Ontario Home is a minimal house located in Ontario, Canada, designd by Studio Brocca. Light streams through the soaring windows of this Vaughan residence, casting long shadows across a slab of green-veined marble – a material choice that preceded even the home’s foundation. This prescient selection speaks volumes about the project’s seamless fusion of Italian sensibility with contemporary Canadian design, where every element serves as a bridge between two continents and sensibilities.

At its core, this 3,500-square-foot home by Studio Brocca is an exercise in what might be called “processed vernacular” – where traditional Tuscan elements are deliberately abstracted and refined. The conventional rustic beams and terracotta of the Italian countryside find new expression here through precisely calibrated material choices: marbles with earthy undertones, warm woods, and muted bronze metals that create an atmosphere of understated luxury. The chandelier selections throughout the space particularly exemplify this approach, where traditional forms are reimagined with modern restraint.

The intelligent material palette does more than simply reference Italy’s wine country; it creates a sophisticated dialogue between interior and exterior space. As Samantha Brocca notes, one of the project’s primary challenges lay in “balancing the tall linear shapes of the windows and millwork with small introductions of arches and curves.” This interplay between geometric rigidity and organic form mirrors the home’s surrounding landscape, where manicured gardens give way to natural riverside vegetation.

Perhaps most compelling is how the design navigates contemporary family life without compromising its aesthetic ambitions. The fireplace’s evolution is particularly telling – its final form was simplified in response to the practical needs of young children, yet this constraint led to a solution that actually enhances the space’s visual cohesion. The selected stone grounds the room while subtly echoing the color story that runs throughout the home.

The treatment of green marble in the ensuite and bedroom closet reveals Brocca’s understanding of materials as both functional elements and carriers of memory. As the homeowners observe, these verdant surfaces evoke “the beauty of the Italian countryside, rolling hills, and deep green cypress.” When framed by black metalwork, these marble elements become architectural statements that define space while maintaining visual lightness.