Heritage x Modern. Toronto Residence
Architect Brian O’Brian and designer Gillian Segal transform a Toronto Victorian home in the Annex into a striking fusion of heritage and modern design. Retaining quirky original features, like an angled wall and bay window, O’Brian enhances the space with sweeping curves and bold geometry. Segal’s interior design balances historical references with contemporary textures and colours, creating an engaging atmosphere. Rich Art Deco elements are reimagined, resulting in a warm, timeless space where old and new seamlessly coexist. The home’s thoughtful design creates both elegance and intrigue.
Brian O'Brian Architects
Brian O'Brian is a Canadian architect and the founder of WORKS OFFICE, a design studio known for its innovative and thoughtful architectural solutions. His work often emphasises a deep respect for a building's historical context while introducing modern elements to create cohesive and striking designs.
O'Brian has a reputation for incorporating bold geometry, unique forms, and a keen sensitivity to the existing structures he works with. He focuses on maintaining the charm and character of older buildings while integrating contemporary aesthetics and functionalities. His projects are characterised by their thoughtful use of space, attention to detail, and a blend of modern and historical influences.
Gillian Segal Interior Designer
Gillian Segal is a prominent interior designer known for her sophisticated and inventive approach to design. Based in Toronto, Segal creates interiors that seamlessly blend modern aesthetics with historical elements, resulting in spaces that are both timeless and contemporary. Her design ethos is characterised by a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, as well as an ability to mix textures, colours, and materials in innovative ways. Segal often emphasises the importance of creating environments that are not only visually striking but also comfortable and functional.
Segal's work includes residential, commercial, and hospitality projects, where she balances elegance with a sense of warmth and individuality. Her designs often feature bold color palettes, unique furniture pieces, and custom details that reflect her personal style and her clients’ preferences.
Inside The Toronto Residence
Some of Canada’s most cherished design traditions are preserved within the historic walls of urban homes that continue to captivate admirers. Here contributing to the country’s rich architectural legacy with a delightful residential renovation in Toronto’s prestigious Annex neighborhood, this project seamlessly blends Victorian-era heritage with modern creativity, resulting in a home that harmonises tradition and innovation. Art Deco-inspired elements, bold geometry, dramatic forms, and deep tones create a striking visual narrative that bridges the past and present while inviting exploration of future possibilities.
O’Brian’s structural approach embraces the whimsical composition of the main facade, which retains several distinctive elements from the home’s original construction. The angled wall extending from the front elevation and a previously overlooked bay window on the building’s south side play pivotal roles in redefining the home’s relationship with its local context. These features are seamlessly integrated into the updated design, enhancing both its contemporary expression and its physical presence, while allowing for thoughtful expansion.
O’Brian, “I’d say that I’m far more interested in working with and emphasising the quirks and idiosyncrasies of buildings than I am in removing or rationalising them. In plan, the bay window was extrapolated into its implied circle. That circle became the singular rotunda of space that extends from the ceiling of the first floor up to the roof. Tangents and additional curves and circles emerge from that rotunda and move throughout the house.”
The home’s curved partitions elegantly celebrate circulation, anchoring the structure vertically while guiding lateral movement through sinuous extensions that flow into individual rooms—an embodiment of Segal’s design philosophy.
Heritage x Modern Design Architecture
The 3,900-square-foot residence departs from the conventions of modern new-builds in its thoughtful programmatic layout and nuanced design. The ground floor unfolds into a spacious open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area; the first floor houses bedrooms and a study; the second floor features guest and principal suites; and the lower level is dedicated to a lounge and gym. These spaces, hinted at by the exterior, are enriched with refined spatial and aesthetic solutions.
Designed for a family of four, the interior strikes a delicate balance between excitement and intrigue, orchestrated by Segal’s curation of materials and treatments. This interplay creates a dynamic tension between historical elements and contemporary innovations. Stained wainscoting and classic checkerboard-patterned cement tiles nod to tradition, while unexpected textures, extruded walls, and inventive daylighting cater to modern tastes. A palette of daring reds, dark greens, and deep blues brings a sense of opulence to cabinets, countertops, carpets, and upholstery in shared areas, while private spaces retreat into softer, dreamier hues and creamy off-whites, fostering a tranquil atmosphere.
Playful and subversive furnishings further emphasise the home’s exploration of duality. The silver ‘chainmail’ chairs, though seemingly unconventional, are unexpectedly comfortable. Lighting fixtures by Anna Karlin and Josef Hoffman subtly reference the Art Deco era, balancing elegance with restraint to create approachable sculptural forms that seamlessly blend past and present.
“This project was a very paired down, modern interpretation – things were focused. Streamlined forms. Rich, bold, and unique materiality. While something truly authentic to Art Deco would be overwhelming in today’s world,” Segal explains. “Using select components and reinterpreting for this project created something that feels very warm, bold, special, and timeless.”
Project / Brand: Gillian Segal
Photography: WORKS Office