Inspired by Fallingwater, it fell together
Home of the Week, 160 Fallingbrook Rd., unit 208, Toronto. ASKING PRICE: $699,900. When developer Robert Mitchell stood at the corner of Fallingbrook and Kingston roads at the upper edge of Toronto’s Beaches neighbourhood six years ago, he envisioned a building reminiscent of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous Fallingwater residence. 'It just seemed to fall together – the location and the topography and the name of the street,' he says. Mr. Mitchell liked the idea of designing a building with strong horizontal lines. He also wanted to create outdoor terraces that would take advantage of the site on a rise of land that offered views of Lake Ontario. The building was completed in 2009.
For unit 208, Mr. Mitchell worked with owner Gabrielle Peacock long before construction was started in order to customize the 1,750-square-foot unit. A dramatic two-storey atrium in the living area has a 21-foot-high ceiling. Stairs lead to the second floor and the mezzanine family room and playroom.
Because the building sits along an angled stretch of Kingston Road, Mr. Mitchell says, each unit varied in depth and size and therefore no two are identical. 'You’re pretty much custom-designing every suite.' The dining and living areas have a gas fireplace and a large, south-facing window.
On the main floor, large expanses of wall and built-in shelves provide space for the owner’s art collection. The kitchen, open to the dining area, has a breakfast bar, stainless steel appliances and cabinets of dark-stained wood.
Ms. Peacock asked that each of the two bedrooms on the second floor have ensuite bathrooms. An upper-level family room has a sliding door to a terrace with a gas barbeque.
A room beside the kitchen is currently used as a home office, but it could also be a den or an extra bedroom.
The master bedroom.
The master ensuite bathroom.