In the beaches, Drew Mandel Architects reimagines a ho-hum mudroom into a living space with gorgeous views

Drew Mandel Architects transformed a mudroom into a majestic living space in a full renovation of this Beaches-area century-old home. A modest addition of just 4.5 square metres led to major modifications of the old home which ultimately saw the dark, enclosed rear of the house traded in for high ceilings and wood-framed floor-to-ceiling glass – this punctuated by an even taller lake-view window in one corner.

Uniting addition and original structure, an ultra-deep, continuous black walnut cabinetry runs through the length of the building to store and display the couple’s collections. This terminates in the living room with a gas fireplace finished in raw, marked steel. Industrial accents like these add texture to the clean white and wood tones of the new space, including exposed structural steel at the junction of the old and the new house.

Originally featured in our Designer of the Year 2019 issue as Drew Mandel Architects. Tour of the full house here: A Beaches Semi Gets a Cozy, Modern Renovation