Architect Kfir Gluzberg and Kilogram Studio added a scarlet extension to a red-brick Victorian townhouse
PROFILE
Whose home is this?
Eva Pianezzola, 36, an architect and urban designer, bought this two-storey, three-bedroom house in Parkdale, a residential area of Toronto, Canada, in spring 2019. She lives here with Mattia Gheda, 38, a chief technology officer for a tech company, and their golden doodle, Lola. The property dates from the 1880s and, like many others in the neighbourhood, is built from red bricks made with local clay.
— What was the brief?
The couple asked my practice to renovate the interior, create extra space for guests and two home offices, and add a new extension that would be the star of the show.
— Tell us about the project
We upgraded the insulation, wiring and plumbing, then replaced the front windows with German-made wooden frames that have red powder-coated aluminium exteriors. We used the same colour on the steel cladding of a new three-storey rear extension, adding a triangular roof that echoes the front gable. Inspired by the ornamental courses of brick often seen on the exterior of Victorian houses, we gave the metal walls an angled profile that switches direction on each level to create changing shadows on the façade. We also added steel fins between each storey to divide the pattern, cast extra shadows and collect piles of snow in winter.
— What about the interior?
A living room at the front of the house leads into a central dining space and a kitchen in the rear extension. On the first floor are two offices and two bedrooms. Eva and Mattia’s en-suite room is in the new section above the kitchen and has glass doors opening on to a balcony, plus a ladder lea
