My Houzz: Creative Open-Concept Home in Toronto
Three young designers give a neglected boardinghouse in Canada new life with an industrial-modern makeover
Andrew Snow
April 16, 2012
Houzz Contributor. Architectural designer with Roundabout Studio. Freelance architectural photographer.
Houzz Contributor. Architectural designer with Roundabout Studio. Freelance architectural... More
When designers Claudia Bader and Martin Tavares first walked by a property for sale in downtown Toronto, they didn't give it a second glance. It was a run-down boardinghouse for seven students, and a neglectful landlord had allowed the building to fall apart. But Bader's husband, Timothy Mitanidis, saw the potential.
Bader, Mitanidis and Tavares are all part of design studio Creative Union. Looking for a neighborhood where they could design and renovate their first house, the trio was drawn to the vibrant neighborhood of Queen West, which reminded them of some of the neighborhoods in their native Europe.
Convinced they found the right spot, they set to work on a shoestring budget to renovate the property into a three-apartment house. The basement was to be furnished and rented to expats; Mitanidis and Bader planned to live in the ground-floor unit, and the three designers would function as landlords. Acting as designers, general contractors and builders, they worked for a year to create a bright and open space chock-full of creativity, ingenuity and personality.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Timothy Mitanidis and Claudia Bader
Location: Queen Street Fashion District of Toronto, Ontario
Size: 650 square feet
That's interesting: The designers met and live in Toronto, but each has a European background.
Bader, Mitanidis and Tavares are all part of design studio Creative Union. Looking for a neighborhood where they could design and renovate their first house, the trio was drawn to the vibrant neighborhood of Queen West, which reminded them of some of the neighborhoods in their native Europe.
Convinced they found the right spot, they set to work on a shoestring budget to renovate the property into a three-apartment house. The basement was to be furnished and rented to expats; Mitanidis and Bader planned to live in the ground-floor unit, and the three designers would function as landlords. Acting as designers, general contractors and builders, they worked for a year to create a bright and open space chock-full of creativity, ingenuity and personality.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Timothy Mitanidis and Claudia Bader
Location: Queen Street Fashion District of Toronto, Ontario
Size: 650 square feet
That's interesting: The designers met and live in Toronto, but each has a European background.
Adjacent to the dining area is the most visually striking space in the home: the sleek, black kitchen. The cabinets are crafted out of concrete formwork, resulting in an unusual brushed sheen. In keeping with the theme, the designers poured a gray concrete countertop that folds to run up a wall and onto the ceiling. Overhead, installed piping allows the wall-mounted pendant lights to hang centered over the island. This was a clever cost-saving solution, as installing lights in the fire-rated ceiling would have stretched the already tight budget.
A punch of color appears in the most unlikely of places: the kitchen island panel. A dreamlike image of blues, whites and greens was printed on Lexan by Mitanidis' brother, a print-shop owner. It provides the perfect jolt of contrast to the monochromatic space. The home's washer and dryer are hidden behind the white curtain, while the powder room is tucked around the corner.
Keeping the main spaces open and connected was important for the three designers, as the house is long and narrow (typical for Toronto).
To address this, Mitanidis designed a dining table to match the proportions of the house. He used salvaged barn boards from the house, inserting them into a steel frame made by a local fabricator.
On one side of the table runs a long, custom bench. It serves as seating during dinners and parties, while moveable panels below help to hide the couple's clutter.
To address this, Mitanidis designed a dining table to match the proportions of the house. He used salvaged barn boards from the house, inserting them into a steel frame made by a local fabricator.
On one side of the table runs a long, custom bench. It serves as seating during dinners and parties, while moveable panels below help to hide the couple's clutter.
The simple but clever millwork is topped by a run of gray felt. The panels are laser cut with a flock of flying swallows. Because the bench panels are operable, the flock can be constantly rearranged, mimicking the motion of the birds and helping bring the spirit of the outdoors in.
Though the original floors were thought to be beyond repair, the designers managed to salvage them with a great deal of hard work and many coats of dark stain. Mitanidis and Bader took a vacation shortly after finishing the floor, and they remember returning in horror, as it had lightened to an awful shade of orange. Luckily, one more coat of stain did the trick, and the floors are now a rich, dark brown. Combined with white walls and window coverings, they provide a neutral background for the couple's quirky collection of vintage and homemade furniture.
The home opens up into a bright and airy living space. Large windows at both ends of the house allowed the designers to bypass an HVAC system. Instead, they rely on crossbreezes to ventilate the space in the summer, and in-floor heating keeps them warm during the long and cold Canadian winters.
The bright blue arm chairs are Craigslist finds, and Mitanidis designed and built the coffee table. He salvaged barn boards from the house when they gutted the structure and cut the pieces to fit inside a steel frame, just like the dining table. The exterior door is painted with chalkboard paint, providing a convenient place for notes on the way out.
The original fireplace helps anchor the living area and provides a textural contrast to the rest of the space. The homemade shelving system holds the couple's library collection as well as family photos, and a recessed light band wraps throughout the entire area. It opens up in the corners to provide a soft and intimate glow.
