Brick Bungalow in Canada Becomes Modern ‘Flipped House’

Flipped House is a two-story residence with a modern, turnkey design located in a neighborhood dominated by more traditional architecture. The team at Atelier RZLBD renovated an existing brick bungalow in Ontario, Canada, and added a second level to the structure.

The project gets its name from its unconventional “flipped” layout. While a typical dwelling keeps all public-facing spaces confined to its main floor, with private areas like bedrooms sequestered upstairs, Flipped House divides its public and private zones on either side of a vertical plane.

As a result, the home’s den, kitchen, dining and living rooms are all located on its street-facing northeast side, while the house’s three bedrooms span both levels of the building’s more secluded southwestern end.

Inside, knotty cedar slats surround the linked kitchen and dining room, wrapping up the side walls and the ceiling above to create a sense of warmth and grandeur. The linked first-floor kitchen and dining room are double-height spaces, which produce a dramatic effect when entering the house.

Upstairs, a flexible family room carries on to a small wooden patio built atop the existing garage. At the other end there is an airy home office providing desk space for two. Information provided by Atelier RZLBD; architectural photography courtesy of Borzu Talaie.