what we're up to
What started out as a renovation to an existing structure has now evolved into a proposed new build home that straddles a nearby hillside, with extensive views across Lake …
Our “Maison Noir” project is really beginning to take shape. Carter Allen Ltd are now finishing up the last of the interior details with our clients keen to move …
After the success of working on our “Treehouse in the City” we’re back working in the Bluffs area again. On this occasion the lot is quite substantially larger and …
Our Bloomfield Residence is now entering into the “Design Development” phase of work as we begin to refine the inner workings of the home. We’re so happy with the …
Here’s one of the four schemes we recently presented to our clients on Georgian Bay as part of round two of schematic design. We look forward to sharing the …
We’re excited to be working on a modest 3,500 sq/ft new build home on Georgian Bay. The client is keen to maintain a simple silhouette and so this was …
Day Custom Homes are making great headway on our Willowdale Residence. The house is now framed and being readied for electrical rough-ins. This is going to be a great …
Schematic design really is the most fun part of the design process! At this early design stage (the second meeting in this instance) we’re exploring all kinds of exciting …
Our Clearwater residence by Valleyview Construction is moving along nicely. All framing is completed and a number of the doors and windows have now been installed. We’re excited to …
We’re currently working on something a little different. We’ve been retained by Michael Nazareth and his talented team at Dragan Brewing and Wine to work some life into their …
We were excited to have our Grey Highlands Residence featured in House and Home magazine earlier this year. It was nice to see the final landscaping details completed, which …
We are now in the home stretch with our Leaside Residence. The floors are laid, drywall painted, tiling installed and exterior cladding nearing completion. We hope to be able …
Lewitt Construction are heading up the construction of this 2,000 sq/ft new build home in Leaside, Toronto. After dealing with a series of shoring issues as well as the implementation …
The past few weeks have allowed us to focus time between architecture projects putting together another pixelated mosaic art piece. This time around we were commissioned to design and construct …
We’re really excited to announce the completion of our Queen West Residence. The project came together really well with the assistance of Lewitt Construction and all of their fantastic trades. All …
We were excited to learn that the 2018 BILD Awards recognized Lewitt Construction for their great work constructing our roncesvalles renovation. They were the winners of the “Best Renovation more than $500,000” award! …
Our Queen West Residence continues to progress well. The windows are now installed and spray foam is complete to the exterior building envelope. The contractor is now focussed on back …
Our Ravine Renovation continues to move along nicely. The second floor framing is underway which has really changed the dynamic of the original single storey bungalow. We look forward to …
Work is moving along nicely at our Queen West Residence, with the exterior building envelope well underway. The temporary stairs are now in place so we can enjoy the great …
As recipients of the OAA’s 2017 Best Emerging Practice Award, we were recently asked to prepare a talk as part of their ongoing ‘Now’ lecture series. Over the past several …
Our thanks to Simon Lewsen who has written so eloquently on our Summerhill renovation project, featured on the cover of the real estate section of Friday’s Globe and Mail; as …
Our clients at our Roncesvalles Residence are now moved in and enjoying the home. We’re excited to get finished photographs soon, but in the meantime as the landscaping comes to …
We’ve recently been working on schemes for a new private residence in Prince Edward County. The images depict all three schematic concepts that are currently under consideration. The site is …
Here are a few of the latest interior renderings of our Leaside Residence. We are currently finalizing the last few details for the permit submission and hope to begin construction …
blackLAB architects inc. had the pleasure of attending the 2017 OAA/RAIC Awards Ceremony in Ottawa last week, which formed part of the 2017 Festival of Architecture. It was a lively …
We are extremely honoured to have won the Ontario Association of Architects 2017 Best Emerging Practice Award! Since blackLAB architects inc.’s inception in 2012, we have been fortunate enough to work on a number of exciting and diverse …
We were excited to learn that the 2017 BILD Awards recognized Lewitt Construction for their great work constructing our sunnylea residence. They were the winners of the “Best Renovation more than $500,000” award! …
Cladding and landscaping are progressing at our midtown house project. Interior finishes are under way.
The pitched rooflines are in place and the living and bedroom wings surround the courtyard at the Grey Highlands Residence.
Steel is going up at our Grey Highlands Residence project. This defines the airy main living spaces and gives a sense of the overall shape of the building. The aerial …
Our wonderful clients sent along these photos of their project as it nears completion. We worked with them to create an addition that expands the living space at their existing …
Here are a few updated schematic design renderings of our Leaside Residence. Things are coming along nicely with the main spaces and overall aesthetic intent pretty well defined. We’ll update our …
Here are a few up to date photographs of an office space we designed for a sportswear specialist in the Etobicoke area. The project is getting close to completion…
We were excited to visit our North York Residence recently. Everything was looking great, with the last few landscaping elements pencilled in for completion in the coming few weeks! We look …
The roof is off and the existing floors are one by one being removed and replaced with new TJI’s to suit the revised interior layout. Things are really beginning to …
We’re really excited to be featured in Toronto Life’s ‘Best Of The City’ 2016 special edition magazine issue, within their ‘best architects and designers’ segment!
A few last minute preparations are underway at our Sunnylea Residence with filming for Vu de l’intérieur underway this afternoon!
Light is streaming in and bouncing off the new drywall at our renovation in Oakville. We are excited to see this project taking shape.
