Set on a quiet residential street in North York, 161 Northwood Dr is a KingsGate Luxury Homes custom build that pairs an English-classical Tudor exterior with a thoroughly modern interior program. From the arched limestone entry portal to the walnut wet bar in the lower level, every detail was designed with purpose: carved stone, wrought iron, white panel wainscoting throughout all three levels, a two-storey living room with an octagonal skylight overhead, and a kitchen that brings together a Wolf range, marble slab backsplash and a two-tone island in a single, open layout. The result is a home that feels formal where it needs to be and genuinely livable everywhere else.
Exterior: Limestone, Arched Entry and a Copper Bay
The facade is clad in light cream cut limestone with crisp mortar joints and dark black-framed windows that read as sharp and contemporary against the traditional masonry. The roofline combines steep gabled peaks with a hip section finished in a dark slate-style material, and a copper-capped bay projects out over the garage at the front left, anchoring the composition. The entry is a full arched limestone portal with keystone detail, flanked by a pair of black lantern sconces and stepped interlocking stone risers that lead to a dark stained walnut arched double door with frosted glass sidelights. A single dark wood panel garage door and a wide interlocking stone driveway complete the street presence. At the rear, a stone patio extends the full width of the home, with a wrought iron railing balcony above the basement walkout and an additional stair connecting the rear yard to the deck level.
Foyer: Wainscoting, Walnut and Cove Lighting
Stepping through the arched walnut door, the foyer is defined by floor-to-ceiling raised-panel white wainscoting and recessed cove lighting at the ceiling perimeter, which casts a soft wash across the walls without any visible fixture. The dark stained solid hardwood floors run throughout and transition seamlessly into the main living areas. On one side of the foyer, a dark walnut glass-front display cabinet is built directly into the wainscoting wall, and the arched door frame echoes the exterior portal so the architecture speaks consistently from street to interior. The entry corridor leads straight into the main floor living zone, with a sightline through to the family room beyond the staircase.
Living Room: Double-Height Ceiling and an Octagonal Skylight
The formal living room is the architectural centrepiece of the main floor. The ceiling climbs two full storeys, and the walls are panelled in white raised-moulding wainscoting that runs from baseboard all the way to the coffered upper section. A full-height white marble fireplace surround anchors the far wall, with a painted mantel that reaches nearly to the ceiling and flanking side panels that give the chimney breast an almost monumental scale. Above the staircase landing, an octagonal coffered skylight floods the space with natural light from above, visible both from the living room floor and from the second-floor overlook balcony. That balcony features a dark walnut rail with scrolled wrought iron balusters, providing an upper-level view down into the living room. Dark stained hardwood floors run throughout.
Dining Room: Walnut Tray Ceiling and Crystal Chandelier
The formal dining room sits just off the living room and is distinguished by a tray ceiling inset with a dark-stained walnut panel, which creates a warm contrast against the white wainscoting walls. A rectangular crystal chandelier drops from the centre of that walnut inset, the metalwork and glass catching the light from all sides. White raised-moulding wainscoting continues the language of the foyer and living room, and the dark hardwood floor underlines the sense of visual continuity across the main level. A large window looks out toward the side of the property, and the room opens at one end directly to the living room so the two spaces flow together for entertaining.
Kitchen and Breakfast Nook: Wolf Range, Marble Slab and a Two-Tone Island
The kitchen is a large, open-plan space that connects directly to the breakfast nook and family room. White shaker cabinetry with X-mullion glass uppers lines the perimeter, while a deep grey espresso island with turned legs and a white marble waterfall countertop occupies the centre of the room. The Wolf 6-burner gas range with signature red knobs sits beneath a dark bronze arched custom range hood, its interior finished in stainless steel. Full-height marble slab tile runs as the backsplash behind both the range and the perimeter counters, with a matching white marble island top. Pendant lights with faceted glass drops hang in a cluster over the island, and a tray coffered ceiling with crown moulding frames the whole space from above. Built-in stainless double wall ovens and an integrated panel-front refrigerator are set into the tall cabinet run on one side. Matte black bar-pull hardware is used throughout. The breakfast nook is set within a full bay, its octagonal coffered ceiling lowering to define the space and a globe pendant hanging at the centre. French doors at the corner open to the rear deck.
Family Room: Coffered Ceiling and Walnut Built-Ins
The family room opens directly off the kitchen and breakfast nook. Its coffered beam ceiling with deep white-painted ribs and recessed pot lights at each intersection creates a distinctly different atmosphere from the formal living room, more relaxed but still highly detailed. The focal wall features two deep dark walnut display niches with glass shelves and interior lighting, flanking a central fireplace with a white painted mantel and a dark tile surround. A wall-mounted television sits above the fireplace between the two niches, integrating media into the architectural composition without interrupting it. Dark hardwood floors and the open connection to the kitchen mean the family room functions as the true heart of the home’s daily living zone.
