17 INDIAN GROVE
WHAT: A three-bedroom house dramatically transformed on the HGTV series design inc. The home sits on a 33- by 150-foot lot near the gates of High Park.
ASKING PRICE: $779,886
TAXES: not available
AGENT: Royal Lepage Real Estate Services Ltd. (Peter Brown)
Before Kate Stuart and Tim Lillak took it over seven years ago, the house at 17 Indian Grove had been sadly neglected.
Located on a leafy side street near High Park, just south of the Bloor Street subway line, the residence hadn't been updated in decades.
"It was dark and dreary and felt very chopped up," says Ms. Stuart, who is a stylist with Sarah Richardson Design and a member of the amiable team on Ms. Richardson's HGTV show, design inc.
The kitchen had been updated some time in the middle of the last century, she says, but it had almost no counter space and way too little cupboard space.
The room was likely designed in the days of the ice box, she says, so there was no logical place for a refrigerator. Previous owners had stuck their fridge in front of the built-in pantry.
"You couldn't access the pantry because the fridge was in the way."
That state of disrepair led to a complete overhaul by Ms. Richardson, who transformed the main floor for the TV cameras.
"It turned out to be a really great project for design inc. because the kitchen was so horrendous," Ms. Stuart remembers.
The renovation included designing a better walkout to the garden and a new layout for the kitchen. "It was a space at the back of the house you tended to avoid," she says.
The new kitchen plan was changed along the way as demolition progressed and more barriers - such as walls and cupboards - were taken down. "We opened it up more than we had planned," Ms. Stuart says. "When you stood in the space you knew [the barriers]had to come out."
The entire extended family joined in to paint the panelled walls and French doors in the dining room, she says. "I painted the gumwood trim - much to everyone's chagrin at the time - and I'm so glad I did. I can't live in the dark."
Ms. Stuart also updated both bathrooms, but she kept the existing tub and tiles in the downstairs bathroom. "It had the old charm. Charm sometimes is hard to get back."
When all of the kinks were worked out, the renovation made a huge improvement to their quality of life, she adds.
"It almost affects your state of mind, having that natural light come flooding into the house."
The amenities
The house has been renovated inside and out, including upgrading the wiring and mechanical systems.
The kitchen has stainless-steel appliances, marble countertops and a breakfast bar separating it from the dining room.
The main floor has a bedroom that looks out on the garden, a full bathroom and a den. The living room has leaded-glass windows that face the street.
Upstairs, the master bedroom overlooks the garden, while a front bedroom features leaded-glass windows, and a bathroom with marble countertops.
The finished basement includes a recreation room and a fourth bedroom. Outside, the backyard has a stone patio and long expanse of lawn beneath tall trees.