The home of Daniel Gelfant and Allan Risk near Toronto's Harbord Village.Riley Snelling Photography/Supplied
“It was found in a corner, in the basement, with all the pieces put inside the vase,” says Daniel Gelfant as he picks up the item that belonged to his mother. A ceiling light ignites veins of gold that criss-cross its surface.
“It wasn’t our contractor, it was a subtrade, we think,” adds Mr. Gelfant’s husband, Allan Risk.
The piece in question is small compared to the massive project the two men have been through, but the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi – broken pottery is pieced back together using lacquer dusted with gold, celebrating the repair along with the new layer of history – isn’t all that different than a down-to-the-studs renovation. A house that didn’t work for modern living must be broken apart and carefully set back together. Where a piece is missing, a new one must be added. And, if the people involved are talented enough, the new version shines.
“I really like that metaphor,” says architect Gloria Apostolou of Post Architecture. Not only was Ms. Apostolou talented enough to reimagine the Gelfant/Risk residence a few years ago, she recently designed a Plexiglas-enclosed shelf where the vase (restored by ceramic repair shop Kintsugi Terrace in Toronto) will reside very soon. “I think it speaks to a lot of what architecture does.”
What architecture does, when done right, is to create an overall sense of unity and calm while still addressing specific needs. Do you cook? Yes? Who cooks? Do you entertain? Do you watch a lot of television? Are you quiet readers? Artists or musicians? Do you work from home? What does a typical day look like? And, since this house near Harbord Village had already seen two previous, smaller renovations but, somehow, still conjured up more questions than answers, the pair went looking for someone who could pull it all together for once and all.
“I took the meeting with Gloria on my own and recorded it,” says Mr. Gelfant. “I was stunned what a listener she was, I was just stunned at how non-judgmental … ”
“We had talked to other architects,” adds Mr. Risk. “There was quite a difference.”
And what a difference a few years and 1,350 e-mails can make (that’s the number Mr. Gelfant estimates they have so far written to Ms. Apostolou and Emmeily Zhang at Post Architecture.) The less-than-2,000-square-foot home feels massive yet airy. Cohesive and worthy of any task. And it fits the lifestyles of its owners like a pair of fine leather gloves.
The home of Daniel Gelfant and Allan Risk near Toronto's Harbord Village. Renovation design by Post Architecture.Riley Snelling Photography/Supplied
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A small entryway addition of 80 sq. ft. and the relocation of the long, linear stair, which made the already narrow floor plan even more challenging, allows guests to take off their coats in comfort before warming up near the sitting room fireplace. When guests aren’t around, a room on the second floor has been rejigged to allow for a piano (Mr. Risk plays piano, Mr. Gelfant plays and teaches flute), a large-screen television, and a small sectional.
“Gloria was able to find the volume,” says Mr. Gelfant. “We really wanted to sit on the couch together and hold hands if necessary, and there’d be room for the dog too. [Before] we didn’t ever have that. We wanted to not be crashing around in the kitchen, fighting with the drawers.”
The story of the kitchen is interesting: in the twenty-teens, the kitchen was completely redone, and, by all accounts, it was lovely. However, it was so narrow that, when guests would gather (which they always do), it made cooking next to impossible. Post Architecture suggested a small bump-out to the side of the kitchen; this would add just enough space for an island that dinner party lollygaggers could gather around. The couple’s batterie de cuisine was placed behind cabinet doors.
“I drew a two-foot addition out the side, which is just cantilevering the flooring out, it doesn’t involve foundations and excavation work,” says Ms. Apostolou. “It’s a simply way to get … linear space.”
And the spice rack, well, it’s more of a spice closet: “Allan is a meticulous editor and organizer, and a major cook, and we could show you the Excel spreadsheet that he made,” Mr. Gelfant says with a laugh.
“I wanted to make sure we had enough room for what we needed to store,” he says, pointing to a spice jar. “I actually measured the average width of one of those jars.”
Speaking of measurements, the couple have lived in four other places together and so have amassed quite an impressive art collection, from huge canvases to serigraphs. So, while Post does not usually manage placement, they did so here: “Their artwork was photographed and modelled to scale in SketchUp,” says Ms. Apostolou, “and we had the paintings located in the rooms that they’re sitting in now … and they would call Emmeily sometimes and say ‘you know what, I have a new thought about where to put [that one].’”
And while the couple’s first renovation had transformed the third floor into a “loft style” primary bedroom and ensuite, storage was poor and improperly sealed tiles were already failing. So, Post put their talents to work up there as well, and the result is a wide, welcoming room with a tub and shower on a small stage, bubble-lights on the walls, and windows that go from clear to opaque at the flick of a switch.
“It’s just such a lovely room,” Ms. Apostolou says of the ensuite. “The light, the space … is incredible. It’s fun but it’s not tiring.”
Nothing in this renovation is tiring. Colours and finishes are muted so the artwork can sing; each room is finely tuned to its function; build quality by Inline Fine Build is sublime; and, most importantly, the homeowners are over the moon.
“In a way it’s like a beautiful train,” finishes Mr. Gelfant. “There are different compartments but there’s a unitized flow and direction for them.
“When people come over, they love being in the space.”