Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Bright, Comfy and Family-Friendly in a Once-Dark Home
A century-old duplex gets taken down to the studs, then expanded with a third-floor addition and a new garage
Entry: A custom-designed mosaic tile carpet defines the entry space. Wall hooks tip out to hold hats and clothes and tip back in to lie flat when not in use. A bench, designed by Plan A Contracting, hinges open to provide storage.
“The thing that really tied this home together was the lovely interior decorating choices of our client,” says Tony Lovink, president of Plan A. “Invariably the most successful end products are those where the interior design has been taken seriously.”
Mosaic tile carpet: Antica Tile & Stone; front door: Andersen E-series clad wood door with multipoint locking and Emtek helios hardware; walnut pendant: Sescolite; Adnet round mirror: Design Within Reach; custom wall hooks: Thout; bench seating designed by Plan A and built by Edwards & Wilson
“The thing that really tied this home together was the lovely interior decorating choices of our client,” says Tony Lovink, president of Plan A. “Invariably the most successful end products are those where the interior design has been taken seriously.”
Mosaic tile carpet: Antica Tile & Stone; front door: Andersen E-series clad wood door with multipoint locking and Emtek helios hardware; walnut pendant: Sescolite; Adnet round mirror: Design Within Reach; custom wall hooks: Thout; bench seating designed by Plan A and built by Edwards & Wilson
Stair nook: A small desk, integrated under the stairs and made of scrap material from an old countertop, acts as a temporary landing spot for keys and mail. A shelf below holds books of family photos.
Factory Filament clear glass funnel sconce in bronze finish: Restoration Hardware; Tolix counter stool in gunmetal gray: Design Within Reach
Factory Filament clear glass funnel sconce in bronze finish: Restoration Hardware; Tolix counter stool in gunmetal gray: Design Within Reach
Living room: Although space was an issue, the homeowner was adamant about having a fireplace in the living room.
“We solved this by accentuating the vertical aspect of the fireplace and creating a floor-to-ceiling chimney column,” Lovink says. Making the fireplace appear to float over the cast polished concrete ledge served to lighten the whole structure. Carrying the ledge to the wall makes use of what would have been an odd space next to the fireplace, while creating a bit of interesting asymmetry.
Harris sofa: Montauk; bamboo and silk: Modern Weave; Atlas coffee table with walnut legs and Carrara marble: Design Within Reach; custom upholstered chairs with fabric from Designer Fabrics: The Art Shoppe; table between chairs: a family heirloom; embroidered pillows: Virginia Johnson; custom Roman blinds with fabric from Designer Fabrics: Patricia Walker; concrete bench: Anthony Concrete Design; art by various Toronto and Montreal artists
“We solved this by accentuating the vertical aspect of the fireplace and creating a floor-to-ceiling chimney column,” Lovink says. Making the fireplace appear to float over the cast polished concrete ledge served to lighten the whole structure. Carrying the ledge to the wall makes use of what would have been an odd space next to the fireplace, while creating a bit of interesting asymmetry.
Harris sofa: Montauk; bamboo and silk: Modern Weave; Atlas coffee table with walnut legs and Carrara marble: Design Within Reach; custom upholstered chairs with fabric from Designer Fabrics: The Art Shoppe; table between chairs: a family heirloom; embroidered pillows: Virginia Johnson; custom Roman blinds with fabric from Designer Fabrics: Patricia Walker; concrete bench: Anthony Concrete Design; art by various Toronto and Montreal artists
Kitchen: A custom bar cabinet, made from walnut to match the kitchen island, features a glass back that provides a window to a bright stairwell behind it. The natural light pouring through (and integrated cabinet lighting, for nighttime) add a constant sparkle and glow to the dining room.
“We used every opportunity to let light flow through the house,” Lovink says, “from the built-in bar cabinet to the glass side panels on the kitchen uppers to the frosted glass on the front door. It makes a world of difference in a small space to use natural light wherever possible.”
