It's not every day that an established studio like Reigo & Bauer moves from an urban metropolis to the countryside; but that's exactly what the Canadian architecture firm founded by Merike and Stephen Bauer has just done. Relocating to a newly created headquarters in pristine minimalist architecture, the practice recently launched its calming new space, which sees its business base moving from bustling Toronto to the serene green pastures of rural Ontario.
Reigo & Bauer’s move to the country
The Reigo & Bauer move was prompted by a search for a better work/life balance, alongside ‘the possibilities for enjoying a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle among the natural beauty while remaining in close proximity to the city’, the architecture team writes. These positives are reinforced by the fresh environment and unexplored (by the studio) professional market found in the new location – offering opportunities all round.
Fully intending to embed themselves in the local community, the architects found their perfect space in a 1970s modernist property that came with an outbuilding. The practice partners made the old house their new home, while transforming the separate structure into a minimalist office for their studio.
Echoing the surrounding woods, Reigo & Bauer crafted a Scandinavian-inspired, pared-down interior around the existing bare cinder-block shell. White pine-board surfaces are alternated with large openings that bring the outside in. The interior includes a meeting area, kitchen and small hidden water closet, as well as ample desk space.
Bespoke built-in furniture and fittings are complemented by a selection of design-led pieces, such as a ‘Less’ meeting table by Jean Nouvel, pendant light fixtures from Flos, and Patricia Urquiola ‘Husk’ chairs.
-
Three sleek new design showrooms you need to see in Los AngelesThree international design showrooms have started a retail design boom in Los Angeles. Here are the stores to put on your radar
-
Brutalism in film: the beautiful house that forms the backdrop to The Room Next DoorThe Room Next Door's production designer discusses mood-boarding and scene-setting for a moving film about friendship, fragility and the final curtain
-
How Leigh Bowery and the Blitz Kids defined 1980s subculture with make-upAs Leigh Bowery and the Blitz Kids of 1980s London are celebrated in a new exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum, Isobel Van Dyke explores the hair and make-up looks that defined them
-
Bunkie on The Hill is a cosy Canadian cottage full of charmBunkie on The Hill, a design by Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, is tucked into the trees, slotting neatly into Ontario's nature
-
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practicesIn the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024, our latest guide to exciting, emerging practices from around the world, 20 young studios show off their projects and passion
-
Svima looked to Japanese architecture, 'nature and ecology' for Passageway House in SerbiaThe Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024 includes Svima, a young Canadian practice joining our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
-
Arthur Erickson's Museum of Anthropology at UBC has been given a new lease of life in VancouverAfter an extensive renovation, The Museum of Anthropology is part Shinto shrine, part cathedral, part longhouse – and a temple to learning
-
A dramatic new lakeside cabin in the Canadian wilderness rises above the treesKariouk Architects' lakeside cabin ‘m.o.r.e. CLT’ explores new material approaches while making a minimal impact on a precious landscape
-
Forest Retreat is a new low-energy family house in the forests of OntarioSet beneath a vast roof, Forest Retreat is a rich mix of local materials, craftsmanship and space for an extended family to get together in the heart of nature
-
Join the West Coast Modern Week's Home Tour 2024 for modernist architecture and moreWest Coast Modern Week 2024 comes with its annual home tour courtesy of the West Vancouver Art Museum, offering an extensive, immersive showcase of Canada's modernist architecture
-
A modernist lakeside cottage in Ontario provides a perfect backdrop for family vacationsA lakeside cottage by Canadian studio Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has been shaped as a modest multigenerational retreat to accommodate the surrounding wilderness
