2025 Home Renovation: House on the Park

Meet the winning project of this year’s Best in Design Award for Home Renovation

A stunning example of architectural preservation and reinvention, House on the Park has earned the Best in Design Award for Home Renovation. Located in Toronto’s historic Wychwood Park, this ambitious project was a collaboration between architectural firm Superkül and interior design studio Pencil Design, who worked closely to transform a century-old Edwardian home into a contemporary sanctuary for a six-person family. The result is a harmonious blend of heritage preservation, modern statements, undeniable luxury, and thoughtful spaces.

Superkül’s architectural expertise was instrumental in the comprehensive renovation and expansion of this 1918 brick-and-stone residence. The firm retained the home’s historic facade while modernizing its structure to exceed current building codes and energy standards. The original grand central staircase was not retained but reinterpreted, with a completely redesigned and newly built version introduced. Key interventions included a new east wing and penthouse storey, which introduced additional space and functionality without compromising the original architecture. Durable materials like fibre-cement panels, standing seam metal, and glass were used to create a contemporary addition that complements the preserved Edwardian character.

Inside, Superkül reconfigured the layout to enhance circulation and optimize natural light. A new glazed link connects the original home to the addition, seamlessly bridging past and present while offering stunning views of the surrounding landscape.

Superkül and Pencil Design brought warmth and artistry to the interiors, creating spaces that honour the home’s Edwardian roots while infusing them with contemporary personality. Superkül designed several custom elements, including bronze screens, white steel columns with marble inlays, oak thresholds and sliding doors with bronze hardware, and two ocular skylights that flood the home with natural light, animating its many sculptural details. Pencil Design contributed the vibrant marble fireplaces and flooring in the foyer, various tailor-made features and furniture pieces, including the eat-in kitchen banquette and table, along with thoughtful furnishings and fixtures.

The home’s centrepiece is a white steel and oak stair in the double-height atrium space—a contemporary reinterpretation of the grand central staircase—that rises above the new herringbone oak flooring and is visible from both the foyer and the living room. A second staircase—a blue spiral staircase—provides circulation between all floors, serving as both a functional and sculptural element.”

This extraordinary project highlights the synergy between Superkül’s architectural precision and Pencil Design’s interior creativity. Supported by builder Anjinnov Management and landscape designer Janet Rosenberg & Studio, the winner of our 2025 Home Renovation award makes a case for the home renovation that sees no bounds, seamlessly merging past and present.