- case study
4 min
the hidden library_
How we opened up a dark den in a converted office loft
LOCATION
Midtown, Toronto
CEILING
11 ft
SCOPE
Millwork, Home Library Design, Metalsmith Door System,
FABRICATOR
PROJECT
YEAR
2021
FIG. 01
A room with 11-foot ceilings that nobody could see was not doing anyone any favours.
The den in our Eglinton Loft project, a converted office in midtown Toronto, had that problem. Our clients are serious readers with a collection built over years, and they needed a home library design that let them see it. The room they had was working against them.
Two small sliding barn doors in dark stained wood, a narrow stained glass transom window above them, and a dropped soffit that hid the ceiling height completely. Inside, freestanding bookshelves and a leather chair. The collection was impressive. But the room was cave-like, dark and cramped in a way that had nothing to do with its actual size.
FIG. 02 – 03
01
the opening
Why the existing opening had to go
The old opening failed the room on light, scale, and connection. It was too narrow to let meaningful light through, and a reading room needs light. The dropped soffit hid the full ceiling height. The library was cut off from the rest of the loft as if it did not exist.
Replacing the doors with something that could do justice to the space was not a cosmetic decision. It was a spatial one. The ceiling height that made the rest of the loft special was being wasted behind that wall.
FIG. 04
02
THE DOOR SYSTEM
Designing the door system
We designed a 10-foot by 10-foot black steel and glass door and window system to replace the existing opening entirely. Floor to ceiling, wall to wall. The main living area now has a clear sightline into the library, with the option to close the doors for privacy and acoustic separation.
The system was built in collaboration with Rock Huynh and My Le Nguyen of 1925Workbench, a husband-and-wife metalsmith studio in Toronto that does exceptional custom fabrication work.
We brought them the concept, and they refined it based on construction realities, working through decisions like the number of panes, mullion spacing, glass specification, and door hardware.
The black steel pairs naturally with the exposed HVAC ductwork running across the ceiling above it. Different materials, same industrial language. Neither one is trying to hide.
Replacing the doors was not a cosmetic decision. It was a spatial one.
FIG. 05
03
THE BUILD
One team from concept to installation
Before the system went in, we added blocking to the walls, cut the opening, and skimmed the surrounding surfaces smooth. This is what our full-service interior design looks like in practice: one team carrying the concept through fabrication and installation.
FIG. 06
Different materials, same industrial language. Neither one is trying to hide.
04
THE SHELVING
Home library design built around the ductwork
Ductwork runs along the top of the room, and the concrete slab above changes the ceiling height across the space. A flat panel across the top of the shelving lets the duct pass through cleanly and doubles as the mount for art lighting. The shelves wrap two walls from that panel down to the floor, all in black to tie back to the door system.
Our clients wanted a rolling ladder that curved around both walls. 1925Workbench studied it, and a curved rail was not feasible here. The answer was a hook-on ladder that rides a black rail along the main wall. It delivers the same library moment, and it suits shelves this tall.
FIG. 07
05
THE REVEAL
What opening a wall does for a dark room
The difference between the before and after in this room is not just visual. It is spatial. A room that felt disconnected and dark is now one of the most considered moments in the loft. The colourful spines of hundreds of books are visible from the living area, framed by black steel and glass, with the exposed ductwork running overhead tying the whole thing back to the building it came from.
Decisions like this one, replacing an opening instead of dressing it up, are what we work through with clients in our 90-minute design consultation. It is where we look at what a space is hiding and what it would take to show it.
The ceiling height was always there. So was the collection. The only thing missing was an opening big enough to show both of them properly.
FIG. 08
Detail: the den through the steel frame, and the fluted glass lever
06
THE TAKEAWAY
Design takeaways
Judge an opening by light, scale, and connection.
The old opening failed all three, so it had to change.Size the opening to the room.
Floor to ceiling and wall to wall put the room’s 11-foot height on show.Design millwork around the services.
One top panel lets the duct through and carries the art lighting.Test the wish list against the build.
When a curved rail was not feasible, a hook-on ladder kept the library moment.
FIG. 09
After: the finished library, open to the living area
An opening changes everything behind it.
We plan yours in a design consultation.