Ottawa’s vibrant Glebe neighborhood stretches across the southern downtown edge of Canada’s National Capital. Its houses run the spectrum from prominent, architect designed heritage residences to modest, tightly packed workers’ homes from the early 20th century. Fold Place replaces on of the latter houses on a street boarded on its south by the open profile of Lansdowne Park and its Aberdeen Pavilion, one of North America’s few surviving Crystal Palace-style domed exhibition halls. The clients, professionals committed to the community’s casual urban lifestyle, asked Andrew Reeves for open, flowing spaces in which simplicity would make modest dimensions seem bigger. Reeves, who has recently made significant contributions toward returning Ottawa to its post war modernist heyday, responded with a tight composition of volumes that maximizes the potential of the narrow 20’by 60’ irregular shaped site while still generating a singular street profile. The street-side component of the two storey core volume steps in to facilitate an eastern side entrance. A cantilevered bay wraps around the corner at the second level, its crisp lines, layering of planes and contrasting materials producing a piece of geometric art. On the opposite elevation, a single storey garage, clad in richly stained pine in contrast to the neutral light-grey stucco of the main volume, is extruded on the angle of the lot. The same pine is used on soffits, in the bay and as a means to break up the major volume, the same kind of unapologetic use of natural materials that marked Alvar Aalto’s Nordic modernism. Inside, an animated “folding” of space creates horizontal and vertical fluidity and interconnectedness. The largely white walled and simply detailed interior rotates around two totemic elements centred on the west and east elevations of the house. One is a sculpted staircase whose ebony strained treads without risers seem almost to float. The other is a light chimney, a countering void marked by a soaring opaque window spilling light onto an interior garden at its foot. These elements also serve to separate the kitchen/dining area from the living room but without impeding a sense of openness. A generous and eclectic use of windows and glazed doors draws in from all sides the delightful ozone saturated light that theorist Christian Norberg-Schulz has identified as such an important element in a northern landscape. If large picture windows that provide stunning tableaus of the Aberdeen’s impressive cupola and the backyard facing wall glazed doors are boldly voyeuristic, many narrow vertical slot and horizontal clerestory windows contribute slices of views while protecting privacy. In sum, Fold Place is an urban dwelling for an informal lifestyle that is committed to engaging its community with openness and sass.

Stone glass knobs and pulls in shades of browns for kitchen, bathroom, and furniture cabinet hardware. www.uneekglassfusions.com

Brady Architectural Photography

Master bathroom with steam shower, custom cabinetry and lighting

Alder wood custom cabinetry in this hallway bathroom with a Braziilian Cherry wood floor features a tall cabinet for storing linens surmounted by generous moulding. There is a bathtub/shower area and a niche for the toilet. The white undermount double sinks have bronze faucets by Santec complemented by a large framed mirror.

Baño de 2 piezas y plato de ducha, ubicado en la planta baja del ático al lado del comedor - salón lo que lo hace muy cómodo para los invitados.

The lake views from this townhome’s master bathroom are panoramic and breathtaking. Unfortunately, the original layout of the bathroom itself left much to be desired. An old whirlpool tub took up too much floor space, the shower stall was too small and the room itself was cramped and dysfunctional. The homeowners’ goals called for improving the room’s traffic flow, creating a larger and more functional shower stall with dual use, taking full advantage of the lake view and bringing a Romanesque theme to the space. The first step in the renovation was to replace the old whirlpool with a small corner tub that took up half the space. The rest of that side of the room is devoted to the beautiful Roman-style shower stall with double rain shower, double body sprays and built in niches, arch headers and a heavy glass enclosure. The stalls creative use of mosaic tiles and medallion has made this shower stall the jewel of this project. The vanity uses dark cherry cabinetry which complements the cream rustic tumbled marble and oil rubbed bronze fixtures. A beautiful, curved slab of exotic marble was cut for the countertop and two hand-crafted vessel sinks made from tumbled stone are on top of it. The homeowners have never been happier to use their master bathroom .They get to have their own Roman-style bath experience by taking a few steps from their bedroom. Looking out of this gorgeous bathroom overlooking the lake just cannot be expressed with words.

Construcción de baño de estilo contemporáneo

Full Remodel of Bathroom to accommodate accessibility for Aging in Place ( Future Proofing ) : Widened Doorways, Increased Circulation and Clearances for Fixtures, Large Spa-like Curb-less Shower with bench, decorative grab bars and finishes.

Elegant bathroom with blue freestanding vanity and golden accent handles. Elegant Rustic Barn Door. Vinyl Floor Planks. White Tile backsplash in the bathroom. Porcelain tile on the floor in the bathroom. Remodeled by Europe Construction

Large master bath with freestanding custom vanity cabinet designed to look like a piece of furniture

My favorite room in the house! Bicycle bathroom with farmhouse look. Concrete sink, metal roofing in the shower, concrete heated flooring. Photo Credit D.E Grabenstein

Ensuite bathroom with putty metro tiles and toucan wallpaper with custom Barlow & Barlow sink