Inside the Sunken Living Room of the Maple Leaf House

Nya Irwin spent 14 long months eyeing a unique mid-century modern real estate listing in the northwest community of Brentwood. Eventually, she and her husband, Chris Irwin, booked a viewing — “just to get it out of my system,” Nya insists. But the moment they entered the home, with its 18-foot ceilings in the living room area, stunning A-frame design and daring red fireplace, it was as good as sold. “I had this stupid smile on my face. I looked over at Chris and he was like, ‘Oh no,’” she remembers, with a laugh.

The couple loved the 1966 home so much, in fact, that they didn’t want to change much of it. “We’re just editing this house; we’re not renovating it,” Nya decided, along with the team at Mera Studio Architects. Tara Marshall and Meghan Bannon, the studio’s co-founders, had already peeked at online images of the house during its year-plus stint on the market.

“There was so much original design that we felt had to be maintained — it was too beautiful and unique to let go of,” says Marshall.

Of course, some transformation was necessary: the kitchen was gutted and restructured for modern living and the entry to the kitchen and dining area opened up; a second bathroom was added; and the primary bedroom was expanded. But the room the homeowners initially fell for — the living room, with a sunken fireside lounge and that show-stopping fireplace — had only a few mindful modifications. The Mera team put in a warm, oatmeal-coloured carpet with a texture that nods to ’70s patterns and covered the floor with terracotta tiles that embrace the home’s existing natural materials (there’s cedar, teak, rosewood and walnut throughout the house). “People are often tricked into not 100-per cent knowing what is original and what is new,” says Marshall.

The room’s original purpose was preserved, too — it’s a gathering place, exactly as it was for the previous owners, who built it themselves more than a half century ago. “It was a project of love, and you can just feel it,” Nya says. “It was a place for family, and that was exactly our intent: to make it a place for our family to enjoy for the next 50 years.”

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The Fireplace

The bold red of the fireplace is no doubt a focal point of the space, but there’s more subtle beauty behind the scenes. “One of the elements we really loved about the fireplace was the tiny little tiles behind it,” says architect Tara Marshall.

The Artwork

The abstract-ish art next to the fireplace is another original element. Homeowner Nya Irwin explains it’s a Spanish dancer and accompanying band, done by the previous owner’s mother’s friend. “It’s pushing 100 years old,” Irwin says.

The Vinyl

The original owners chose the vinyl-tufted wall for its resilience, but no material is invincible: when Irwin and her family moved in, the wallcovering had a small tear. The unconventional material called for an unconventional pro — a boat upholsterer, who “very methodically” stitched it up.

The Seating

The family uses the newly carpeted “conversation pit” seating practically as much as the sofa. It’s the perfect cozy spot to curl up with a book (or miniature wiener dogs Frankie and Rizzo).