House of the Week: $1.6 million for a minimalist designer home at Bayview and Eglinton
ADDRESS: 337 Cleveland Street
NEIGHBOURHOOD: Mount Pleasant East
AGENT: Ryan Abbassi, Sutton Group Central Realty Inc., Brokerage
PRICE: $1,625,000
THE PLACE: A joint project by JA Architecture Studio and ARTA Design and Build, the pair of Toronto-based firms dubbed it ‘The Offset House” for the way the second floor is split and offset to create a space for natural light to flood the main level.
BRAGGING RIGHTS: Design websites like Design Boom, Contemporist and Home Edit have already taken notice of the innovative structure.
BIG SELLING POINT: Plenty of light. Eight skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows maximize the home’s natural light potential.
POSSIBLE DEAL BREAKER: At the moment, the house is very conspicuous in a neighbourhood of mainly traditional brick builds (though it’s a massive improvement over the shrunken infill home that previously occupied the lot ).
BY THE NUMBERS:
• $1,625,000
• $3,909.97 in property taxes (2012)
• 13-foot ceilings
• 8 skylights
• 4 bedrooms
• 4 bathrooms
• 2.5 storeys
• 2 kitchens
• 2-car garage
• 1 gas fireplace
177941 The backyard (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-21-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-21.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-21.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-21/ nov12cleveland-21 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177940 The fenced-in backyard has mature trees, grass and a wooden deck (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-20-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-20.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-20.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-20/ nov12cleveland-20 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177939 The finished basement has a second kitchen and living area (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-19-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-19.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-19.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-19/ nov12cleveland-19 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177938 The view toward the front of the house from the living room, with the stairs to the basement (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-18-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-18.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-18.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-18/ nov12cleveland-18 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177942 The terrace off the third bedroom (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-22-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-22.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-22.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-22/ nov12cleveland-22 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177933 The third bedroom, second floor (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-13-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-13.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-13.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-13/ nov12cleveland-13 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177934 The second bedroom is on the second floor and has a large street-facing window (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-14-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-14.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-14.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-14/ nov12cleveland-14 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177931 The second-floor corridor. There is a built-in desk area over the stairs (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-11-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-11.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-11/ nov12cleveland-11 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177930 Looking down the stairs to the master bedroom and main level (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-10-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-10.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-10/ nov12cleveland-10 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177932 Looking up to the second floor and skylights (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-12-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-12.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-12.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-12/ nov12cleveland-12 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177937 The master ensuite bathroom has marble tiling, a soaker tub and a separate shower (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-17-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-17.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-17.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-17/ nov12cleveland-17 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177935 The master bedroom occupies a half-floor that floats between the main and second levels. It has a walkout to a private balcony facing the street, and an ensuite bathroom (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-15-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-15.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-15.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-15/ nov12cleveland-15 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177929 Eight skylights run in a row above the central staircase (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-09-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-09.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-09.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-09/ nov12cleveland-09 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177928 The living room (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-08-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-08.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-08/ nov12cleveland-08 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177945 The living room is at the back of the house and has access to the back deck. The built-in fireplace is gas-burning (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland_intro-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland_intro.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland_intro.jpg 656 416 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland_intro/ nov12cleveland_intro 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177926 There is also a built-in bench under the front window (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-06-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-06.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-06/ nov12cleveland-06 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177925 The kitchen has white-washed oak hardwood flooring, stainless steel appliances and a long island/dining table (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-05-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-05.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-05.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-05/ nov12cleveland-05 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177924 The front entrance leads into the kitchen and stairway (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-04-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-04.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-04/ nov12cleveland-04 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177923 A two-car garage is nestled below the house (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-03-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-03.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-03/ nov12cleveland-03 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177921 The shutters and window are Douglas fir (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-02-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-02.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-02.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-02/ nov12cleveland-02 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
177920 The frontage on this property near Eglinton and Bayview is 20 feet wide (Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours) 337 Cleveland Street 337 Cleveland Street https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-01-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-01.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12Cleveland-01.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week337-cleveland-street/slide/nov12cleveland-01/ nov12cleveland-01 0 0
(Image: Sam Javanrouh and Behnaz Assadi/Advirtours)
Does the woman come with the place??
Wonder how big is this house ? Strange and so out of character. Dunno if I want to spend $1.6mil and the first thing u r staring at when I open the front door is the kitchen. I would buy it and open an art gallery. Bizarre out of character house. Then again, everything in that pocket of Toronto is crazy. Little overpriced pretencious leaside area just like leslieville. Madness!!!
