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David Small Designs
  • About UsWe believe that transformative design involves a well-considered, practical use of space. Learn more about our design philosophy, our team and our award-winning projects.Modern home with steel column, wood soffit and stone siding.
  • Architectural Design ServicesTo us, a home is a platform for dreams and ambitions. We specialize in designing custom homes and realizing dynamic renovations that perfectly reflect our clients’ lifestyle aspirations.Contemporary custom home with wood soffit, stone wall and black trim.
  • Interior Design ServicesA home’s interior should interact seamlessly with its architectural façade and natural surroundings, while being the perfect space for a family to live and thrive.Modern floating staircase with wood treads, glass railing and wood beams.
  • Our PortfolioExplore our modern, transitional and traditional home designs—and experience the Natural Modern design aesthetic in its many forms.Contemporary front entry with concrete steps, wood soffit and orange door.
  • Get StartedOur team is waiting to help you realize your distinct home design vision. Let’s take the road less travelled together.
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Traditional house with gabled roof, stucco siding and black trim.

BILD Renovation & Custom Homes Awards 2020

June 16, 2020/in News /by Rebecca Muise

BILD GTA recently announced the winners of the 22nd Annual Renovation & Custom Home Awards. We were thrilled to have two of our projects honoured with a total of four awards. The winning projects were completed in collaboration with the talented construction team at Profile Custom Homes.

Modern Upgrade, won Best Renovation over $500,000 (no addition). This project was about applying a modern aesthetic to a traditional ranch style home. On the exterior, we maintained the existing shape of the home but applied materials and windows in a more contemporary way. On the interior, walls were removed, windows were enlarged and some rooms were re-positioned for enhanced functionality. A white colour palette mixed with black-framed windows and warm wood flooring and furnishings works together to create a clean modern aesthetic.

Traditional house with gabled roof, stucco siding and black trim.

Modern custom home with floating staircase, hardwood floor and white trim.

The winner of Best New Home Bathroom was The Last House. It has a beautiful symmetrical layout with a custom prismatic skylight in the centre. Floating walnut vanities with concrete countertops flank the entry. Smooth, large scale porcelain tile transitions seamlessly to the curbless shower and continues up the walls and ceiling. With matte black fixtures completing the modern appeal, this master ensuite is simple yet luxurious.

Master bedroom with skylight, floating vanity and tile floor.

The Last House also won Best Custom Home over $2 million and Best Overall Custom Home. We are extremely proud of this home and are honoured to have it recognized. The goal of this design was to feel the power of the natural environment. With each design decision, we revisited this objective. The homeowners wanted to experience the beauty and serenity of their heavily-wooded, 1.4 acre property from each corner of their living space. They wanted barrier-free living; figuratively in terms of the intensity of the indoor-outdoor connection, and literally in terms of aging in place.

Mid century modern house with metal roof, wall sconce and concrete driveway.

Modern family room with brick fireplace, stone wall and wood ceiling.

https://www.davidsmalldesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gallery-modern-upgrade-01.jpg 1100 1800 Rebecca Muise https://www.davidsmalldesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/David-Small-Designs-Logo.svg Rebecca Muise2020-06-16 15:26:562020-06-16 15:26:56BILD Renovation & Custom Homes Awards 2020
Home rendering with ramp entrance, wood door and wood siding.

What is Universal Design?

September 12, 2017/in Design Showcase /by Jack Shepherd

With an aging North American population, we’ve noticed an upward trend of clients looking to design homes that will accommodate their needs as they grow older. We’ve seen this referred to as “accessible design,” or an element of “aging-in-place,” but it’s most commonly known as universal design.

In a broad sense, universal design is just as it sounds: designing something — be it a consumer product, public service, or an environment — so it can be accessed and used by anyone, regardless of their age or abilities. It has its roots in the “7 Principles of Universal Design,” which were first coined in 1997 by a team of architects, product designers, and engineers at North Carolina State University. You can read more about each principle in detail here, but in sum, these principles aim to make any design as accommodating and easy-to-use to as many people as possible.

