House 333 | Izen Architecture Inc.

House 333 is a cleverly crafted space that overcomes the limitations of a narrow site with a revolutionary floor plan. It beautifully exemplifies the Izen team’s approach to creating expansive-feeling, light-filled spaces with strong indoor/outdoor relationships in urban settings. Typically with other homes on a 25’ wide urban lot, the main rooms must be in tandem, meaning architects and clients have to choose just a single room to become a full width space, with prime back-of-house placement and a direct connection to the outdoors. 
 
On a team led by Brenda Izen and Meena Alcozai, Izen Architecture devised an efficient floorplan elevating the kitchen above the family room at the back of the home, allowing both main rooms to be a full 18’ wide and enjoy prime rear placement with a substantial connection to the exterior.
 
The resulting layout adeptly maximizes every square foot to deliver a big-house feel without making compromises on space, creatively seeking out pockets of light, storage space or visual extension wherever possible. This strategic approach means House 333 is brimming with natural light and easy flow, creating a home full of built-in functionality, meant for real life.
 
The house gently unfolds before you as you enter up and into the main living space. Though it is largely open plan, the dining area becomes a focal point and a room in itself, immediately drawing the eye and delineated with a soaring, double-height, angled ceiling carved out around the space. The height and pitch of the ceiling, combined with two large, strategically placed skylights, work to create a sculptural shaft of light that cascades down into the main space, offering glimpses of the sky beyond as you move through the home. 
 
The dining room leads into the kitchen, elegantly perched above the at-grade family room and creating a direct connection to the backyard. By positioning the kitchen partially above the family room, Izen was able to deliver on several key client considerations: big common spaces for a growing family and strong relationships between both main rooms and the exterior. 
 
An elevated, glass-wrapped catwalk takes the place of a traditional hallway in the upper floors, splitting the second floor into two distinct zones - the children’s bedrooms sit at the front of the house, while the primary suite spans the back, complete with walk-in closet and ensuite. The catwalk between the two halves creates much-needed privacy while allowing natural light to freely fill the home. 
 
The striking main staircase - always a signature focus in any Izen Architecture project - descends from the kitchen into the living room. The stairs convey delicate strength, created with very thin, exposed steel structure that unfold along the wall as they descend.
 
A built-in walnut media center is tucked behind the staircase landing, directly adjacent to the oversized rear wall of glazing, with oversized sliding doors leading directly into the backyard. The relationship between the main stair, backyard and living room is another rigorously efficient use of space that reinforces an overall sense of spaciousness.  

Status: Completed 2020

Location: Toronto, ON

Size: 3,500 sf

Type: Single-Family Home

Team: Meena Alcozai, Brenda Izen

Photography: Scott Norsworthy https://scottnorsworthy.com/