Home Designer David Small’s Favourite Room

By Kristin Doucet | 2 minute read

What and where is your favourite room? 

My favourite room is the Great Room in our home, which is the hub of our house. Our house is situated in the middle of a forest and we wanted to connect it to the outside as much as possible so the room is mostly glass. Essentially, it’s a glass bridge that connects to the other elements of the house.

Home designer David Small’s Great Room, featured on Amazon Prime’s Luxe Listings Toronto.

What was the inspiration behind creating the room? 

There were multiple points of inspiration that we worked hard to bring in to make the space meaningful, starting with the tall trees in the front and back of the house. The room is very long and narrow — about 60 feet long by 20 feet wide — but the walls are 100% glass, so we could promote 100% connection to the outdoors.

The room is also inspired by the Glass House, which was built in 1948 by American architect Phillip Johsonson as his own residence. The house is mid-century modern and all sides are glass, so you can see the surrounding trees.

Small designed the all-glass room to promote a connection with the outside world.

What were the challenges in creating this room and how did you overcome them?

There were a lot of technical issues to contend with in creating an all-glass environment in the northern part of North America. Triple-pane glass is expensive, so there were budget considerations, as well as temperature considerations. Given the ratio of floor area to glass area, when it gets cold outside, the triple pane glass can only go so far. You also need to be able to control the humidity levels as too much moisture in the air will condense on the windows, and that can be bad. 

We used in-floor radiant heat and installed ductwork in the scissor trusses [in the ceiling], and used steel beams to conceal the duct registers and motorized blinds system. I didn’t want the glass to be interrupted. So there were all of these technical issues around creating an environment that’s super clean-looking but also warm and cozy.

Steel beams above the glass are used to hide the duct registers and a motorized blinds system, which helps to ensure the view of the forest remains unobstructed.

What are your favourite features of the room?

The trees outside are my favourite feature. The room has no walls   —  only glass  — so nature is on display all the time, which is pretty cool. That’s the spiritual aspect of this room  —  what makes it sacred. You feel like you’re living outside. Whether it’s a beautiful day or pouring rain, you really feel the power of nature.

Small’s residence, known as “The Last House,” sits in the middle of a densely forested lot in Mississauga, Ont.

How does this room make you feel?

Being in this room is awe-inspiring. It makes me feel like I’m in a sacred space. [Being surrounded] by nature is humbling — it makes you realize there are greater forces [at work].

Describe a favourite moment in this room.

At the end of the day, a family home is about family. So this is a gathering space for us in everyday life and on special occasions. I have to say, Christmas is a favourite time. We put up a natural Christmas tree as big as we can possibly find. When we look at the tree in our Great room [from outside] it takes on new meaning.