Zen and the art of a harmonious abode

Lean and industrial-looking on the outside, infused with organic materials and a feeling of fluidity on the inside, the house at 8 Misty Cres., near York Mills and Leslie, marries yin with yang, dark with light, feminine with masculine.

The flow of positive energy and minimalist aesthetic represent the last word in what could be called New Age interior design.

Paul Ng, a Toronto-based professional feng shui consultant has approved the home's "qi," or sense of balance. His certificate is available for perusal. But why bother? One glance out the dining-room window at the sunken Zen rock garden, dominated by a sculpted Buddha head and fleshed out with a Japanese maple, and you know this is a house with a heightened sense of harmony.

The owners — Lowell and Jacqueline Strauss, a couple with four children — bought the house not only for these Eastern influences, but also because it contained aspects that reminded them of the very Canadian great outdoors. Windfields Park is across the street, featuring woods for hiking and hills for tobogganing in winter.

And while the unadorned concrete façade lends the house an austere, fabricated look from the curb, the flamed stone floors on the inside recalled for the owners the granite cliffs of the Canadian Shield.

The feeling of raw Canadiana was a big draw, considering they had just moved back to Toronto from California for work.

The Strausses' time in the sunny state influenced them when they embarked on a costly renovation that included updating the kitchens and baths with exotic woods and thick natural stone.

Ovangkol, a reddish high-grain wood traditionally used to make fine musical instruments, went into the kitchen and the dining-room cabinetry, while Santos rosewood, used to make guitars, formed the built-ins in the master bathroom.

The woods add a handcrafted feel to a house that is otherwise slick, sleek, up-to-the-minute chic.

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source: theglobeandmail.com