In custom home design, the principles of universal design can manifest themselves in countless ways, but some common ones include:

  • A bungalow structure to minimize the need to frequently go up and down stairs. Many older families have embraced a “bungaloft” design (bungalow + loft), keeping their living space on the ground floor, and reserving the upstairs loft exclusively for guests or caretakers.
  • Incorporating elevators in home designs that have more than one storey, allowing for easy movement between floors. For younger or middle-aged families who want their home to grow and age with them, we often allocate space in the floor plan for an elevator to be installed in the future, with the designated area on each floor acting as a closet in the meantime.
  • Accessibility ramps for wheelchairs, walkers, etc.
  • Flush entries: entryways in the home that have no height difference on either side, eliminating the need to step up or down when doing everyday activities, like moving from room to room, or using the shower.
  • Beach-entry swimming pools, which replace stairs and ladders with a gradual ramp into the water, as if you were at the beach!

Click here to learn more about our custom home design process and how it aims to meet the unique needs of any homeowner!

In the master bathroom of this Mineola West custom home, a flush entry makes entering and exiting the shower safe and step-free.

An elevator in this Mississauga custom home carries passengers between three floors.

https://www.davidsmalldesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/image-1.jpg 900 1920 Jack Shepherd https://www.davidsmalldesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/David-Small-Designs-Logo.svg Jack Shepherd2017-09-12 14:31:252020-01-29 02:21:02What is Universal Design?
Traditional home with red brick, natural stone and copper detailing.

Bungalow Renovation

November 21, 2013/in Design Showcase /by Jack Shepherd

We receive calls regularly from homeowners inquiring about renovating their bungalow. These inquiries can be broken down into three categories: 1) homeowners in need of more space, 2) homeowners looking to create a more open concept layout, and 3) homeowners seeking curb appeal and only interested in updating the exterior of their home. Some homeowners are seeking a renovation that combines all three. And others add a unique twist to their bungalow renovation.

In the past several years, we’ve had an increasing number of homeowners wanting to upgrade their traditional bungalow to a 2-storey modern home. This was the case for ‘Modern Renovation’, a project featured on our website. It was also the case for a renovation we designed in the Mineola West neighbourhood of Mississauga. Below are images showcasing this home’s transformation in both size and style.

Although it is rare, we’ve had homeowners request the opposite renovation – a modern bungalow renovated to a 2-storeytraditional home. Here are images of a modern bungalow in King City that we re-designed into a beautiful traditional home.

Mississauga Renovation Before

Mississauga Renovation After

King City Renovation Before

King City Renovation After

https://www.davidsmalldesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/7-Home-with-Soul-4-1.jpg 900 1920 Jack Shepherd https://www.davidsmalldesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/David-Small-Designs-Logo.svg Jack Shepherd2013-11-21 15:40:262020-06-12 14:49:31Bungalow Renovation
Ultra modern house by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Zimmerman House

November 20, 2012/in News /by admin

“The good building is not one that hurts the landscape, but one which makes the landscape more beautiful than it was before the building was built.” – Frank Lloyd Wright

The Zimmerman house is a classic 1950s Usonian home, imagined and executed by our most-blogged-about iconic architect Frank Lloyd Wright. FLW’s philosophies, individualism and architectural style inspire the way David approaches each design project, which is most apparent in the design of his own home. Every fall David plans a trip to one of FLW’s most notable buildings. This past October David and his wife visited the Zimmerman House in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Usonian is a term coined by FLW to describe a compact, efficient and economical style of housing. Essentially, it was Wright’s solution to low cost housing for middle-class America. Usonian homes were typically small, single storey dwellings with no basement or attic. Strong emphasis was placed on incorporating nature; from the type of local materials used to the large windows providing uninterrupted sightlines. FLW’s intention was to create a seamless transition from indoors to outdoors…sound familiar?

A writer from The Magazine Antiques described the Zimmerman House as a house that doesn’t age, but grows more modern in time. Mid-century modernism is experiencing a resurgence in the design industry. The Zimmerman house was designed with a focus on removing clutter and ornate décor from the living space. It features low sloping rooflines, large cantilevered overhangs, and an abundance of windows; all elements that could describe modern homes of today.

To recognize the importance and historical value of their home the Zimmerman’s had it placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In a final act of devotion to FLW, the Zimmerman’s left their home to the Currier museum to ensure its beauty and relevance was preserved and shared with the public.

For more information on the Zimmerman House visit www.currier.org.

The Zimmerman House

David’s House

https://www.davidsmalldesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/image-6.jpg 900 1920 admin https://www.davidsmalldesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/David-Small-Designs-Logo.svg admin2012-11-20 01:35:432020-06-12 15:49:41The Zimmerman House

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