. I really enjoyed working on this North Toronto renovation.
The client bought this 10,000 square foot bungalow knowing that they would have to renovate the entire house top to bottom. David MacPhee Design Services was retained to transform the space. A large part of the renovation was allocated to replacing the existing windows and doors to add a French provincial feel. No surface of the interior or exterior went untouched.
Below is a shot of some of the new arched windows and French doors in their rough openings.
The new Douglas fir windows installed in the rough openings
The clients wanted a separate office for each of them. His office is in the front and hers is in the back. Her office was actually a turret-shaped addition perched on a bridge to the indoor pool, and features a curved wall of glass. The French doors lead out to the gazebo atop the pool. The look David was going for involved raised panels on most of the windows and doors. None of the manufacturers we spoke with could replicate this look, so we had them fabricated and fitted to the new windows. The picture below shows the labelled panels awaiting installation.
Her office features a curved wall of glass. The raised panels are labelled, awaiting installation.
Here is a shot of the outside of the office windows and walkout basement French doors. The windows and doors are all aluminum-clad Douglas fir. Temporary plywood panels were installed during construction. The blue is a plastic protective material that will be removed upon completion.
Temporary plywood panels were installed during construction
Here is her lovely finished office. She is pleased with David MacPhee's vision. The desk, window coverings and accessories make it the perfect home office. Notice the finished raised panels below the windows. Love the herringbone floor.
The finished office with raised panels installed
The house received a new coat of stucco, a new cedar roof and of course new metal-clad Douglas fir windows and doors. Here, the extruded aluminum raised panels can be seen.
Custom aluminum raised panels were fabricated, painted and added to the new windows and doors.
David created a unique year-round octagonal retreat space joined to the house by this glass-floored breezeway. The glass floor allows light to flood the indoor pool below. You can stroll from the house to the gazebo without setting foot outside, or you can sunbathe on the pool's flat roof outside these French doors.
The glass floor lights the indoor pool below.
Here is the finished 300 square foot gazebo. It sits atop the pool and is a perfect getaway spot in winter or summer. I love the bright colours in the furniture and window coverings.
The gazebo sits atop the pool and is a perfect getaway spot in winter or summer.
The gazebo shares many of the same elements as the main house including the cedar roof, copper eavestrough and metal-clad Douglas fir windows and doors. These windows and doors are the only ones that do not have raised panels in them. The idea was to have more glass since it's a sun room.
These windows and doors are the only ones that do not have raised panels in them.
Here is one of the many magnificent finished rooms with its tray ceiling, trompe l'oeil image and lovely decor. The double French doors lead to the indoor pool, while the windows and single French door overlook the stunning rear landscape.
The finished sitting room with trompe-l'oeil image.
The original entry to this house was only 7 feet tall due to the low eaves line. David designed a whole new 12 by 16 foot stone addition to house this stunning 8 foot tall solid mahogany entry door. The entry has an ample overhang to greet visitors. Wrought iron is featured on the doors and fixtures.
New mahogany entry doors with wrought iron.
A unique feature of this front entry is that the inside floor is flush with the exterior stone sill. The door was stained on site to give it a distressed appearance.
Mosaic floor tile flush with stone sill
The photos don't do justice to the size of the house or the number of windows and doors on this whole project. Here is one of the many rooms with cambered top French doors. David MacPhee has made sure that each room is bright and cheerful with use of paint and window coverings.
Breakfast Nook
I really liked the his and her vanity in the master ensuite bathroom. This is a free-standing vanity with 2 sides to it. Each of them has their own side. The bathroom also features a steam shower, a jacuzzi tub and a urinal.
His and Her Bathroom
This is a close-up of one of the French doors. The extruded aluminum panels were fabricated after market, but match beautifully.
Dining Room Door Exterior
This set of French doors is actually the only one that did not receive paint inside. David MacPhee decided to stain the Douglas fir with a dark walnut stain to match the wainscoting and to add warmth to the dining room.
Dining Room
We continue to work closely with David MacPhee Design Services and hope to highlight more of his projects in the future. Be sure to visit him at his Muskoka retail interior design shop, Rafters of Muskoka. Read our Designer Spotlight on David MacPhee.
