Designing Sustainability Around Family Life
Inside Phoenix House, a multigenerational home shaped by warmth, personality, thoughtful choices and high-performance living.
When Ritz and JP Clinging lost their multigenerational family home to fire, rebuilding became an opportunity to ask a much bigger question: How far could they push the idea of a sustainable home?
That question became Phoenix House, a five-bedroom, five-bathroom multigenerational residence created by a team that brought architecture, interiors, building science and sustainability expertise together from the beginning.
For interior designer, Josephina Serra and Team from Form Collective, the challenge was to make sure the home's ambitious performance goals were matched by an interior that felt unmistakably like a family home. The family’s day-to-day life shaped every decision, from how they would move and gather to how each space could work together across generations. The result: a space that balances beauty with the realities of everyday living. Those same values guided the appliances chosen throughout the home.
Image Credit: Dan Kirchner, The White Space Co
A SHARED APPROACH TO LONGEVITY
For Ritz and JP, choosing partners whose values aligned with their own was an important part of the project. Miele’s focus on long-lasting quality, efficient performance and considered design made it a natural fit for Phoenix House.
“We looked for partners whose values matched ours. Miele was one of those companies."
-Ritz and JP Clinging
A HOME FOR EVERY GENERATION
In designing Phoenix House for multigenerational living, connection was just as important as separation. A primary kitchen and dedicated suite kitchen give each generation its own space, with both featuring Miele appliances chosen for performance, efficiency and seamless design.
At the heart of the primary kitchen, the Miele Induction Range supports the home’s fully electric approach while delivering the fast response and precise control needed for everyday cooking.
Alongside it, integrated Miele Refrigeration and Microwave adds versatility while maintaining the kitchen’s streamlined aesthetic.
The secondary suite was designed as a natural extension of the home, while the main kitchen, dining and living areas flow together to create space for both everyday routines and larger family gatherings.
For Ritz and JP, this is where design becomes part of daily life. Whether preparing dinner for the family or welcoming a house full of friends, cooking has become part of the rhythm of life at Phoenix House — and a way to celebrate their Lao and Irish family traditions, including Ritz’s family-favourite Holy Basil Stir-Fry.
Induction Range HR 1622-3I 30”
Microwave M 7240 TC 24”
MasterCool French Door Fridge KFMC 3642 FD 36"
Dishwasher G 7716 SCi 24”
PERFORMANCE, SEAMLESSLY INTEGRATED
Miele appliances were selected as part of the homeowners' broader vision for the house, but Serra's role was not simply to accommodate the products. It was to ensure that they became part of the architecture.
"Appliances have a significant impact on cabinetry dimensions, clearances, workflow and sightlines, so coordinating those elements early was important."
-Josephina Serra
Miele Integrated MasterCool refrigeration and ventilation hoods help preserve the clean visual lines of the kitchen, allowing the cabinetry and material palette to remain the focus.
For an interior designer, that balance is particularly important: high performance doesn't have to announce itself.
MasterCool Single Door Fridge K 2602 Vi RH 24”
MasterCool Single Door Freezer K 2672 Vi LH 24”
Hood Fan DA 2390 35”
Undercounter All Fridge KU 7175 D 24”
Thoughtful care beyond the kitchen
That considered approach continues into the home’s primary and suite laundry spaces.
Miele front-loading washing machines are designed to optimize water consumption and detergent use, while Miele heat-pump dryers use energy-efficient heat-pump technology and moisture sensing to care for garments at lower temperatures. The ventless dryer design also supports a more flexible, space-conscious approach to planning
WXF980 WCS Washing Machine
TXF360 WP Dryer
WTV 502 Washer-Dryer Stacking Kit
DESIGNING BEYOND TODAY
That long-term perspective influenced the interiors as much as the building systems. Materials and finishes were considered not only for how they looked on completion day, but for how they would perform and age over time.
It is also why the relationship between design, performance and longevity feels so cohesive throughout the home —products are considered not only for how they perform today, but for the resources they use, the things they care for and how they continue to perform over time.
"Phoenix House reinforced the idea that sustainability is the result of many individual decisions working together."
-Josephina Serra
BUILDING SOMETHING BETTER
For Ritz and JP, the journey was not always easy. Building a low-carbon, high-performance home required extensive research, finding suppliers able to provide the necessary technical information and navigating processes that were not always designed around this type of construction.
“It’s about building something better”
-Ritz & JP Clinging
Phoenix House demonstrates what can happen when architecture, interiors, technology and building performance are considered together, allowing sustainability to become part of the way a home is designed, lived in and experienced
And perhaps that is the most compelling lesson from Josephina Serra's approach: the most successful sustainable interiors may be the ones where sustainability feels entirely at home.
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Explore the Collection:
Induction Range HR 1622-3I 30”
Hood Fan DA 2390 35”
Microwave M 7240 TC 24”
MasterCool Single Door Fridge K 2602 Vi RH 24”
MasterCool Single Door Freezer K 2672 Vi LH 24”
Undercounter All Fridge KU 7175 D 24”
MasterCool French Door Fridge KFMC 3642 FD 36"
Dishwasher G 7716 SCi 24”
WXF980 WCS Washing Machine
TXF360 WP Dryer
WTV 502 Washer-Dryer Stacking Kit
continue the story
A family favourite
Bring a taste of Phoenix House into your own kitchen with Ritz’s Holy Basil Stir-Fry (Pad Gra Prow), prepared on the Miele Induction Range.
View Recipe →
DESIGNING TOMORROW
Explore the inaugural issue of the Miele Design Journal, for a deeper look at Phoenix House, its performance strategy, the people behind the project and the thinking that shaped the home.
Discover More →
IN CONVERSATION WITH JOSEPHINA SERRA
Hear from interior designer Josephina Serra on bringing warmth, personality and thoughtful functionality to Phoenix House, while integrating sustainability and Miele appliances into the design.
Read Article →
Interior Design: Josephina Serra, Form Collective
Homeowners: Ritz & JP Clinging
Architecture: Nick Bray, Nick Bray Architecture
Builder: Todd Best, Best Builders
Energy & Carbon Advisor: Elisabeth Baudinaud, Carbon Wise
Photography: Dan Kirchner, The White Space Co. / Iulia Agnew, Iulia Agnew Fotografie
*For more information on Miele’s 20-year testing philosophy, visit miele.ca/20years