Villa Cortile

Villa Cortile is a unique Canadian home that has set the standard for combining striking, modernist features, with classical European design. The home represented an exceptional project for Principal Architect, Gianpiero Pugliese, who creatively applied Audax’s core Human Architecture philosophy to Italian-inspired design.

White-washed brick is balanced with elegant Hope Bay limestone to achieve a refined texture on the façade. The roofing is rendered in standing-seam zinc and slate on the upper rooves. The entryway to the home is through a gracious stone archway that serves as a recurrent design element throughout. The living, dining, and kitchen areas are centered on the exterior courtyard, the design of which was inspired by the traditional neighborhood courtyards commonplace in Italy. The open-concept living and dining areas peer into the courtyard and are flooded with natural light—an ideal, fluid space for entertaining or lounging. The seamless relationship between indoor and outdoor living at Villa Cortile is highlighted by an additional ground floor kitchen, replete with panoramic folding doors that open up to the terrace, allowing for all-season use.

The backyard hardscape centers on a grid design that harmoniously aligns with the exterior columns and doorways. The terrace features a swimming pool with an adjacent water-feature wall that highlights the Carol Feuerman sculpture. The pool house subtly conceals a rear recreation area and unifies the backyard to the main house with matching brick cladding.