Set on a generous lot in North York, 278 Dunview Avenue is a substantial custom-built home that balances traditional architectural detailing with the scale and openness of contemporary family living. From the warm buff brick facade and arched front window to the curved dark-stained staircase that rises through the centre of the home, every floor has been designed with both presence and practicality in mind. KingsGate Luxury Homes built this property to a standard that is visible in every room: in the hand-carved kitchen hood, the grey marble ensuite, the mirrored wet bar in the lower level, and the cedar sauna that completes a lower-level retreat unlike most homes in the neighbourhood.
Exterior and Arrival
The front elevation is clad in warm buff brick with a double garage beneath, the driveway finished in interlocking brick pavers. A central arched window sits above the entry, flanked by mature trees that frame the street presentation. The double front doors are frosted glass panels set in white moulded frames, with the house number 278 mounted in brass to one side. The side entry approach shows the full depth of the brick detailing and the generous lot width that gives the home its sense of permanence.
Grand Foyer and Staircase
Inside, the foyer opens onto large-format polished tile floors and immediately orients the eye toward the curved staircase. The dark-stained wood staircase sweeps from the ground floor in a continuous arc, its turned spindle balusters tightly set and its handrail hand-curved in matching stain. A large crystal chandelier is visible overhead from the entry level, hanging from the upper floor. An oversized silver sunburst mirror is mounted on the foyer wall to the left of the entry. The visual axis through the foyer leads directly toward the rear of the main floor, with the dining room visible to one side and the formal living room opening to the other through a wide archway.
Formal Living Room
The formal living room sits off the foyer and is anchored by a large arched window that looks onto the front garden. Dark hardwood floors run throughout, and crown moulding traces the perimeter of the ceiling. The room is proportioned for a full seating arrangement and connects seamlessly to the dining room behind it, the two spaces separated by a wide opening rather than a wall, giving the main floor a feeling of continuous flow.
Formal Dining Room
The formal dining room accommodates a ten-seat table with room to spare. A crystal chandelier with gold hardware hangs from a plaster ceiling medallion, and the dark hardwood floors are consistent with the rest of the main level. Crown moulding runs at the ceiling line, and a wide triple window with a grid pattern brings natural light from the side of the house. The room opens directly to the family room and kitchen at the rear, making the transition between formal entertaining and casual living completely natural.
Main Floor Home Office
Adjacent to the dining room, the main floor study has been fitted with full-height custom built-in shelving and cabinetry on one wall, painted in a warm cream finish with recessed panels and brushed hardware. The opposite wall carries wainscoting panels from floor to chair-rail height, and the window is dressed in a striped Roman shade with a matching valance. Dark hardwood floors continue throughout. A curved desk sits at the centre of the room, the space clearly designed as a working office rather than a flex room.
Kitchen, Breakfast Area and Family Room
The kitchen is one of the most detailed rooms in the home. White cabinetry with black square hardware runs the perimeter, the uppers featuring glass-front doors with lattice mullion inserts. At the centre, a dark-stained kitchen island with hand-carved acanthus-leaf corner legs carries a white quartz top. The range hood is the defining feature of the cooking wall: an arched carved hood in white with large acanthus-leaf corbels on either side, framing a mosaic tile backsplash that runs behind the six-burner gas cooktop. Dark granite countertops line the perimeter, and under-cabinet lighting illuminates the backsplash tile continuously. A Jenn-Air stainless column refrigerator and double wall oven tower are set into the cabinetry on the appliance wall.
The breakfast area sits at the garden end of the kitchen behind a wall of oversized windows with a walk-out to the rear deck. Crystal pendant lights hang over a glass-top dining table, and the floor transitions from tile to dark hardwood as the space opens into the family room. The family room itself is fitted with wainscoting panel moulding on all walls, a white fireplace surround with a brass fire screen, and floor-to-ceiling windows facing the rear yard. The kitchen, breakfast area, and family room form a single open living zone that runs the full depth of the house.
Upper Landing and Staircase Skylight
The staircase is lit from above by a skylight set into the roof directly over the stairwell. Looking up from any level, the rectangular skylight floods the well with natural light and makes the curved dark staircase the visual centrepiece it was intended to be. From above, the staircase forms a near-perfect spiral, the turned balusters and continuous handrail tracing an ellipse as the stair descends from the second floor to the main level. A crystal chandelier hangs on the upper hall, and the second-floor landing opens to multiple bedroom suites, with soft neutral carpet underfoot.
Primary Suite
The primary suite is a large, light-filled room with neutral carpet, multiple windows overlooking the rear garden, and crystal flush-mount light fixtures on the ceiling. The proportions allow for a full king-sized bed arrangement with a sitting area, and the room connects to the ensuite through a dedicated corridor with additional closet space. It is a suite in the truest sense: private, calm, and generously scaled.
Primary Ensuite
The primary ensuite is finished throughout in grey marble: the floor, the tub deck, the tub surround, and the shower walls are all the same veined grey stone. A platform soaker tub sits in the corner of the room, raised on a stepped marble plinth, with a gold-finish bar handle and gold-frame glass shower door. A skylight is positioned above the tub, bringing natural light directly into the wettest zone of the room. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors line the walls, amplifying the marble and the light. The dual-sink vanity runs along one wall with white cabinetry, brass drawer pulls, and a full-width mirror cabinet above. A bidet is fitted alongside the toilet, and the overall finish is spa-grade throughout.
Secondary Bedrooms
The second floor includes multiple additional bedrooms, each with carpet, adequate closet space, and access to a bathroom. One bedroom features an arched window with a front-facing garden view and room for a full bedroom set. Another bedroom at the rear of the home includes a walk-in closet and a private ensuite with a shower enclosure. The bathrooms serving the secondary bedrooms are finished in neutral tones with white vanities and shower-over-tub combinations.
Lower Level: Recreation Room, Wet Bar and Cedar Sauna
The lower level is the most unexpected part of this home. A large open recreation room runs the full width of the house, carpeted and lit by recessed ceiling lights, with a brick wood-burning fireplace on the far wall. At one end, a wet bar runs in an L-shape with light wood cabinetry, dark countertops, and a full wall of floor-to-ceiling mirrors behind glass display shelves. The mirror wall makes the bar feel like a proper cocktail lounge, the shelves and their reflections multiplying the space. A walk-out at the garden level provides direct access to the backyard. Behind the main recreation room, the sauna has been fitted with cedar tongue-and-groove cladding on the walls and ceiling, tiered benches, and a full sauna rock heater. It is a proper dry sauna and a genuine luxury feature in a home that clearly values comfort at every level.
Backyard and Deck
The rear of the property is a deep, well-maintained yard that reads as a park-like green space from the upper-level windows. A raised wood deck runs across the back of the house with stairs descending to the yard, and an interlocking stone patio sits at grade below. Mature trees and established hedging provide privacy on both sides. The lot depth is substantial, making this one of the stronger outdoor spaces in the immediate neighbourhood.
Build Your Custom Home with KingsGate Luxury Homes
278 Dunview Ave is one example from a long portfolio of custom builds that KingsGate Luxury Homes has completed across North York and the greater Toronto area. If you are considering a custom home and want a builder that brings this level of detail to every floor, from the carved kitchen hood to the cedar sauna, reach out to the team directly. KingsGate Luxury Homes is located at 101 Duncan Mills Road, Unit 103, Toronto. Call +1 (416) 888-2288 to speak with someone about your project.