I am very entertained by the market for selling homes in Toronto. Is there anywhere else that homes could be for sale at this prize and still offer this little? This house would sell for no more than 250 000 Euros max where I live. My friend lived in a similar house in Sydney, and even there it would never be worth over a million.
love it!
Refreshing change from the traditional homes. I like it.
I quite liked it, love the amount of light that comes in. I think you could really have fun and enjoy decorating it and making it your own. I think we need more imaginative home designs like this and break up the typical bricks and mortar look of most of these neighbourhoods. “Strange and out of character” – in my humble opinion is welcome – it reflects, change, innovation and forward thinking.
I would easily live in such a home. I would tend to agree about the pricing though, does seem like such a lot of money, perhaps it is simply the whole concept of location, location, location.
This seems like a lot of money for such a small place?!
please say this house is unoccupied and staged this minimally..because,my parents would never visit…not that that’s such a bad thing.. but the living room seating is meant for supermodels who ‘perch’…but I LOVE the place
This feels like an art gallery–where are you supposed to really live? I can’t wait to see the prospective renter’s reaction on the basement kitchen’s 2 tiny cupboards in the kitchen.
Although alluring the design layout is impractical. Best of luck in moving any assembled furniture with that staircase. As for the master bedroom, where are the closets?
Why did the builders not extend the house further as the backyard appears to be sizable.
Crappy realtor as well with even less information listed on his site.
too antiseptic
Guess who ran out of money when they got to the basement?
I think they did an amazing job, when you consider what they had to work with. The lots on Cleveland are quite small and therefore the zoning for land to house ratio is limited. Minimalist isn’t my thing but they did it well with lots of light and interesting features. As neighborhoods go, this is one of the best for amenities and safety. It is a good package and I have no doubt it won’t be on the market for long.
Love this place….but the 2012 taxes seem completely out of whack….no wonder Toronto is having fiscal issues!
You are on full view from the front windows!
Unappealing in the light our fellow humans are suffering and dying in poverty.
I want to let my kids loose on this place for an afternoon. A dash of colour would do wonders, even if in the form of handprints.
Nice place – I wonder why that poor woman is trying to escape from every window…
This looks like a copycat house from one that sold in Leslieville for around $700K earlier this year. And that house in Leslieville had some better design elements to boot.
For a minimalist house, they did an okay job. Some pretty nice features like the off-setting and use of numerous skylights. However, one major design failure is that they should have installed a floating staircase instead. That would have seriously opened up the main level to more lighting.
Overall, a decent looking home but overpriced by $600K.
Is it just me or are the “mature trees” in the backyard not even on their property?
If there is anyone out there willing to pay 1.6 (or even close to it) for this home, I have some land north of Thunder Bay that’s to die for- message me.
Have you seen this house in person ? It is smalll and looks odd on Cleveland Street. I have to look at this box house everyday, and I can tell you it doesn’t add anything positive to the street.
Who would want to pay such a high price for a home with three, small bedrooms upstairs (the fourth is in the basement) and an impractical layout? Sure, it would make a decent studio, but that is not what it is meant to be. They wasted space on a side balcony which overlooks the neighbour’s driveway and windows, instead of designing decent size rooms. (Inside where a people will live).
I hope who ever is crazy enough to pay 1.6 million, saves some money for motor-operated blinds to block out some of the the light come the high days of summer.
The little, old home that was on the property before had a lovely front garden, not a concrete pad with a couple of off-set boxes sitting on it.
The whole box house looks cold and uninviting in this family neighbourhood. It sticks out like a sore thumb.
You liked the previous house on this lot(link above), I checked it? Kate, that tells more about your taste in architecture than about this building. In fact you are not alone at all and there are enough fake old houses getting built in Toronto nowadays just to satisfy your taste culture. This is a pristine contemporary house, it is meant to be one off.
It may be meant to be a one off, but it is just one too many. This is a disgusting eyesore on Cleveland St. It should be demolished immediately. Stop ruining neighbourhoods.
Where is the living room?
“it won’t be on the market for long”. WRONG. It’s been on the market for more than 6 months. Shitty design, terrible finishes and way over priced. They’ve had to cut the price twice already.
Not just the basement… they clearly ran out of money. Evidence being the patchwork on paving the drive way. They burst their water main when they poured concrete down the first time around and just patched the driveway rather than re-paving. How can you expect someone to buy a $1.5M house when even the driveway looks cheap.
agreed. Also how are you expected to get anything to the backyard (a barbecue? lawn furniture, etc.) There is practically no access to the backyard except directly from through the front door and out the back….