Gorgeous Gorge

This Toronto backyard was transformed into a leafy forest, complete with intriguing industrial elements

Written by Brad Kessler • Photographed by Ted Yarwood

Photo: Ted Yarwood

What do you do if your house backs onto a steep ravine and you want a bit of a backyard there? You work with the landscape, not against it. This at least was Lisa Rapoport's solution for her Toronto client whose Victorian home sat perched above Ramsden Park on one of the city's many ravines. Rather than try to level or terrace the area, Rapoport, an architect with Plant Architect, worked with the existing contours of the land. At the same time, she made something modern and unique in a tiny urban setting.

The client, Sheila Hockin, a television producer, was not a gardener. She wanted beauty and no maintenance. "I wanted to stand inside my house and look out onto a lovely scene. Yet I had no idea what I wanted. That's where Lisa came in."

Once Rapoport visited the spot, she came back with a plan. "When I saw her ideas," says Hockin, "I was completely knocked out. She made incredible use of a small space with an extreme grade. Her plan absolutely suits my house and personality—minimal but warm."

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