Rathnelly House
Within the semi-detached walls of Rathnelly House, Studio VAARO found space – 60 per cent more, to be exact – without altering the Toronto home’s original footprint. Rather than expanding outward, the studio excavated inward, using tactile detailing and sculptural interventions to unite contemporary design with meticulous restoration.
The dwelling takes its name from its neighbourhood, the Republic of Rathnelly – the district that famously attempted to secede from Canada in 1967 in protest against proposed infrastructure works. Externally, the house maintains its strong sense of place, with the original front roofline preserved and the facade carefully restored. Inside, however, the plan was entirely reimagined. “We rebuilt the rear roof and all interiors, redistributed floor plates to maximise ceiling heights and, critically, lowered the basement by four feet,” says studio co-founder Francesco Valente-Gorjup. The once “dim, unusable level” has been transformed into a multi-functional recreational space, complete with a sauna, lounge, oversized shower and powder room.
“The interplay of contrasting geometries challenges conventional symmetry and introduces softness and flow.”
In place of traditional enclosed rooms, each level is organised into zones that balance openness with privacy, unfolding through a sequence of fluid yet defined spatial moments. On the ground floor, the communal area is divided into living and kitchen zones by a curved partition wall. Underfoot, cast-in-place concrete establishes a material foundation from which other sculptural elements emerge: a curved dining booth, a stair landing with an integrated seat, a concrete media console and a fireplace hearth. The original wood-burning fireplace has been rebuilt as an abstract vertical column, wrapped in curving plaster.
From the concrete base, a monolithic walnut-stained guardrail rises to mark the entrance to the staircase. The dark millwork forms a multi-functional base, shifting from orthogonal to curvilinear as the stairs climb toward the light. “The interplay of contrasting geometries challenges conventional symmetry and introduces softness and flow – the sculptural stair carries this language upward,” Valente-Gorjup explains. The ascending curved form draws daylight from an east-facing third-floor window, reflecting it deep into the plan. Similar sculptural gestures reappear throughout, from the library’s built-in shelving and bench seating to the primary suite, where a curved hallway and arched walk-in robe double as a room divider.
Similarly, the primary powder room and adjoining ensuite are shaped by a geometric interplay. “At the clients’ request, we designed the sink to not encroach on the powder room, leading to a custom, triangular, flush-mounted basin. That geometry reappears next door as a triangular column divides the vanity – an unexpected yet subtle moment of surprise,” says Studio VAARO co-founder, Aleris Rodgers. Above, the once “cramped attic” has been rebuilt and extended to accommodate two additional bedrooms and a bathroom, gaining almost three metres in ceiling height through the redistribution of floor plates and excavation below.
Rathnelly House redefines the confines of domestic space, intertwining expansion, tactility and continuity in a home that brings the past into the present. Or as Rodgers puts it, “Create order and ease, incite wonder and gently unseat expectations of what architecture can do and be.”
