Contemporary Compound
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Clients:
Contemporary Compound
CONTEMPORARY
COMPOUND
Jesse Sahlani’s latest design was created for a prestigiously large lot that backs onto the Niagara Escarpment. Through the use of his multi-disciplinary design approach he designed a cohesively luxurious environment throughout the grounds of a residential compound that offers the same amenities as your favorite spa. However, Jesse did not want to design through the landscape or create a visual imposition in any way on this stunning lot. With that in mind, the exterior of the home was designed to blend with its surroundings in order to ensure that it maintains a connection to the wealth of unique natural features that exist. This effect was achieved through the use of opportune floor planning, a front courtyard featuring semi-mature trees native to the area, and window placement that prioritizes views of exterior amenities and lush forest in the rear.
Jesse designed the front window wall to greet guests with a sense of contemporary grandeur as they approach the front entrance door leading to the two-storey foyer. This foyer is essentially a full glass atrium connecting two separate wings of the home. Jesse intentionally placed the foyer in the center of the floor plan to a sense of space between the bedroom wing and common areas, supporting the entertaining needs of this family.
Upon entry, these window walls also serve to greet guests with a view of the backyard spa amenities at the rear, the surrounding forest, and the front courtyard tree and garden features. In Jesse’s usual fashion, he also designed these windows to serve the technical purpose of drawing natural light into this stunningly proportioned space. We conduct this practice as a standard because we believe that natural light increases the quality of any space. The result is a unique feature that is master-planned to offer functional, elegant, and contemporary grandeur.
This home spans over 120 feet in width and was designed for a lot that backs onto the Niagara Escarpment. The opportunity to design a home this wide spurred a truly exciting design process that explored a range of options and design styles. Jesse’s decisions throughout the process were driven by the goal of creating a timeless structure that felt proportionately blended with the surrounding nature. He achieved this, creating a two-storey raised massing so wide that the perceived height is dampened in relation to the width and scale of the surrounding landscape. The benefit of this width was also that Jesse could design shockingly wide window walls for almost every room in the home, furthering the sense of sprawling character he sought to capture without the window walls taking over the front facade. This same intention towards consistent proportionality can be found in almost every detail on the exterior, including the front fascia and overhang lines, the exterior limestone profile selection, and the front planter box proportions.
To balance the imposition of the massing of this home, Jesse designed a “tiered” footprint that allows the second floor to step back at the corners. He used this form to incorporate exterior wrap-around terraces, as well as the inclusion of corner windows.
This feature was so carefully designed that the existence of these terraces is hardly noticeable, as they are almost the last thing that catches the eye when looking at the home for the first time. This feature is made possible by Jesse’s ability to perspective sketch, allowing him to understand the impact of his decisions, and the opportunities they create in real-time.
Further speaking to Jesse’s use of master-planning, the garage was placed at the side of the home, removing the need to incorporate a garage door into the front facade. He took full advantage of the width of this lot to hide this feature while functionally incorporating it into the courtyard. The courtyard ends with a rear privacy wall clad with the same limestone as the exterior facade. This simple detail serves to extend the exterior materials to different areas of the property, creating the sense that the sprawling design intent reaches every corner of the property.
The rear facade of this home was designed to the same stylistically cohesive standard as the front facade. Those who follow Jesse’s work know that this is a signature of his, using this facade to luxuriously serve as the backdrop to the backyard amenities while perfecting the desired environment he sought to create.
The rear overhangs are also a highly intentional part of the rear facade design that Jesse specially incorporated for both functional and aesthetic purposes. From an aesthetic perspective, these overhangs accentuate the home’s wide proportions, further grounding the structure’s height. Functionally, they provide shade and protection from the elements for terraces, the covered dining area, and the cabana lounge.
The landscape design features spa amenities, including a hot tub, a cold plunge pool, and a lap pool meant to be used as a circuit, along with a cabana that is home to a poolside lounge, a change room, and a bathroom.
The entertainment spaces were set on either side of the pools to create a unique setting for entertaining and relaxation. To create an indoor/outdoor connection, the interior floor plans were oriented to create a natural and inviting flow between the spaces. The tanning beds were positioned to ensure they received the best light exposure, a simple consideration that is a great micro example of how considering the sun’s position when designing landscape plans can affect the outcome of the layout.
French Estate Home
French Estate Home
Sat: 8:00am - 3:00pm
Sun: Closed
