Studio VAARO

LANEWAY STUDIO

toronto, ontario

Laneway Studio is a single-storey, 415 square foot live-work studio located in the backyard of an existing Toronto home. In contrast with the stately Victorian houses that line the main street, the studio’s robust brick and metal building materials and quasi-industrial massing, evocative of more utilitarian building typologies, are well suited to the laneway’s less polished environment. The single color—green—of the roman-style brick walls and standing-seam metal roof reinforces the integrity of the overall form while firmly integrating it into the heavily planted landscape.

The studio’s non-domestic form is intentionally introverted. Its distinctive saw-tooth roof profile maximizes daylight to both the existing house and to the studio without compromising the privacy of either. The interiors are amply lit and inviting, compact yet flexible, and capable of accommodating a full-time tenant in a variety of live-work scenarios. Minimal walls and a curtain partition the space into quarters, each sector suggesting a different activity—rest & relaxation, bathing, cooking & eating, and work.

Team: Aleris Rodgers, Francesco Valente-Gorjup