A Toronto Family Idyll by Denegri Bessai Studio

While modern-day North York is celebrated as a cosmopolitan hub within the Greater Toronto Area, its network of lush ravines, tree-lined corridors, and gently rolling terrain offers a quieter, often overlooked natural charm. Nestled on the remnants of an ancient glacial plateau, the district’s green spaces and winding waterways provide a surprising sense of escape amid the urban bustle.

Set within this scenic landscape, the 7,080-square-foot North York Ravine House exemplifies harmony with its surroundings. Perched on the edge of a lush Toronto ravine, Denegri Bessai Studio pairs a bold, modernist silhouette with the quiet intimacy of the forest greenery. Sleek, carefully curated, and fully immersive, the home invites its inhabitants to live seamlessly between city and nature.

With their three young children in tow, owners Tania and Adi Grinberg purchased the land with dreams of a wholesome family life, surrounded by nature. They were also drawn to the style of the bungalow that originally occupied the site, a mid-century modern build that resonated with their aesthetic tastes. Yet while the exterior offered the modernist good looks they craved, the interior was cramped, arranged in a series of small, dim rooms. Moreover, despite the site’s exceptional natural environment, the house felt oddly detached from its surroundings.

Taking action, the family commissioned Denegri Bessai (DB Studio), a Toronto-based architectural practice acclaimed for creating contemporary homes that blend owners’ individual tastes with a sense of play and adventure.

“The couple hired us to address the issues of the existing house through an extensive renovation and addition to improve functionality and experience while preserving—and enhancing—the best of its modernist bones,” explains Tom Bessai, co-founder of DB Studio.

Old Bones, New Life

Denegri Bessai faced an ambitious challenge: to reconcile the strongest aspects of the original structure with a host of new spaces and design concepts.

“Our strategy was to fully respect the qualities and presence of the original mid-century modern house—particularly at the front, with its characteristic low-pitched, overhanging roofs,” Bessai explains.

In essence, the bungalow was transformed into a two-storey home to accommodate the growing family. The second floor was added far back from the front façade, preserving the modernist personality of the original structure. The extension echoes the signature slopes of the bungalow roof forms in a subtle, sensitive way.

“Like the receding tones of a mountain landscape in a watercolour painting, the second floor folds into the mist of the ravine,” Bessai illustrates. “This produces a layered effect from the front while providing privacy and intimacy in the new bedrooms. The addition is subtle, contemporary, minimalist.”

Throughout the process, connecting the home with its natural surroundings remained paramount.

“The most dramatic move was to directly link the main floor to the ravine,” says Bessai. “We raised the ceiling to the full height of the sloped roof and opened the entire ravine-facing wall with uninterrupted floor-to-ceiling glass. The wall literally disappears. Standing in the main space feels like standing within the ravine itself—a fully immersive effect.”

Interior Harmony

Inside, the formerly cramped layout was replaced with an expansive, flowing arrangement. The living, dining, and kitchen areas occupy most of the ground floor, their open plan amplified by a vaulted ceiling that draws the eye skyward. Newly laid terraces extend the interior into the outdoors, while a vast glass wall frames the forest beyond, inviting nature inside.

“The interiors are grand yet relaxed,” Bessai says. “Rich wood tones link the home to the surrounding forest. Sloped ceilings of Douglas fir, white oak floors, and simple spatial forms allow natural light to fill the spaces.”

As part of DB Studio’s philosophy of bespoke, personal homes, the team collaborated closely with the Grinbergs to infuse the house with unique touches. The second floor was conceived as a bridge, featuring loft-style bedrooms for the children. Vast trapezoid windows and a two-storey cutout allow natural light to pour in, creating what Bessai calls a “peek-a-boo moment,” where one child can observe another playing below.

Elsewhere, a central structural pier in the main living area was transformed into a feature wall clad in Tata rammed earth tiles, handmade by a family friend in Mexico City, where Tania was born. Recesses accommodate plants and personal objects, merging material richness with understated elegance.

With the renovation complete, the Grinbergs can now enjoy their envisioned idyll: a modernist home intimately entwined with the forest and ravine, a living backdrop for family life.

“The sequence of interconnected interior volumes from entry to the spectacular ravine views works beautifully,” reflects Bessai. “The owners embrace both the informality of the open spaces and the grandeur of the forested ravine as it changes over the day and through the seasons.”