MOOT Home on Murray

I remember, a little while back, when we were just thinking about maybe moving to Ottawa, I was looking at various homes for sale on MLS (just for fun) and I saw this neat little modern home on Murray Street. With a surface area of 1820 sq. ft, this infill residence is just the right size for a couple living in the city and it has a quite a few neat features.

Notice how there is no attached garage in the front. In this case it's a good thing because it would taken a huge portion of the front of this little house house and and most of the sunlight from that side. Instead, the occupants have a large window and a well proportioned entrance. Although a garage is practical, it makes no sense in a small home, specially if it takes half of the space in a house like the house on the right. To me that's what modern design is all about: Smart, simple and practical solutions.

It seems like this was a fun project to design. One of the challenges was that there was not a lot of land space so there's a zero lot line on two sides of the residence. To provide the occupant with some outdoor space, the architect, Andrew Reeves from LineBox Studio, included access to the roof to accommodate for a roof top patio with planters. Instead of a standard backyard, the owners have private panoramic view of the city. Talk about turning lemons in to lemonade!

The inside is very nice too. I like how the stairs are separated by these metal columns as opposed to typical railing. It's a nice feature.



There's a nice simple kitchen too with a nice clean line for the cabinets in the back. Personally I would have placed a microwave/hood above the stove to gain more counter space, but it's a nice look. I love the recessed lighting too.



In the bathroom there's a custom sink that turns into a counter on the right. It's a nice sculptural touch I find.

Moderns homes can be affordable. Reeves, says that this one was built for less than $300,000. Looking at existing houses around the same price in Ottawa, I'd much rather a modern home like this. Maybe one day. Anyway, they are planning to install a green roof next summer. That should be interesting too.

photos: LineBox Studio