This Cozy Farmhouse Masters Modern Country Style

Designed by Toronto architect John O’Connor of Basis Design Build, the two-storey retreat’s quiet ornamentation and dignified symmetry have a curious effect: although the primary reference is traditional, the home is decidedly contemporary.

aRCHITOURIST: HOW A DESIGNER IN TORONTO’S CABBAGETOWN RENOVATES FOR HIMSELF

Setting up a condo sales office is one thing; the target market has already been determined, and the appropriate design follows. The office for a design-build firm is a bird of a different feather, however; one has to show their prowess, but…

A real Work of Art

ELEVATING THE STAIRCASE TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL AND LETTING IT SET THE OVERALL TONE FOR FIRST IMPRESSIONS. The staircase is one of the essential features of a house — at least, any house with more than one level…

TRANSFORMING A 100-YEAR-OLD MANSE

TRANSFORMING A 100-YEAR-OLD manse into a family-friendly hangout zone without stripping the grand dame of its historic elegance is a tall order. But with the help of Toronto architect John O’Connor of Basis Design Build and designer …

GREAT SPACES: SEE INSIDE A MOORE PARK HOME THAT FEELS LIKE A FAMILY-SIZED TREE HOUSE

Mary Abbott grew up outside of Guelph in an old farmhouse so secluded that her parents didn’t bother with curtains. “The land around us was made up of fields and forests,” she says. “It was extremely private.” Abbott has since left the rural life …

the view

ARCHITECT JOHN O’CONNOR TALKS TO KELVIN BROWNE ABOUT THE VIEW — Kelvin Browne: You’re currently working on a large project on an island in Georgian Bay, Ontario. What are you learning from this experience?…

IN ROSEDALE, MAKING AN EFFORT TO FIT IN

Iain Morris and Fiona Macfarlane lamented the one-of-a-kind Vancouver home they left behind even as they celebrated the career moves that brought them to Toronto.The couple had spent three years building a contemporary family…

gREAT rOOM

“We just bought the ugliest house in Rosedale,” its owner confessed to architect John O’Connor. Without missing a beat, my friend John replied, “Oh, you must mean the house at ?” Shock, then laughter all round. John had begun to design…

RESTORATION DRAMA

John O’Connor’s reinterpretation of his 130-year-old Cabbagetown cottage may irk the preservation association, but spirit trumps historical accuracy. At first glance, Amelia Street is a typical stretch of Cabbagetown, lined with houses in late…

WHAT LIES BENEATH A PRETTY FACE

Architect John O’Connor warns that the beauty of the city’s Victorian charmers may be only skin deep. During a massive overhaul of a charming mews house in his neighbourhood, Cabbagetown architect John O’Connor realized the…

‘STRESS FREE’ BUILDING PROCESS

Design/build team can ease the pain of creating a house. If you’ve ever built a house, you know that a lot can happen between finalization of plan and budget (often after months of anguish) and the project’s completion. The “design…

INSPIRED BY TRADITION

A Toronto architect and homeowner reinvents the past in clever ways to create an inviting modern home. Is it possible to build a modernist temple in the heart of a staunchly historic neighbourhood and actually enhance the surrounding…

LABOUR OF LOVE

This Canadian architect expanded the 19th-century worker’s cottage into a home and studio compound for the 21st.John O’Connor, Toronto, ON “It was the last bad thing on a good block in a great neighborhood,” architect John O’Connor says of…

STUDIO SPACE

Couple renovates and expands wide-open loft after live-in experiment. Background tracks for a Celine Dion hit were recorded here. When musician and composer Stephan Moccio, 31, listens to Celine Dion sing her hit A New Day…

CABBAGETOWN HOME, HOLD THE GINGERBREAD

Renovation adds a thoroughly modern twist while staying true to a house’s humble roots. How do you hide a three-storey addition to a one-storey cottage?Toronto architect John O’Connor figured it out when he set out to expand one of…

SPARE CHANGE

Moving from a three-storey house to a one bedroom flat allowed Helen Rayne and Jane O’Hara to adopt a cool, modern aesthetic. Their rallying cry “Death to tchotchkes” A warren of low-ceilinged, gumwood trimmed rooms, the…