Bursts of hydrangeas lead the way to this blissful backyard office in a setting that includes a hot tub and a vintage fireplace.

There’s no commute necessary for Tori Leach-Lussing, an interior designer, and Ryan Lussing, an app developer, to get to work. Their home office is tucked behind their Toronto home. The bucolic setting sports a putting green and two arbors that fill out with climbing ivy. As the busy parents of three young girls, Tori and Ryan wanted to max out their backyard for work and play, creating a vacation vibe in the process, since they don’t have a cottage. “We wanted our backyard to feel like a French garden oasis with our modern studio nestled in there,” says Tori. The stylish 109-square-foot cube is clad in dark siding, black windows and a cedar overhang; it even has a green roof. The red 1950s Malm fireplace, meanwhile, is a hit with the girls. And best of all, it’s all right there in their own backyard.

“We love to roast marshmallows on summer nights,” says Tori Leach-Lussing. “The garden setting is amazing: the neighbour’s clematis climbs over, the birds chirp and there’s trees overhead,” she says.

"The studio is our happy place, with its sightlines to the beautiful garden, trees and sky.”

Tori designed the millwork to have a quiet tone, so that the focus is on the natural elements outside. Fabric and tile samples are stashed in the drawers, with select inspirational bits pegged up. “There’s beautiful art, like the vintage map of Toronto and the portrait by Gordon Shadrach,” says Tori. “We are huge fans of his work.” 

The office, which took two months to build, has an inviting ambience and a sense of airiness, says Tori. That’s due in part to the slanted ceiling that is 8 1⁄2-feet high at its peak. Heated vinyl plank flooring also means the space is toasty year-round. “The girls love to play in here,” says the designer.

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