Dark mahogany interiors make way for a bright and contemporary home from architecture studio Reigo & Bauer. For this residence in Kitchener, Ontario, the primary aim was to better reflect the client’s modern aesthetic preferences and lifestyle, achieved by creating a series of sophisticated spaces for entertaining and relaxation that are connected visually and flow together graciously.
In the grand entryway, a new, dramatic curved staircase sets the tone immediately upon arrival. This white, welded-steel element, with its treads and risers articulated underneath, sweeps up through a double-height hallway to the upper floor, its slender balustrade followed perfectly by a solid bronze handrail. Replacing a modest and uninspiring stair located off to one side, which made the hall feel empty and vacuous, the custom-designed piece creates a bold statement without appearing flashy or over the top.
Adjacent, the sunken living room’s existing rough stone-clad columns that frame forest views outside had to be retained. Reigo & Bauer therefore chose a soft, neutral color palette that wouldn’t compete, then selected pieces like curvaceous sofas and a striking glass-bubble light fixture by Giopato & Coombes to draw the eye around the space.
Up two steps, another casual seating area with darker, richer-hued furniture and carpet prefaces the open-plan kitchen. A three-sided glass fireplace, suspended inside a plaster-wrapped pillar — echoing the filleted form of a custom cooker hood opposite — provides views between these two spaces and creates a cosy spot that ties them together. The kitchen is intentionally minimalist, with off-white cabinetry revealing no handles or pulls, and a breakfast nook is neatly tucked away to the side of a central island.
Through the majority of the entry level, new wide-plank oak flooring adds a warm tone and complements large expanses of stone panelling that clad the hallway walls and surround the living room fireplace. The same Italian limestone is carved into blocks to form the steps into the living room, and covers the floor in the space.
The rooms on the lowest level are connected by a central hallway, which is glazed from floor to ceiling along one side to bring light into an exercise room and a moody, sunken wine cellar, where bottles are stored in a custom oil-rubbed-steel rack system. A limestone podium sits in the cellar’s centre, and a hidden door at the back leads to another cold-storage space for keeping extra wine cases out of sight. Dividing the staircase, the wine cellar, and the gym are 36-inch glass returns, which offer glimpses into each space from the others. Meanwhile, a graphic-patterned wallpaper covers the door of an adjacent bathroom for added visual intrigue.
A lounge area and a games room on the other side of the hallway are accessed down several steps, separated from one another by an open shelving unit, and facing onto the garden. To create a cosy and intimate atmosphere in these spaces, walls are wrapped in grey-stained oak batons—a feature that repeats across this level and adds depth to the vertical surfaces with its shadow. A large bar is also clad using the same material treatment, though washed in a lighter shade, tying the different yet connected spaces all together.
Although the palette throughout the home is muted, splashes of color are introduced in select pieces of furniture, carpet, and styled accessories. These items inject personality into the calm, serene interior that Reigo & Bauer has been able to elevate significantly through small but impactful spatial motifs, and consistent attention to detail at every scale.
Photography by Doublespace Photography.
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