Built around the fireplace, store-bought piping is combined with simple wooden planks to form low-cost open shelving. The designers wanted to minimize drilling into the drywall, so the shelving is fixed at only two points: once in the floor and once into the wall. The rest of the piping is capped with rubber, allowing the shelves to rest gently against the wall.
The couple grow many herbs and vegetables in the garden, and some of the fruits of their labor, like these hanging hot peppers, can be seen in the house.
The couple grow many herbs and vegetables in the garden, and some of the fruits of their labor, like these hanging hot peppers, can be seen in the house.
Bader's favorite furniture piece in the house is the powder room sink, made from a salad bowl. The designers drilled out the bottom to connect the plumbing and surrounded it with a simple plywood ledge.
The compact master bath contains a generous shower clad in eye-popping blue tiles and a custom-built vanity. Similar to the kitchen, the countertop wraps up the wall and onto the ceiling, though the material of choice here is plywood.
Storage is maximized, combining under-counter space with generous open shelving. The bathroom is open to the south-facing bedroom and receives ample sunlight throughout the day.
Storage is maximized, combining under-counter space with generous open shelving. The bathroom is open to the south-facing bedroom and receives ample sunlight throughout the day.
Around the corner from the main space, and separated by only a doorless opening, is the apartment's only bedroom. Sunlight beams in through the double doors leading onto the deck, offering beautiful views of the backyard and the large apricot tree. On lazy Sunday mornings, the couple can open the doors wide and bask in the morning glow from the comfort of their bed.
The designers spruced up Ikea cabinets by wrapping them with a plywood band. The simple nighttable solution allows for lots of storage without cluttering the room. The hanging lights, pieced together with materials from local suppliers, have a braided black and blue cable that adds visual interest to the serene space.
The bedroom opens onto a comfortable and covered rear deck, the perfect spot to watch life pass by slowly. The couple sourced many of their unique furnishings, such as this vintage rocking chair, from garage sales, scrap yards and illegal garbage dumps. Bader says, "People throw out so many great things. With a bit care and work these items can get easily reused and recycled."
The backyard is an urban oasis in the heart of the city. Steps from the more secluded rear deck is this outdoor seating area. Throughout the year the couple grow herbs and vegetables, and they host an annual spring flea market, a Christmas party with German mulled wine (Glühwein) and numerous bonfires and barbecues. The roof of the semienclosed workshop hangs over the space, allowing some respite from summer showers.
A large apricot tree provides much-needed shade to the backyard as well as the interiors of the house. Flowering a luminous pink and white in the spring, the tree bears fruit in the summer, used by the couple to produce delicious homemade jam.
An Airstream trailer parked only feet away is currently in use as a guest house for friends and family visiting from Europe. During the annual flea market, it gets converted into an art gallery and exhibition space.
An Airstream trailer parked only feet away is currently in use as a guest house for friends and family visiting from Europe. During the annual flea market, it gets converted into an art gallery and exhibition space.
The front entrance of the property lies on a quiet side street steps away from the bustling and vibrant intersection of Queen and Bathurst Streets. Wrapped in laser-cut black steel, the semienclosed area contains separate doors for Mitanidis and Bader's main floor space as well as the apartment upstairs.
Because the main apartment sits above the street, it allowed the designers an opportunity to update the traditional front stoop. They extended the second step to become a bench and can often be found chatting with neighbors or enjoying the late afternoon sun.
Because the main apartment sits above the street, it allowed the designers an opportunity to update the traditional front stoop. They extended the second step to become a bench and can often be found chatting with neighbors or enjoying the late afternoon sun.
Signifying the transition from public to private, the framed entry is laser cut with the address of the house. Much like architects used to inscribe their name on the cornerstone of a building,
Mitanidis, Bader and Tavares stamped the name of their studio on the house.
Though the rusted and weathered steel is appropriate for the urban area, the piece stands out on a mostly nondescript street and passersby can sometimes be seen snapping photos.
Mitanidis, Bader and Tavares stamped the name of their studio on the house.
Though the rusted and weathered steel is appropriate for the urban area, the piece stands out on a mostly nondescript street and passersby can sometimes be seen snapping photos.
The three designers relax underneath the apricot tree. From left to right are Claudia Bader, Martin Tavares and Timothy Mitanidis. Bader fondly remembers the three of them finishing work each night around 11:30 p.m. and enjoying a beer while discussing what they had accomplished that day.
Although the process was long and at times nerve-racking, the experience has been tremendously positive. Their design studio has caught the development bug and has future ambitions to develop a small-scale condo building with three to five units. It will be powered by green energy and provide outdoor space, a vegetable garden and bike parking. But while they plan to eventually move on and maintain the current space as a rental property, for right now at least, they are home.
Although the process was long and at times nerve-racking, the experience has been tremendously positive. Their design studio has caught the development bug and has future ambitions to develop a small-scale condo building with three to five units. It will be powered by green energy and provide outdoor space, a vegetable garden and bike parking. But while they plan to eventually move on and maintain the current space as a rental property, for right now at least, they are home.
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I love everything and am in awe of the creativity.