Demolition work began on site this week at our Roncesvalles Residence. The home is to be fully gutted and refinished to the interior. The existing sunroom to the rear (photographed above) …
We’re pretty excited to see our Sunnylea Residence now uploaded to House and Home’s home tour webpage! Here’s the link if you fancy checking it out: Sunnylea House and Home Tour …
It’s all go today at our Sunnylea Residence with @HouseandHome shooting a video tour and interview which will be up on their website later this month!
We’re really excited to see our Sunnylea Residence on the cover of Designline’s Spring 2016 issue! Thanks also to Kathryn Hayward who did a great job writing the feature article and …
Our Park Lawn Residence now has a garage! In the spirit of the house it has been clad in standing seam metal siding. The doors and windows are soon to …
We stopped by our North York Residence yesterday and things were looking great! With the exception of landscaping and a few interior and exterior finishes the house is nearing occupancy. …
Our Sunnylea project is now complete, and was looking nice first thing this morning as the sun peeked through the trees…
Jason and his team at JTI Design of Clarksburg, Ontario have been working hard to get the millwork installed at our Sunnylea Addition project. Things are getting really close with …
We’re working through a few minor amendments to our Queen-West Residence. Here are a couple of sketch renderings of the revised exterior, showing a couple of tweaks to the window and …
A new 17′-6″ wide “Tiltco” aluminum lift and slide door was recently installed to the rear of our Sunnylea Addition! Work on site in general continues to progress nicely as …
Here’s our recently completed video tour of the Ravine Residence project. We do love how video is quite complimentary to still photographs of buildings. It allows us to convey the connections and relationships …
We were on site reviewing progress at our snow covered North York Residence earlier this week. With the exterior windows now installed the contractor is now focusing on the exterior finishes…we …
We stopped by the Park Lawn Addition project this evening and snapped a couple photos of the exterior. The project is very near completion and the details are looking quite …
Built in the suburban heyday of the 60’s this long, low, modern bungalow hugs the hillside of this beautiful ravine property in Markham. Our clients, a young and growing family, …
Located in a secluded field south of Thornbury, Ontario, this renovation from an existing coach house into a new residence for a family of 4 seeks to harmonize with its …
Located in a secluded field south of Clarksburg, Ontario, this new build home for a family of 2 is nestled into the side of a general slope overlooking a purpose built pond, …
This second storey addition and interior renovation includes a complete re-working of the basement and ground floors, as well as the introduction of a new second floor. New landscaping, complete …
The long, low roof lines of this residence stretch out over the pastoral landscape of a river valley in Southern Ontario. The courtyard scheme brings a sense of intimacy to …
This interior renovation and two storey rear addition includes a complete re-working of the basement, ground floor and second floor. New landscaping, complete with a rear deck are also …
This new house in Toronto balances open spaces for living with more formal spaces for entertaining. A large sunken dining room addresses the street across a screened front yard terrace. …
This two storey rear addition and interior renovation includes a complete re-working of the ground and second floors, as well as the introduction of a new rear addition. New …
This unique new-build residence finds itself neatly slotted between two adjacent low rise buildings on a generous lot in North York. The home seeks to harmonize with its surroundings …
Each new project we undertake at blackLAB offers us the unique opportunity to work with a new client. As architects who focus their efforts predominately on residential design, there aren’t …
Located on a private lot south of Thornbury, Ontario, this new build cottage seeks to harmonize with its rural surroundings. A family of four who enjoy time in the …
This beautiful and unique site, although located with the boundaries of the ecologically sensitive Oak Ridges Moraine, is not an example of pristine nature. The large building lot is part …
An infill site located in the heart of downtown Toronto, this unique new-build residence finds itself neatly slotted between two adjacent sites to the rear of an existing severed lot. …
This modest 3-season cottage finds itself nested within a private shoreline lot on the Lake of Bays. Its basic rectilinear mass draws inspiration from the cottage that originally occupied …
This project includes a complete re-working of the main floor of a century old row house. The small footprint created a need to be creative with an open space while …
After hibernating most of the winter with our new baby in our 12th floor condo, we decided that a sandbox and a patch of grass would soon be required. A …
We were recently invited to speak at the TSA’s emerging voices forum. The format was limited and demanding, but in a good way: 20 slides of 20 seconds each. We …
A small cottage overlooking the lake was in need of overflow space for guests, a workshop and storage for recreational equipment. This proposed guest suite above a garage is a …
You know your ‘new’ firm isn’t as ‘new’ as you thought when an existing client requests your services for the design of an addition to the home you’d designed …
After months of planning and work, it’s finally here. Our installation at the Interior Design Show is ready – come and see us! We’ve worked with some great people over …
Often, we’ve come across people who wonder what it’s like to work with an architect on their project and whether they should have people like us involved. Perhaps the profession …
We are excited to have the opportunity to participate in the Interior Design Show (IDS13) special exhibit this year. Along with 3 other design firms, we will be exploring the …
Here are a couple videos (see slideshow) that show how we created the golf tee mosaic that forms one wall of our office space. It seemed crazy while we were …
We’ve always maintained that the best and most appropriate way to deliver a successful project is through open communication with our clients, and consistent input from the trades we’ve …
Just recently blackLAB architects inc. was contacted by Gill Swan (@arch_lintel), senior lecturer at the University of Central Lancaster, School of Natural and Built Environment (@ArchUCLAN) to participate in their …
The Initial Design Meeting: The first step in a design process can be one of the most exciting. Within the constraints of the site and program we’re completely free to …
When we found the space that was to become our office, five short months ago, it was somewhat familiar territory. I lived close to Sterling Road in the past and …
The four of us were coddled around what was (at the time) serving as our temporary desk, contemplating our next move, having just begun this exciting journey in starting our …