Living above a store is what most of us do when we can’t afford to live above a basement, but at 238 Davenport, things are a little different. There, seven elegant homes are discreetly stacked above the tony decor shop Powell & Bonnell. They were designed in 2004 by Brian and Kathleen Brisbin of BBB Architects. “We designed them as a prototype of what we think luxury units should be in an international city,” says Brian, who this winter is working in Monte­negro, converting a shipyard into a marina for Peter Munk.

The Brisbins loved the units so much that they bought number 501 and moved in with their three kids. After living there for three years, they now work increasingly in other cities and so decided to sell. “It’s a very private place,” says Brian. “It’s for people who want the sense of having a house within a building, but not in a building that has hundreds of people.” Indeed, it’s close enough to the street to make you feel a part of the city, but there’s a private elevator, and it’s lodged luxuriantly behind 2,800 square feet of moss-and-juniper-covered terraces. The interior, also done by the Brisbins, is sparse and exquisitely detailed, with dark merbau floors and ensuite bathrooms in each of the three bedrooms.