44 Belvedere by Guido Costantino

Guido Costantino Design Office designed 44 Belvedere, a modern 2-storey residence in Oakville, Ontario, which overlooks the outside nature with a mix of opaque and transparent glass, brick, stucco, concrete and black anodized paneling.

As it can be read from the official press release, this unique house was created to answer to the needs of a “successful individual or family”, without renouncing to the predilection for an open plan. This is why, when looking from the street, the view into the residence is limited by the use of a concrete wall and opaque glass, while on the back it freely opens into the wood lot thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows.

A sense of harmonious unlimited flow is also given by the choice of concrete as the material that defines the progression inside the residence and back out. Wide concrete pads that serve as a threshold into the contemporary home transform into a polished concrete floor on the inside, separating the kitchen/dining room from the living room. The same type of floor then leads outside to circle a narrow pool and eventually back inside.  Internally, there are no walls that break the free-flowing plan. The only elements that signal the transition from one room to another are the change in the choice of materials (from the kitchen’s wood floor to concrete and back to the wood floor of the living room) and the use of small steps, which harmoniously blend the different areas together.

This way, light from the outside is allowed to flood into the space without any restraint but the single unpolished concrete wall that serves as a support for the central skeleton-looking metal staircase.

Neutral colors in the shades of white, grey and black are the protagonists of the palette: from the black of the anodized exterior siding, the interior furniture and the windows frames to the white of the walls and kitchen’s furniture to the shades of grey of the concrete elements, exterior brick walls and sofas. Despite the linear and squared shapes that characterize the whole house evoking a sort of minimalist way of life, Guido Costantino Design Office designed 44 Belvedere Residence to fully respond to the family’s needs of enjoyment and relax. For this reason, this exclusive home was provided with a multi-functional gym, an integrated spa with sauna and steam shower and a real three-level cinema featuring dual LCD digital movie posters placed at its entrance.

The challenge has certainly been the combination of functionality and aesthetics, delineated in terms of everyday needs and breathtaking modern design.

The answer was to create unobstructed views onto nature and among different areas of the house, simultaneously allowing private spaces to exist. It goes without saying that the result was outstanding.