Crescent House Renovation: Heritage Revived With a Warm Modern Wing
Crescent House Renovation anchors a classic Toronto, Canada house with a contemporary rear addition by Akb Architects. The project refreshes period rooms while opening the back to light, landscape, and everyday meals. In two moves, it respects ornate plaster and marble up front, then pivots to long panes, warm wood, and a garden-focused kitchen at the rear.
Morning light grazes plaster cornices and an ornate mantel before gliding across dark floorboards. Beyond, a run of glass slides open to the garden and a timber-lined kitchen.
This is a house renovation in Toronto by Akb Architects, and the work centers on linking an inherited shell to present-day routines. The approach edits rooms rather than erasing them, using a restrained material palette to connect eras and to clarify how the family moves from street to garden.
Preserve the Bones
The front rooms keep their plaster ceilings, deep window casings, and a carved fireplace, now paired with lean modern seating and art. One pendant floats above the parlor, a quiet foil to the trim and crown. Old and new meet without fuss — historic detailing holds the perimeter while furnishings loosen the center. Afternoon shadows sharpen the relief of the moldings.
Open the Rear
At the back, a new brick volume stretches along the garden and swaps small apertures for broad sliding glass. The move does two things: it draws light deep inside and clears a direct route to the garden. Floor finishes run straight to the terrace, and the threshold reads as a slim track. Cooking, reading, and dining cluster within view of trees.
Timber-Lined Rooms
Warm wood cabinetry wraps the kitchen, punctuated by a stainless backsplash and black cone pendants. A long island sets the work zone, while a built-in bench and drawers resolve corners with useful storage. Upstairs, a corner study looks into foliage through a cadence of tall wood-framed windows. Light washes the white guard and lands on patterned flooring.
Windows and Edges
Slim vertical mullions repeat across two levels, tying the addition together and giving rhythm to interior views. Dark metal cladding trims the upper volume and sharpens the eaves. Inside, white walls keep the focus on grain and daylight. Every edge reads clean, from the stair guard to the counter reveals.
Garden as Room
Outside, long stone pavers run from door to fence, setting a measured stride toward a wood-screened corner with a grill. Plantings press in to frame privacy and soften the brick. As evening comes, interior glow turns the glass wall into a lantern, and the terrace becomes an extra room.
The renovation threads old masonry, new brickwork, and generous glazing into one lived rhythm. Light, timber, and measured openings keep the house grounded while extending daily life into the garden.
Photography courtesy of Akb Architects
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