Let the Light Shine in Leslieville: House Caroline by Reign Architects

For a young family living in Toronto, their Victorian home in the Leslieville neighbourhood had charm in abundant supply and an appealing location, but as the family grew, the house’s small spaces began to seem unsuited to their daily activities. Built in the 1850s, the house felt tied to its site, but the small rooms that tend to make up Victorian-era houses don’t allow much daylight to penetrate so their charming exteriors often enclose dimly lit spaces.

With an eye toward making a home better suited for a growing family with more flexible and brighter interior spaces, Reign Architects, a Toronto firm, saw the full renovation of the Victorian home along with the addition of a contemporary A-frame.

The team considered the layout and circulation of the home, opening it up to allow for more continuity between spaces. Custom cabinetry is integrated into the architecture with elegant millwork, while built-in seating doubles as storage. On the ground floor, this material consistency allows the kitchen and living room to flow seamlessly. A floor-to-ceiling glass wall in the living room connects to the rear yard, where a towering maple tree provides shade and dappled light.

With two bedrooms and a shared bathroom, the second floor creates a space for the children. On the third floor, a primary suite includes a roof deck that overlooks the rear yard, providing a tranquil retreat for the parents.

Exposed Douglas fir roof beams of the contemporary A-frame share a geometry with the gable of the original house, but they are clearly expressed as a contemporary structure. Skylights allow this upper space to be flooded with natural light. Shaded by the maple tree, the interiors have the feeling of a treehouse. Reign Architects positioned the skylight above a new staircase that refracts daylight into each of the three floors, creating the kind of cohesive daylit space the homeowners sought.

Photography by Riley Snelling.

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