69 SULLIVAN ST., TORONTO
ASKING PRICE $1.795-million
TAXES $6,369.83 (2015)
LOT SIZE 16.8 feet by 111 feet
AGENT Robin Farb-Eckler, Harvey Kalles Real Estate Ltd.
The Back Story
Mazen el-Abdallah is known for creating light-filled, contemporary interiors inside some of Toronto’s oldest brick structures, including a former tailor shop, a converted church, a warehouse and his own Victorian-era house.
The buyers of this circa-1883 heritage house met the creative director of Mazen Studio as they were looking at properties. When they bought the slim row house at 69 Sullivan St. about one-and-a-half years ago, they hired the design firm to undertake a renovation. The house had been updated through the years but they saw the opportunity to do a more dramatic transformation, Mr. el-Abdallah explains.
The couple liked the urban neighbourhood, which is bordered by Kensington Market and Chinatown to the west and the Art Gallery of Ontario and Grange Park to the east. The restaurants and night life of Queen Street West are just a short stroll to the south.
The House Today
Mr. el-Abdallah arrived to find that many of the rooms had been opened up already, but the owners wanted to upgrade the electrical system and level the sloping main floor. A major demolition was called for.
Now, guests arrive to a small vestibule with Moroccan-inspired tiles by the Stockholm-based architectural firm of Claesson Koivisto Rune.
Inside, the living room and dining room are combined to create one large room with two wood-burning fireplaces. The original marble surrounds are still in place. Mr. el-Abdallah points out that the colour of the stone is different for each fireplace but the detailing is the same.
“I’ve never seen two fireplaces like this in the same room.”
The smoked oak floors are laid in a herringbone pattern.
“Part of the inspiration for the house was combination of old and new,” he says.
A new staircase with black metal railings and oak treads rises to the second floor.
A doorway opens from the dining room to the newly refurbished kitchen. The room’s combined palette of matte grey Scavolini cabinets and natural stone countertops is chosen to be light and airy, Mr. el-Abdallah says.
A stone ledge provides a place to display pieces of art so that the owners can personalize the space, the designer says. The room is combined with a sitting area with skylights and sliding glass doors out to a rear deck.
“We wanted the kitchen to feel not so much like a kitchen because it’s part of the living space,” he says.
The second floor has a rear bedroom with doors leading to a deck at treetop level. In the centre, a very large bathroom was made smaller and the remaining space was turned into a homework area with a built-in desk for the couple’s two daughters. Eliminating walls brings more light to the second level and keeps the room open so the parents can supervise homework time, Mr. el-Abdallah points out.
A large front bedroom with a sitting area and bay window overlooks the street. The designer kept the trim and mouldings in the front bedroom because they were still in good shape. He used a stand-alone cupboard instead of built-ins so that the line of the mouldings wouldn’t be broken. In other areas of the house, he had trim re-created to serve as a bridge between modern and traditional.
“We tried to be mindful of that,” he says. “We didn’t want to strip the home of all of its character. Houses like this work best when there’s a little detail to them.”
Mr. el-Abdallah also called for tall doors, which he had painted black. The look, combined with white walls, is something of a signature for him, he explains.
“I have eight-foot doors in my Victorian,” he says. “We do a lot of black doors. It gives the home a little more architectural presence as you go from room to room.”
The kids share a bathroom with a built-in, marble-clad tub.
Mr. el-Abdallah moved a staircase to the third floor so that it lined up with the lower staircase. That also opened up the top floor for a spacious master suite.
A bedroom at the rear has windows with a view of the downtown skyline above the trees.
A wall of built-in storage eliminates the need for a chest of drawers.
“We wanted to create a focal point with the millwork wall,” Mr. el-Abdallah says.
Sliding wood doors hide a large walk-in closet. There’s a small area for reading or watching TV in the centre and a large ensuite bathroom at the front of the house.
Throughout the house, walls are painted white so that the residents have plenty of space to hang their collection of photographs and paintings.
“We thought of it at as a house for art lovers.”
The backyard, which measures about 11 by16 feet, has been turned into a low-maintenance outdoor room with an ipe deck, planters and a pergola. At the rear, the house has a double garage.
Real estate agent Robin Farb-Eckler of Harvey Kalles Real Estate Ltd. points out that the revitalization of nearby Grange Park began last month. The park, which borders the AGO, will have more trees, new water features, a larger playground for children and an enclosed play area for dogs when the project is completed in 2017.
The Best Feature
The ensuite master bathroom has a double vanity, a stand-alone bathtub and a large, glassed-in shower area with a built-in shelf. The toilet area is discreetly hidden. The “escarpment” limestone lining the walls and shower is the same as that used at the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Toronto; Mr. el-Abdallah was able to get his hands on left over stone for a good price, he says.
“It has a beautiful veining to it. It’s very calming.”