Toronto firm Reigo and Bauer has created a three-bedroom home in the city, which features a hot pink entrance and is otherwise clad in black shingles (+ slideshow).

The owners of Winona House previously lived in a semi-detached home, which had an L-shaped yard large enough to subdivide into two plots.

They decided to sell their house, split the land and build a new home on a fraction of their previous property.

The building's distinctive geometry references the garden sheds and small garages that populate the neighbourhood's back yards.

Despite being influenced by these simple forms and materials, the residence seeks to be unconventional, according to the architects.

To create a more dynamic massing, Reigo and Bauer emphasised a sharply pitched roof "so that the building appears to be either rectangular or triangular in plan, depending on how it is seen".

Visitors come in through a bright pink entrance carved out of the front corner of the house. In addition to signalling the principal access, the colour was chosen to pay homage to the owner's Mexican heritage.

On the ground floor, the architects laid out an open-plan kitchen and dining spaces. An enclosed sitting room also occupies the front of the house, facing the driveway.

Upstairs, two bedrooms take up one end of the house. On the other end, the master bedroom is larger and has its own bathroom and closet.

The bedrooms are separated by a small communal area that encompasses a desk and sitting area. This space – located at the top of the stairs in the centre of the house – is illuminated by a clerestory in addition to a window.

Reigo & Bauer sought to highlight the residents' own furniture and art throughout the house. The interiors are mostly white, and their effects bring personality to the space.

Eclectic objects feature in most rooms, and provide a counterpoint to the understated decor. Visitors are greeted by a stag head in the lobby, and the main staircase is covered in a bright blue carpet.

Despite being a traditional enclosure material, shingles often feature in more contemporary designs. In the neighbouring province of a Quebec, Bourgeois Lechasseur recently completed gabled roof home clad in cedar shingles that will weather with age.

Other projects that feature colourful entrances include Isay Weinfeld's Casa Grecia in São Paulo and a set of beach cabanas in the seaside town of Southend designed by Pedder & Scampton.