The sleek, low-key foyer has white oak panelling, a charcoal door and lots of light.  Photo by Larry Arnal

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The homeowners’ hopes for this modern Etobicoke house were surprisingly modest. “(They) told us right from the start that they wanted a home that was beautiful but not necessarily grand or intimidating,” recalls principal designer Goli Basiri, who with Kia Kazemian, her partner at Harmen Design, oversaw the interiors. “They wanted it to be contemporary in styling but also warm and homey in its bones.” 

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That notion is most evocative on the exterior, where a shallow pitched roof recalls a classic mid-fifties ranch, updated with generous glazing and a clean, modern material palette.  

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Artful touches in the powder room include nubbly terrazzo walls and a handcrafted stone sink. Photo by Larry Arnal

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Inside, a warm, accessible feel comes from the refined material palette. It’s most apparent in the foyer, where creamy white walls, warm white oak panelling and a smart-looking, charcoal, fluted-oak front door are awash in sunlight. 

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The centrepiece of this bright space is the staircase. While it’s not a simple construction, curving up through three landings to the top floor, it’s as serene and unfussy as the rest of the room. Simple open risers clad in white oak and glass guards give it a solid but surprisingly transparent feeling. It’s lit, as is the entire foyer, by abundant glazing from multiple directions: a huge skylight in the roof some 24 feet above; a triple bank of windows facing an interior courtyard in the centre of the house; and, past an open mezzanine railing, a giant picture window in the front of the house perfectly framing a mature maple tree on the lawn. 

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An impressive slab of Patagonia marble is the backdrop for the family TV, while coffee tables shaped like giant river stones are a counterpoint to all the straight lines. Photo by  Larry Arnal

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In place of standard millwork, walls and doorways are finished with grooved reveals and slim, recessed wooden casings; pocket doors reduce hardware to the bare minimum. (Even the staircase hides its riser pins inside white oak caps on the outside of the glass guards.) 

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But the designers still had fun. One artful flourish is the small jewel of a powder room just off the vestibule. “Powder rooms are where a lot of designers like to show off a bit,” Basiri laughs. In this one, seamless swaths of terrazzo clad the walls, while a handcrafted concrete cube forms the sink; meticulously arranged “pebbles” radiate outwards from the centre. 

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In the kitchen, the subtle grain of white oak cabinetry echoes the lines of the fluted outer panels. Cognac leather chairs are a comfortable and practical choice for the young family. Photo by Larry Arnal

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In the living room, the backdrop of a giant slab of delicately patterned Invisible Grey marble — the same kind used in the foyer — turns the family TV into framed art atop wall-to-wall fluted white oak. The rest of the room is furnished not just for style, but for comfort and kid-friendliness. There’s a pair of curvaceous, softly upholstered Montauk sofas; two low, blob-shaped centre tables, eye-catching and also pointy-corner-free; and, underfoot, a colourful, deep-pile rug. 

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Generous windows give the primary suite a treehouse feeling, while the slant of the eaves adds an almost cottagey cosiness. Photo by Larry Arnal

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The kitchen takes the same easy approach to family living. The pure white quartz counters and backsplash are indestructible, and their clean, uninflected white surfaces are a simple visual pleasure. Basiri adds that the cognac leather stools at the island weren’t just chosen for looks — they stand up to wriggling toddlers and clean up with the swipe of a cloth.