Home Office: Floor-to-Ceiling Dark Walnut Built-Ins
A dedicated home office occupies a room off the main floor and is finished entirely in dark espresso walnut. Floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves with raised-panel lower cabinets line the entire back wall, and the coffered ceiling above is also finished in the same dark walnut, creating an immersive, library-quality room. A large picture window looks out to the street. Dark hardwood floors match the rest of the main level, and the deep wood tones of the built-ins give the office a warmth and weight that distinguish it clearly from the bright white palette of the formal rooms.
Staircase: Open-Tread Oak with Wrought Iron Scroll Balusters
The main staircase is an open-tread design in dark stained oak with a matching solid oak handrail and wrought iron scroll balusters. The treads are exposed with no riser panels, giving the stair a light, airy quality despite the traditional style of the iron metalwork. White raised-panel wainscoting lines the stair wall and continues onto the second-floor landing. The octagonal coffered skylight directly above the upper landing bathes the stairwell in natural light from above, making the transition between floors feel genuinely open rather than enclosed. A second staircase connects to the lower level, continuing the wrought iron and dark oak baluster theme throughout.
Primary Suite: Fireplace, Striped Wallpaper and a Walk-In Closet
The primary bedroom is a generous, light-filled space with a deep tray ceiling detailed with recessed cove lighting and a crystal flush-mount chandelier at the centre. One wall is finished in a taupe-and-warm-grey vertical stripe wallpaper that adds texture without heaviness, while the remaining walls are painted a soft warm white. A gas fireplace with a white painted mantel sits on the wall opposite the bed, and built-in white cabinetry flanks it with lower doors and open glass shelves above. A wide window seat runs beneath the large bay window, offering a sitting area with a direct view to the rear property. The walk-in closet is lined floor-to-ceiling with white built-in organizers: double hanging rods on both sides, open shelving, and a central island of stacked drawers on each wall. The primary ensuite is directly accessible from the bedroom.
Primary Ensuite: Marble Walls, Freestanding Soaker Tub and Chrome Bridge Faucets
The primary ensuite is finished in full-height white marble slab, which covers all four walls with the large bookmatched panels continuing into and around the frameless glass walk-in shower. The shower itself is equipped with a ceiling-mounted rain head, a wall-mounted multi-function body spray bar and a handheld, all in chrome. The floor of the ensuite uses a warm grey herringbone-pattern tile that bridges the cool marble walls with a warmer tone underfoot. A dark espresso double vanity with two undermount white sinks, chrome bridge faucets and integrated storage runs along the opposite wall, with a large dark-framed mirror above. A freestanding white soaker tub is positioned against the marble wall, with a floor-mounted chrome tub filler.
Secondary Bedrooms and Bathrooms
The secondary bedrooms are finished with tray ceilings, crown moulding, crystal flush-mount fixtures and dark hardwood floors throughout. Each bedroom has its own attached or adjacent bathroom. One ensuite features a dramatic all-black palette: matte black large-format wall tile, white vanity with a black granite countertop, a glass-enclosed shower with black mosaic tile extending across the ceiling, and white basket-weave mosaic floor tile. A second ensuite takes a contrasting approach with dark large-format tile in the shower, a dark-framed vanity with a white quartz countertop, and basket-weave mosaic tile on the shower floor. A shared bathroom elsewhere on the upper floor uses a vessel sink on a dark vanity with a white marble-style large-format tile shower and mosaic hex floor tile.
Upper Floor Laundry
The laundry room is located on the upper level for convenience. It features dark textured flat-panel upper and lower cabinetry, a quartz countertop with an undermount stainless sink and a chrome gooseneck pull-out faucet, and side-by-side LG front-load washer and dryer set beneath the counter. A window provides natural light and ventilation.
Lower Level: Wet Bar, Wine Rack and Open Rec Room
The lower level is a fully finished, open-plan recreation space with large-format light porcelain tile flooring and recessed pot lighting throughout. At its heart is a custom dark walnut wet bar: a full bar counter with a black granite top, dark walnut raised-panel cabinetry on three sides, an integrated diamond-lattice wine rack, a built-in stainless beverage fridge, a bar sink and upholstered bar stools at the counter. A coffered ceiling over the bar area, finished in the same dark walnut, gives that zone its own architectural identity within the open plan. On the opposite side of the room, a raised media platform features horizontal floating dark walnut shelves and walnut-panelled lower wainscoting as a backdrop for a large-format screen. The staircase to the upper levels continues the wrought iron scroll baluster and dark oak handrail throughout.
Build Your Own Custom Home with KingsGate Luxury Homes
161 Northwood Dr represents the kind of deliberate, detail-forward custom work that KingsGate Luxury Homes brings to every project in North York and across the GTA. If you are considering a custom build on your own lot or want to explore available properties, we would be glad to walk you through our process. Contact us at +1 (416) 888-2288 or visit us at 101 Duncan Mills Road, Unit 103, Toronto to start the conversation.