tesseract house toronto

Someone built this contemporary home in Toronto just to prove it could be done

Contemporary architecture has its place in Toronto, but when it comes to homes, the city tends to prefer tiny condos units over thoughtful design. 

A Toronto firm is trying to buck that trend with a home in Etobicoke built just for the sake of it. 

tesseract house torontoLocated in Long Branch, the Tesseract House is a residential build that was, according to some of its designers, created without the restrictions of the average commissioned home. 

The project was built by Phaedrus Studio, the same design team that built the award-winning design for Corktown's Odin cafe, Thor Espresso Bar, and the galleria kiosk in the AGO.

Jeff Geldart and David Grant-Rubash also collaborated on the design.

tesseract house toronto"A self-initiated, architect-led Design-Develop-Build project, Tesseract house was not designed with a specific client in mind," wrote Phaedrus Studio in a statement.

"Rather, it was conceived as a business case to prove that one can create great contemporary architecture that fulfills a demand in the marketplace." 

Covering a narrow 3,500-square-foot site in the Long Branch neighbourhood, the steel-clad home is built on a plinth, spanning three floors, including a basement.

tesseract house torontoIt comes with a number of energy-efficient features, including a skylight that can be opened and closed for ventilation.

There are also multiple light wells distributed around the space that allow for tons of natural light. 

Inside, materials like white oak, cedar, and Brazilian soapstone, with furniture from brands like Italy's KristaliaBonaldo from Montreal, and Bosch appliances.

The project even comes with an accompanying video: a super artsy clip to convey the home's 'poetic' side.

According to Phaedrus, the home has already been sold. 

Lead photo by

Phaedrus Studio


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