This Toronto condo has its toes in an urban park
The building was constructed in the mid-1990s and was a true conversion-style loft with exposed concrete, open spaces and floor-to-ceiling windows. The current owner of this home bought it in 2010, attracted by the spaciousness of the two-bed, two-bath layout and the sense of privacy despite being in the heart of a trendy community.
The current owner decided to strip the space down to its bones and do an interior rebuild with the help of designer Samantha Baillie. “Some people move into condos and say ‘Well, I’m only going to be here for a little bit, so I’m not going to put too, too much into it’ Ms. Baillie says.“But his opinion was that this was his house and he wanted his house to feel a certain way.”
The kitchen faces east and overlooks Victoria Memorial Park. Ms. Baillie says her team worked with the view and rearranged the kitchen so that the appliances organized in a way that suited the owner.
Ms. Baillie installed a bigger island, with cedarstone quartz countertops, to allow for maximum elbow space when entertaining. The owner also splurged on his kitchen tools, installing only Sub-Zero & Wolf appliances. To brighten up the space, Ms. Baillie added a mini-mosiac backsplash that adds a little shimmer, a nice contrast to the smooth concrete walls that enclose the rest of the space. She also helped the owner pick the lighting, including “playful” teardrop pendants above the kitchen island and a custom-designed, chic, modern chandelier.
Another major change to the unit was replacing the pine floorboards with a dark walnut hardwood floors.“I found that the concrete and the dark wood worked together to make the space softer,” said Ms. Baillie. “It adds to the warmth of the home.”