Victorian kneels at condo towers' feet
Owner Kevin J. van Niekerk says he’d had his eye on the home at 50 Stewart St. for years before buying it. ‘When I first saw these three pairs of Victorian semis, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head that I could transform one of them... my own little time-capsule surrounded by all this new stuff.’ The über-chic Thompson Hotel is just next door.Photos by Mark Wilson
The home has a one-of-a-kind bespoke handmade designer kitchen with hi-gloss cabinetry finished in General Motors Black car paint. In addition to three custom-built, three-inch thick cast concrete counter tops, including a floating breakfast bar feature, the kitchen, like the rest of the house, is fully-wired for sound.Mark Wilson
The completely renovated home now has 2,700 square feet of interior space over four floors, including a fully-finished basement with a spacious family room and zinc bar.Mark Wilson
Upon walking through the front door of his new old house (built circa 1880) Mr. van Niekerk discovered that the Victorian hadn’t been, as he puts it, messed with. “The home still had all of its rooms intact, no walls had been removed and no spaces had been opened up, which tends to be the norm,” he says. Mr. van Niekerk’s plan was to keep the Victorian character of the home while making it comfortable and “sexy” – updating it, in other words, but without sacrificing the original mouldings and other elements that made the home so special.Mark Wilson
The 18-month long renovation also involved adding an outdoor salt-water pool to the backyard, which is rare for downtown Toronto. “I now have Notting Hill sexy and Parry Sound chill combined into one beautiful, functional Victorian home, and it’s only a 17 minute walk from my office on Bay Street,” Mr. van Niekerk exclaims.Mark Wilson