Raw Aesthetics Rule in a Toronto Family Home

Like most new homeowners, Michelle and Todd Temporale moved in their duplex with grand remodeling programs on the horizon. They stripped the finishes back, removed walls and add new windows. However, their focus soon shifted gears when their two kids came along. So their design solutions, such as an plywood subfloor, stayed around longer than anticipated. How long? Try 10 years.

Subsequently the raw aesthetic began to define the house, becoming its most charming attribute. And when it came time to include square footage, the Temporales chose to forget fussing with finishes and instead adopt the roughness, adding a third ground prefabricated inclusion with no shingles, leaving the beams vulnerable.

They’re in no rush to finish out the distance, either. The few — Michelle is a flight attendant; Todd is a design manager at Viva and Co. and Whigby — has chosen to spend some time with their kids instead, doing things such as creating art jobs to hang at the area. “That’s the kind of thing we would rather be spending some time on,” says Michelle. “Drywalling our bedroom may wait”

in a Glance
Who lives here: Michelle and Todd Temporale and their children, Delphine (age 7) and Hugo (4)
Location:
Riverdale, Toronto
Size: 1,200 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2 baths
Year built: 1913

Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors

The sealed plywood subfloor was installed as a temporary solution, but the Temporales arrived to love it, they retained it. Modern paned windows place the house apart from the traditional Victorian facades that line their street.

Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors

For their first big change, they removed all of the interior walls which had divided the house into small rooms. After the walls came down, the main floor turned into a sizable open-concept space, divided only marginally by a triple-sided gas fireplace.

Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors

Simple Ikea cabinetry with custom pulls was intended to give way to some far more elaborate kitchen by the 10-year mark, but everything still works so well the couple chose to keep them somewhat more.

Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors

The dining area includes a mixture of seating from flea markets and secondhand shops arranged beneath an 85 Lamps chandelier (made by Rody Graumans) they bought out of a New York hotel. “When we found it was tangled in a million knots, but that didn’t deter us,” says Michelle.

Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors

The next floor originally had three bedrooms. Michelle and Todd transformed the area into a two-bedroom layout in a remodel when they moved into the house.

Todd made and built the attic bed for son Hugo, leaving him plenty of ground area on which to perform with.

Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors

Droog wall straps display Hugo’s books and toys.

Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors

Raw surface stuff predominate even on the next floor, where a tough concrete wall combines with plywood flooring.

Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors

Seven-year-old Delphine proudly shows her 3-D city art over her bed.

Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors

The current third-floor inclusion was offsite and lifted in addition to the present home. Construction took about a month. It is home to the couple’s new main suite, with an ultimate office and main tub. For now they are loving the hatch to the rooftop with picturesque views of downtown Toronto.

Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors

Taking benefit of the unfinished walls, the couple has produced vignettes with the artwork they’ve collected over the years.

Painting: Oli Goldsmith

Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors

The cellar received the same new big picture window as the other flooring. Built-ins provide storage for toys. The Alvar Aaalto seats and table are classic.

Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors

Michelle sits under a recent Mother’s Day gift from her loved ones, a bit of artwork that Todd and the kids worked on for weeks.

Browse more houses by style:
Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Eclectic Homes | Modern Homes | Contemporary Homes
Midcentury Homes | Ranch Homes | Conventional Homes | Barn Homes
Townhouses | Apartments | Lofts | Holiday Homes

See related