House of the Week: $8.5 million for an Etobicoke prairie home familiar to Netflix fans

Neighbourhood: Edenbridge-Humber Valley Price: $8,500,000 Size: 6,300 plus square feet Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 5 Parking spots: 18 (three in the garage, five in the driveway and about 10 more tandem spots down the forested road leading to the main house) Real estate agent: Rose Barroso, Right at Home Realty

The Place

A three-bedroom, five-bathroom glass treehouse sitting in the Humber Valley, surrounded by a canopy of trees. The smart home comes with voice-activated showers, high-res security cameras, a safe room, multiple patios and a heated cabana that acts like an outdoor bachelor pad. It’s within walking distance of both Eglinton and the Lambton Golf and Country Club. And motorists are a short drive from the 427 and the 401.

The History

Architect Blake Millar originally built this home in 1973 as a homage to Frank Lloyd Wright. The previous owners lived in it for 30 years before selling to a local couple in 2018. The next two years brought extensive renovations. While they kept all the prairie elements—including the exterior wood panels, concrete block walls, steel beams and sleek horizontal lines—they gutted everything else. They also added new fencing, a saltwater pool, a covered kitchenette and more space in the garage.

The property has appeared in two Netflix productions: the series Titans and the 2021 Gina Rodriguez film Awake.

Related: $4.4 million for a gated Summerhill semi overlooking a soccer pitch

The Tour

The owners designed the front gate with accent materials that are resistant to chipping and fading.

More than 60 white birch columnar trees (their leaves never fall, meaning constant privacy) line the road that leads to the main house. Those black columns are actually automated lights that turn on as a vehicle approaches. The path was also upgraded with snow-melting tech—an $80,000 job.

Here’s the heated three-car garage, recently expanded for more storage.

Now the zen front yard, complete with a water fountain feature.

A granite path leads to the custom solid-wood front door. Almost every exterior wall here is made of glass.

The foyer is a greenhouse-esque landing area with black granite floors.

In the dining room: more all-glass walls, white-oak floors and a climate-controlled wine display that holds 80 bottles.

Around the corner is this lounge with a marble-wrapped wood-burning fireplace, one of three in the house.

A gargantuan 20-foot Volakas-marble waterfall island anchors the sun-filled kitchen. It’s equipped with Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, a Modbar espresso machine and storage galore. Hidden stairs behind the rear wall descend to a giant pantry and secondary fridge.

That black granite on the left isn’t an installation—it’s a floating staircase that connects the foyer to the living room.

All the black granite and Lego-like concrete block walls are original to the home.

Attached to the living room is this office.

The main bedroom requires a security code to get in and is equipped with latches that turn it into a safe room. Its bed and nightstands are built into the upholstered wall, which matches the shoe closet on the right.

There’s even a hand-painted soaker tub in here for relaxing while appreciating nature.

This is the walk-in closet—perfectly pristine thanks to its many closed wardrobe panels. It has one of the pad’s 30 skylights.

And this is the main ensuite bathroom. It comes with a double vanity and marble tiles everywhere. The voice-activated smart shower can remember users’ preferences.

Dubbed “the relaxing room” by the previous owners, this basement entertainment zone is lined with a bed-depth couch, open shelving and more concrete. Past the TV and around the corner are both the dry sauna and the steam room.

Heading back outside reveals the bar-like dining area. Those glass doors fold open like an accordion, seamlessly connecting the yard to the kitchen.

The backyard is part serene escape, part trendy outdoor bar and bistro.

Here’s the covered outdoor kitchenette, equipped with a Prestige Pro gas grill.

Finally, here’s the view from the heated cabana looking back at the house. The cabana has a mounted TV, a full bathroom, an outdoor shower and an all-around Mykonos vibe.

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