“We wanted the light,” says the homeowner, widening her arms as if to summon it.  

No need to, really. This two-storey apartment in the Yonge and Davisville area is bathed in sunshine pouring in through a 20-foot-tall atrium with windows that wrap a west-facing wall.  

When the homeowners bought the unit in the boutique building, the atrium was an enclosed porch, and it was freezing.