#custom home Archives - David Small Designs

BILD Renovation & Custom Home Awards 2020

July 9, 2020/in News /by Rebecca Muise

BILD GTA recently announced the winners of the 22nd Annual Renovation & Custom Home Awards. We were thrilled to have two of our projects honoured with a total of four awards. The winning projects were completed in collaboration with the talented construction team at Profile Custom Homes.

Modern Upgrade, won Best Renovation over $500,000 (no addition). This project was about applying a modern aesthetic to a traditional ranch style home. On the exterior, we maintained the existing shape of the home but applied materials and windows in a more contemporary way. On the interior, walls were removed, windows were enlarged and some rooms were re-positioned for enhanced functionality. A white colour palette mixed with black-framed windows and warm wood flooring and furnishings works together to create a clean modern aesthetic.

The winner of Best New Home Bathroom was The Last House. It has a beautiful symmetrical layout with a custom prismatic skylight in the centre. Floating walnut vanities with concrete countertops flank the entry. Smooth, large scale porcelain tile transitions seamlessly to the curbless shower and continues up the walls and ceiling. With matte black fixtures completing the modern appeal, this master ensuite is simple yet luxurious.

The Last House also won Best Custom Home over $2 million and Best Overall Custom Home. We are extremely proud of this home and are honoured to have it recognized. The goal of this design was to feel the power of the natural environment. With each design decision, we revisited this objective. The homeowners wanted to experience the beauty and serenity of their heavily-wooded, 1.4 acre property from each corner of their living space. They wanted barrier-free living; figuratively in terms of the intensity of the indoor-outdoor connection, and literally in terms of aging in place.

Design Showcase: Custom Homes in Toronto

December 19, 2017/in Design Showcase /by Jack Shepherd

Out of all of the areas where we’ve designed homes over the years, the six boroughs of Toronto offer some of the more challenging properties. But with great challenge, comes incredible opportunity, resulting in some truly noteworthy custom homes.

A common quality of properties in and around Toronto is smaller, narrower lot sizes. Being in such close proximity with neighbours, maximizing living space and privacy therefore become top design priorities. This modern home near Bloor West Village utilizes an open concept floor plan to achieve nearly 3,500 square feet of living space on its narrow city property. Windows are strategically placed at the front and rear of the home, and kept minimal at the sides to appease both the desire for privacy and certain building code requirements.

A key exception, however, to the more compact nature of Toronto properties are corner lots. While these lots typically enjoy more space than their neighbours, they can have more restrictive setback requirements and often share a property line with major streets. Home designs therefore need to adapt to the unique requirements of these properties. In the case of this traditional home in Etobicoke, the lot was tucked into the intersection of a busy major road and a winding side street. The positioning of the home was therefore oriented to block out the negative noise and views and direct focus to the best attribute of the property: a curved side yard lined with beautifully matured trees.

Regardless of shape and size, a common factor of many Toronto properties is their belonging to older, established neighbourhoods that are keen to preserve their heritage and character. Proposed infill designs must therefore be very respectful of nearby homes. This custom home in Etobicoke embraces the design conventions of a traditional family home, aligning it with the mature character of its neighbours, while also touting a timeless appeal through a unique blend of materials and more contemporary windows.

Visit our portfolio for more custom home designs in Toronto.

Coming to America: Our U.S. Home Designs

November 13, 2017/in Design Showcase /by Jack Shepherd

When we say we work anywhere in the world, we mean it. On top of countless projects across Canada, our boundless geographical reach has afforded us several opportunities to work with clients across the United States, resulting in custom home designs in Castle Rock, Boulder, Chagrin Falls, Ann Arbor, Long Island, Austin, and San Jose.

A project in the U.S. starts the same way as one five minutes from our office: with a thorough understanding of both the client’s wishes and the unique attributes of their property and neighbourhood. Before picking up a pencil, our design team meets the client, often in person, and travels to the property to gain a full appreciation of its environment. This sets us up to design a home that will ultimately be respectful of not only the client’s wants and needs, but also of the property and surrounding area.

Our U.S. clients also enjoy the benefit of a different, original perspective on their home design. While an architectural designer in California or Texas may have extensive knowledge and experience in their localities, our 20+ years of experience designing custom homes for clients all over Canada and the U.S. have equipped us with a unique style and sensibility that result in homes that not only fit in with their properties and neighbourhoods, but also maintain a nuance and character unlike anything else in the area.

Visit our portfolio for custom home designs in New York, Michigan, and Colorado.

This proposed home design in San Jose, CA is just 10 minutes away from Apple headquarters.

Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the views from this proposed hillside home design in Austin.

Posts

BILD Renovation & Custom Home Awards 2020

Design Showcase: Custom Homes in Toronto

Coming to America: Our U.S. Home Designs

Design Matters