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The details
THE HOUSE: Two storey detached house at 12 Governor's Rd., Toronto
ASKING PRICE: $1.9-million
TAXES (2007): $13,867.232
LOT SIZE: 60 by 135 feet
LIVING SPACE: Approx. 5,000 square feet
NUMBER OF BEDROOMS: Five
NUMBER OF BATHROOMS: Four
AMENITIES: Wide treed lot with splash pool/hot tub in backyard; home gym in coach house; 22-foot limestone fireplace in great room.
OPEN HOUSE: Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 3-4, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
LISTING AGENT: Candace Kaszas, Sales Representative, Keller Williams Advantage Realty, Brokerage, 416-465-4545.

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This property once belonged to lawyer Wallace Nesbitt who, in 1912, helped create Toronto's Governor's Bridge neighbourhood where this sprawling two-storey home is located. Today, his name graces the nearby thoroughfare, Nesbitt Drive, that borders the Moore Park Ravine.

Named partly for the Lieutenant Governor's residence once located nearby, most of the homes on Governor's Bridge Road now are new builds or recent renovations. This house belongs to a married couple in the home improvement business.

Kathryn Kaszas is an interior designer, while husband Stephen is a builder in the midst of constructing a new family residence down the street from this one, a former 1931 bungalow that they purchased in 1994.

Over the years, they collaborated on making several changes to the home, among them an atrium-like front foyer with an open staircase and a rear addition built in 2001.

The addition allowed for a new main-floor home office and a distinctive great room with a soaring open-beam cathedral ceiling and a towering 22-foot limestone, wood-burning fireplace.

The room has the feel of a luxury retreat, which might explain why the actress Jane Seymour was drawn to the house, staying in it one summer while the family was away on vacation at one of their other homes.

Large glass-panelled French doors open onto a wide treed lot with a splash pool/hot tub and a coach house converted into a state-of-the-art home gym.

On the second floor, the addition allowed for a guest bedroom with a Juliette balcony, a leftover from the original house.

The 20- by-18 sq. ft. master bedroom is large enough to fit a King sized bed, sofas and two walk-in closets. In the 19- by 11-square foot ensuite is a Jacuzzi soaker tub and a walk-in shower with a new glass-block wall for added privacy. The bathroom's generous size enables Ms. Kaszas to host at-home spa parties for a number of gal pals.

"I like a home that is elegant but has a comfy, lived in feel, a place where you can put your feet up on stuff, and eat popsicles in the living room, a place where friends and family feel welcome," she says.

Gatherings also take place downstairs, in the open concept kitchen with all-white cabinetry, stained oak flooring and vibrant walls sporting Benjamin Moore's Segovia Red.

A centre island supports added storage and an eating counter. A large bay window at the end of the end of the room allows for a surfeit of natural light.

"It's a party house," says Ms. Kaszas, leading the way downstairs to a 1,253 sq. ft. finished basement, with a carpeted rec room, extra bedroom and bathroom, and walk-out to the landscaped garden.

But it is also a home with a secret.

Upstairs in the attic are dozens of Group of Seven-era paintings that a previous owner used to patch over the ceiling, completely covering it with a patina of Canadian art history.

"I had Sotheby's come and look at the art work, and while they couldn't figure out the artist, they verified that the paintings date from around the 1930s," says Ms. Kaszas, adding that the paintings come with the house.

"I could never bear to tear them down. I think they add to the home's legacy."