Toronto's ubiquitous windowless dens – frequently marketed as "+1s" – serve as home offices, nurseries, yoga studios, and storage spaces. While some view these rooms as crucial entry-level inventory and a marketable asset at resale, industry professionals argue that many modern condo dens fall short on functionality.
The complaints are familiar: wasted square footage, insufficient natural light, poor ventilation, and inadequate temperature regulation. As developers shift their attention from investor-driven spreadsheets to end-user livability, the era of the cramped, windowless condo den may be drawing to a close.
Defining the Modern Den
The word "den" once evoked wood paneling, plush seating, and casual family gatherings. Toronto's condo boom transformed that image entirely, shrinking dens to a fraction of their former size. Real estate agents and landlords have applied the term liberally – to alcoves barely large enough for a desk, to glorified entryways, to spaces that defy easy categorization.
"Dens remain subjective in the condo world, and always have been," says Toronto realtor Michael Camber. "Builders set the definition, and owners typically stick with whatever label came with the purchase." Developers often designate these areas as "study spaces" or "media nooks" on floor plans, enabling them to market a one-bedroom as a "1+1" and charge a premium – even when total square footage stays unchanged.
"Years back, dens and solariums were nearly interchangeable," Camber explains. "Solariums functioned as interior balconies with sliding glass doors opening to a windowed room." These configurations remain common in Toronto's older, more spacious waterfront condos, particularly around St. Lawrence Market and the Bay Street corridor.
Over time, dens migrated away from exterior walls, becoming enclosed interior rooms that typically lacked both closets and windows. "Having both would reclassify the space as a bedroom," Camber notes. Many of these dens measured up to 100 square feet – large enough to function as guest rooms, offices, or media areas. "We saw less of this design after 2010," he adds.
What emerged was the contemporary den: an open-concept, windowless zone within the main living area or entry corridor, with minimal separation from the rest of the unit. "That's not what today's buyers envision when they hear 'den,'" Camber says.
Between the mid-1990s and 2022, the average Toronto condo shrank 35%, from 1,100 square feet to 700 square feet. By 2024, that figure had dropped to just 616 square feet – a trend that helps explain the rise of micro dens.
The den's evolution reflects economics and floor plan efficiency. For years, the narrow "bowling alley" layout dominated Toronto's investor-focused condo market, pushing dens into dark interior cores to maximize unit counts. In many projects, quantity trumped comfort.
Temperature, Light, and Livability
Windowless dens have drawn criticism from architects and residents alike for their lack of daylight, airflow, and climate control. Research by Marianne Touchie, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto, indicates that condo residents frequently report uneven temperatures within their units. Those in heavily glazed buildings – with floor-to-ceiling glass – experience heightened discomfort from solar heat gain.
Windows offer far less thermal resistance than solid walls, meaning solar radiation and heat transfer through glass facades can significantly affect interior temperatures. Studies on thermal comfort in high-rise residential buildings show that occupants often encounter uneven conditions, with interior rooms feeling noticeably different from windowed areas depending on air circulation patterns.
Toronto's updated Indoor Temperature Standards bylaw, effective April 30, 2025 and fully unified by June 2026, strengthens cooling requirements. All condos with landlord- or owner-provided air conditioning must maintain a maximum temperature of 26°C from June 1 through September 30. The City can impose fines up to $100,000 – plus daily penalties of $10,000 – on landlords or condo boards that fail to maintain habitable temperatures throughout units.
Windowless dens can expose weaknesses in a building's cooling infrastructure. Tenants experiencing persistent overheating in these spaces can contact 311, triggering inspections to verify that HVAC systems maintain comfort and compliance across the entire suite.
In older condo designs, interior dens were sometimes treated as secondary spaces and didn't always receive dedicated HVAC supply air. Newer buildings generally provide mechanical ventilation or airflow to all habitable rooms under the Ontario Building Code, though strategies vary. Even with vents, windowless interior rooms can remain warmer, particularly in sun-drenched downtown towers with extensive glazing.
