Book Review: Toronto Interiors: Modern Residential Design

A common refrain these days is “Toronto is having a design moment,” but it feels more accurate to say the city on the lake is having many design moments, not all of them good, and depending on how long you’ve been watching this city, some of those “moments” appear to be dragging on. However, behind closed doors and not necessarily visible from the city’s sidewalks there is certainly a robust moment of residential design happening, visible within the 264 pages of Toronto Interiors: Modern Residential Design.

 Authored by veteran design editor Catherine MacIntosh, this visually rich hardcover takes a survey approach and singles out 30 design studios that are leaving a mark on the city’s residential identity. With over 90 projects photographed in full colour, it’s a glossy love letter to the city’s built environment, but one that also prompts questions about visibility and inclusion in such curated spotlights.

The book opens with a foreword by Paolo Ferrari, whose reflection on Toronto as a city “informed by its diversity” sets the tone for what follows: a collection of homes that span heritage restorations, urban infills, minimalist townhouses, and expressive material palettes, from Batay-Csorba’s barrel-vaulted High Park residence to Atelier Sun’s contemplative light-driven interiors, and many others that feel like the guest list for a “cool kids” party. In fairness, MacIntosh brings an approachable, enthusiastic tone and her introduction is refreshingly candid about the challenge of narrowing down Toronto’s creative field, acknowledging that the featured firms represent only a fraction of the talent at work. The book, then, becomes a curated snapshot, not a definitive survey.

The book’s strongest moments are those that reveal the tension between Toronto’s architectural past and its evolving design consciousness. Many of the projects featured grapple with that legacy: rethinking narrow bay-and-gables, injecting light into wartime bungalows, or delicately intervening in Edwardian shells. Here, staircases become sculptural statements, vintage elements are reframed, and millwork does the heavy lifting of modern life.

Stylistically, Toronto Interiors highlights the city’s design dialect, one that privileges quality materials, thoughtful spatial transitions, and emotional resonance over flash. The influence of Scandinavian restraint, Japanese spatial logic, and European detailing threads its way through many of the projects, forming a design vernacular that feels uniquely Torontonian in its “borrow from everywhere” hybridization.

Still, the editorial decision to spotlight only 30 firms—however diverse in approach and experience—inevitably omits many voices. In a city lauded for its cultural multiplicity and creative depth, any list becomes a limitation. One wonders what alternative stories might emerge from designers working outside the high-visibility, high-budget sphere. That said, the book doesn’t pretend to be comprehensive and would probably prefer to be seen as a starting point for a larger, ongoing conversation.

Ultimately, Toronto Interiors is a beautifully produced addition to the design bookshelf. It captures a city in aesthetic flux, stepping confidently into a more expressive and individualized era. For interior designers, architects, and design enthusiasts, it’s part inspiration and part documentation. Just don’t mistake it for the whole picture.