It started with a powder room. Sometimes these things do. Jonah Peranson and Jess Swartz had plenty of space already in their east-end Toronto home near Withrow Park, as it had been completely renovated and expanded in the 1990s, long before they purchased it in 2015.
“We have many bathrooms, but none on the main floor,” says Ms. Swartz, recalling what she told Good Standing Architects’ Joanne Myers and Jessie Shifman as she showed them a coat closet that could probably be converted into a water closet with little fuss.
But then, well, there was that problematic foyer. Bumping-elbows-narrow and stairs up to the main floor meant elderly relatives were winded before they were wined and dined.
“You know if we were going to put in the power room, it was now, like, what else do we really want?” says Mr. Peranson. “And it was a question of ‘Do we move, or do we build what we want?’”
Again, it was already a large and lovely house, Ms. Shifman says with a laugh: “When Joanne and I first walked in, we asked, ‘Why are you calling us?’”
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Well, there was that kitchen, too, you see. Already at the front of the house – and all agree that was unusual – it would get pretty sardine-can tight in there during those big family gatherings (the ones with the elderly people who were winded). “Before, the island was much smaller,” says Mr. Peranson. “And three people would fill up the kitchen.”
Facing the garden at the back of the house is a lovely living room filled with comfortable furniture and interesting artwork – “We loved the proportions of their living room,” Ms. Myers says enthusiastically – but the reality is 21st-century house guests just don’t gather in living rooms any longer.
And then there was that unusual door from the kitchen, that opened to a small front porch. It was not the main door – that is on the side – so it created much confusion: “Mail was getting wet,” says Mr. Peranson. “[Delivery people] would throw packages there; our friends would say, ‘Look, how do I get in?’”
So, from powder room to full frontal reconfiguration. Remove that porch door and push the kitchen out into the front yard by 2.75 metres. Change the hardscaping and landscaping – with Hailee Moynihan – to direct guests’ feet to the left side of the house. Oh, and place the steps outside, at the front, so elderly guests have their breath caught by the time they push the doorbell.
And because the home already had a “bold look” and boxy exterior, why not make that addition out of rough red brick? And throw some I-beams in there to hold up the canopy over the main door: “The house is not your typical Toronto house,” Ms. Shifman says with a laugh. “Sort of an industrial look, which led us to the exposed steel. … It’s not a delicate house.”
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“We really put on our architect hats,” adds Ms. Myers, who started the all-woman firm with Ms. Shifman in 2024. “It was much more thoughtful than a typical project.”
There are a great many thoughts that will enter the first-time visitor’s head. From the sidewalk, they’ll likely pause to take in all of those windows – especially if it’s twilight, and the kitchen lights are on – and scratch their temple at that big I-beam. At the front (side) door, they might catch a whiff of mahogany (this writer did) as it swings open to reveal the clean, wide, uncluttered, cubby-and-hook-for-everything foyer.
After taking in a lovely Norval Morrisseau print, they’ll turn right and pause again under the wide ‘portal’ that announces the new kitchen. “Gosh, it’s lovely,” they might say, and they’d be right. Here, too, is a place for everything to tuck away – small appliances and people – by way of ample cupboard space, a big bold island, and a cozy, skylit banquette under a big, swing-out window that takes the place of the porch.
“We drew every appliance,” Ms. Myers says with a laugh. “We wanted to make sure there was a spot for everything … nothing will be on the counter; everything is accounted for.”
“On a smaller-scale project, you can go that extra mile,” adds Ms. Shifman.
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There are extra miles in lighting vis-à-vis the Pablo Totem fixtures over the island, in the bold choice of black, veined marble for countertops, shelves and the backsplash, the bronze-look range hood, and in choosing to eschew blinds or window-coverings of any kind. And while the ‘tuck-in’ of the new façade wasn’t necessary, it creates a convenient transition between the working part of the kitchen and the lounging/eating part.
“This is an architectural move to have this indent,” says Ms. Myers. “You could have argued that if you push that out you could have a longer counter, but it added interest … and [the clients] were amazingly on board for that.”
And the powder room that started it all? While it’s “the smallest” the young firm has done, it’s dark, moody, textured, luxe and lit by a whimsical, swivelling sconce by Blueprint Lighting called “Bicentric Mesh.”
Good Standing Architects may be new to the Toronto scene, but with Ms. Shifman’s decades of experience at Diamond Schmitt and Ms. Myers’s time at KPMB, superkül, Cindy Rendely Architexture and Chicago’s Scrafano Architects (plus the experience of their three employees) there’s a deep well of knowledge from which to draw. And it’s evident in every meticulous detail, every design choice, and every decision, including the one to insist on a healthy work-life balance.
“There’s a shorthand amongst women, especially moms, about where your priorities are,” says Ms. Shifman. “We’re all committed to excellent work and working hard but, you know, when the school calls you’ve got to go immediately.”
“We have a very amazing culture at the office,” finishes Ms. Myers.