Beyond temperature, dark rooms conflict with wellness-focused design principles. Architectural research on high-density housing demonstrates that deep residential floor plates with central corridors – the bowling alley model – often produce units with limited daylight penetration, leaving interior rooms reliant on artificial lighting and ventilation. Studies show that people in windowless environments report notably worse sleep quality and physical health. The University of Toronto's Faculty of Architecture has emphasized that circadian lighting – design that mimics natural sunlight patterns – is becoming essential for the work-from-home generation.
"I believe windowless 'bedrooms' represent a compromise for developers, buyers, and renters," says Toronto urban planner and architect Naama Blonder. "Most people want to avoid them. Given the choice, few would raise a child in a windowless bedroom."
The End-User Pivot
With investors retreating from pre-construction purchases, a growing number of developers are prioritizing livability in their designs. According to Urbanation, new condo sales in the Greater Toronto Area have collapsed to their lowest levels since 1991, falling 91% below the 10-year average.
This has prompted a shift toward end-user buyers who value functional layouts and breathable spaces. Urbanation reports that 33% of all new condo sales in 2025 were for units at the occupancy or registration stage – evidence that buyers are moving away from speculative paper purchases toward completed, tangible homes. The market's transformation signals a renewed emphasis on larger suites and a departure from cookie-cutter investor units with token dens.
This week, Gupta Group announced modifications to its Yonge City Square project in North York, favoring larger family-sized units. While this may represent the future, Blonder cautions that functional new product hasn't yet reached the Toronto market in meaningful volume. A lag exists between design and delivery, especially in the current climate.
"We're not seeing condos built for end users yet," Blonder says. "Interest rates, affordability challenges, foreign buyer restrictions, reduced immigration targets, construction costs, and the gap between average income and home prices have made building very expensive. I think we have more obstacles ahead."
What the Market Wants
For today's end users, eliminating the den and reallocating that square footage may make more sense. Rather than struggling with an awkward, dark space, many buyers prefer expanded living areas with room for a dining table or kitchen island. Others simply want a den that doesn't double as a closet.
"Many end users want actual dens, not tiny nooks barely large enough for a desk in the living area," says Toronto realtor James Milonas. "They're looking for a proper office or TV space. A 1+1 buyer doesn't need a den that functions as a second bedroom – they want a guest area with a pullout couch next to their desk."
Milonas reports that many of his condo buyers actively avoid windowless dens, particularly those working from home. "No one wants to sit in darkness for eight hours," he says. "The best den layouts are inset from the kitchen, like those at X Condos on Jarvis and Charles, which capture natural light from the living room. Alternatively, some older Bay Street condos feature proper +1 dens."
Newer condos sometimes incorporate a glazed wall between the den and kitchen to improve light penetration. Other layouts use glass sliding doors or high interior windows that allow the den to feel private while borrowing light from primary windows.
Among Camber's clients, the priority is less about airflow or natural light and more about having a distinct, usable space. "While many builders market floor plans with 'open-concept' dens, today's buyers aren't convinced and don't value them as highly as separated spaces, even without a door," Camber says. "Many realtors include the description 'Den can easily be used as a 2nd bedroom!' because it consistently generates more interest."
Milonas believes demand for windowless dens will persist, provided they're reasonably sized. "A den that's only 3 feet wide by 5 feet deep isn't a den – it's a walk-in closet, which isn't functional for anyone," he says. "But windowless dens work well for young families needing a nursery, or for singles looking for an entertainer's space. They can turn the den into a lounge or bar area. Ultimately, any space can be functional with the right vision."
It comes down to individual needs. "If my 1+1 buyers need natural light for a home office, the den might not be directly by the window like in a typical two-bedroom," Milonas explains. "But it could be inset, facing the living space, rather than a front hallway den with no natural light and three drywall walls."
On industry forums, experts advocate for shallow, wide floor plates that ensure optimal sunlight distribution throughout units. This approach prioritizes longer window walls, allowing light to penetrate deeper and eliminating dark central cores. While this design reduces the number of units per floor, current market conditions suggest buyers will pay a premium for features like sunlit home offices, leaving the windowless den behind.
As market conditions improve, the fate of windowless condo dens will likely follow a Darwinian path: Only those combining natural light, flexibility, and genuine functionality will endure.
Farewell, tiny windowless nooks.