A house could be a quiet harbour in the storm, an oasis of serenity amid chaos, a sanctuary place to its residence. The designer is commissioned to design a 960 sqft detached house in East York Toronto for a young couple. The owner wishes to have an enjoyable place after their busy daily working schedule.

The design creates a sense of layering from the entrance to the living and sleeping area by designing a series of screens built with natural materials. A foyer was designed with wood screen partition acts as a ritual passageway connecting and separating the inside space from the outside world. While passing through the foyer passageway and leaving the outside world behind you, the interior space is graduate uncovered in front of you.

Existing non-structure walls are removed to create openness through space. The staircase connecting the living and sleeping area carries the same design language as the foyer passageway. On the 2nd floor, where sleeping areas are located, a wood partition with an operable sliding millwork window separates the baby’s room and dad’s office.

A sense of peacefulness is created from the balance of openness and privacy, light and shadow, clarity, and indistinctness through the screens and natural materials.