Atelier Rzlbd

Lady Peel House

Lady Peel House
© borXu Design

LADY PEEL HOUSE

Atelier RZLBD

ARCHITECTS
Atelier RZLBD

ARCHITECT IN CHARGE
Reza Aliabadi

STRUCTURE
Hossein Azargive

PROJECT TEAM
Lailee Soleimani, Ehsan Zareian

CONSTRUCTION
Fardin Chadorshabchi

PHOTOGRAPHS
BorXu Design

AREA
3000 ft²

YEAR
2012

LOCATION
Toronto, Canada

The Birthplace of the world celebrated star of English Musical Comedy, Beatrice Lillie known as Lady Peel, is over a century old, located in downtown Toronto, is now rejuvenated and playing a new character.

 With respect for the actress who once lived there, the house inherits a talent: playing a new role while living in the same skin.

Lady Peel House
© borXu Design
Lady Peel House
© borXu Design

The reformation of the house takes a responsible approach towards the neighborhood and the adjacent buildings by focusing the transformation on the interior spaces and minimizing it on the exterior façade.

The exterior alterations are limited to the careful enlargement of the windows and the exposure of the brick structure underneath the previous cladding.

The 60’ x 15’ house gives the architect an opportunity to emphasize on linearity of spaces.

Lady Peel House
© borXu Design
Lady Peel House
© borXu Design

By eliminating the unnecessary elements in the floor plans, the house is transformed into continuous open-concept spaces in which natural light makes a soft voyage and exaggerates the length of the rooms.

The long, broken, and dark Victorian interior spaces on the ground level are now contemporary white and airy continuous spaces with just enough exposed brick wall in the kitchen and dining room to remind us of the origins of the house.

The enclosed long and linear staircase used to be both a physical and a visual barrier between the interior rooms on the ground level.

Lady Peel House
© borXu Design
Lady Peel House
© borXu Design

Now it is transformed into a light, and open structure circulating around voids and creating a dynamic connection between not just the ground floor spaces, but also all the levels.

On the second floor the bedrooms and the home office are connected with a bridge overlooking the stairs and the dining room.

Lady Peel House
© borXu Design
Lady Peel House
© borXu Design

A unique modern master bedroom with a freestanding tub and a direct access to a private deck is on the third floor, the attic, where the roof structure is exposed once again as a reminder of its past.


Lady Peel House
Floor Plans
Lady Peel House
Longitudinal Section

Atelier Rzlbd
T +1 416 2231900
Atelier Rzlbd
220 Duncan Mill Rd #617, North York, ON M3B 3J5, Canada