The collection in the cabinet consists of various shapes and sizes of beer, wine and cocktail glasses, including some cut crystal that has been passed down through generations and handblown wine goblets from a favorite Italian village.
Grey Stone polished marble countertops: York Fabrica; handblown jug lamp pendants: Cisco Home; Craig Bassam counter stools: Design Within Reach; cabinetmakers: Edwards & Wilson Cabinetmakers
“We used every opportunity to let light flow through the house,” Lovink says, “from the built-in bar cabinet to the glass side panels on the kitchen uppers to the frosted glass on the front door. It makes a world of difference in a small space to use natural light wherever possible.”
The collection in the cabinet consists of various shapes and sizes of beer, wine and cocktail glasses, including some cut crystal that has been passed down through generations and handblown wine goblets from a favorite Italian village.
Grey Stone polished marble countertops: York Fabrica; handblown jug lamp pendants: Cisco Home; Craig Bassam counter stools: Design Within Reach; cabinetmakers: Edwards & Wilson Cabinetmakers
Throughout the home, and especially in the kitchen, materials were chosen with an eye toward respecting the age of the home and “not creating an interior space that felt dissonant with regard to the exterior,” Lovink says.
White subway tile backsplash: New Canadians Lumber; microwave: Panasonic with trim kit
White subway tile backsplash: New Canadians Lumber; microwave: Panasonic with trim kit
Stacks of cookbooks fill a set of custom shelves above the refrigerator.
“A lot of those cookbooks have greasy fingerprints and splatters on them,” Lovink says. “They are not simply for show.”
Refrigerator: KitchenAid
“A lot of those cookbooks have greasy fingerprints and splatters on them,” Lovink says. “They are not simply for show.”
Refrigerator: KitchenAid
Along the side of the cabinetry that surrounds the refrigerator is a makeshift gallery, displaying the work of the children (ages 6, 7 and 9).
Shaws Original 30-inch cast-iron sink: Nortesco; Gooseneck single hole faucet: Waterworks; range: BlueStar; hood: Vent-A-Hood
Shaws Original 30-inch cast-iron sink: Nortesco; Gooseneck single hole faucet: Waterworks; range: BlueStar; hood: Vent-A-Hood
Third floor: The new third-floor addition is a kids’ zone, where the three children have their own bedrooms. At the top of the stairs, the children’s renditions of scenes from Moby Dick cap the end of an original brick wall.
“This house is a 100-plus-year-old duplex, and the brick is part of the structural double brick wall dividing the two homes,” Lovink says. “Rather than trying to cover this with drywall, we decided to paint it out and let the material see the light of day.”
Wool carpet: Pollock’s Flooring
“This house is a 100-plus-year-old duplex, and the brick is part of the structural double brick wall dividing the two homes,” Lovink says. “Rather than trying to cover this with drywall, we decided to paint it out and let the material see the light of day.”
Wool carpet: Pollock’s Flooring
The 9-year-old daughter was involved in selecting and laying out the colors in her room. She insisted on having blue at the top because it is “just like the sky!”
The Drake Pendant in oil-rubbed bronze: Barnlight Electric; dresser and mirror are family pieces
The Drake Pendant in oil-rubbed bronze: Barnlight Electric; dresser and mirror are family pieces
Two oversize drawers function as the main storage in the children’s bathroom.
Charcoal linen ceramic floor tile: New Canadians Lumber; white subway tile and Fusion ice glass tile boarder: New Canadians Lumber; integrated sink, counter and vanity base: Vienna Douglas in Toronto; Riobel square faucet: New Canadians Lumber; shower curtain: West Elm
Charcoal linen ceramic floor tile: New Canadians Lumber; white subway tile and Fusion ice glass tile boarder: New Canadians Lumber; integrated sink, counter and vanity base: Vienna Douglas in Toronto; Riobel square faucet: New Canadians Lumber; shower curtain: West Elm
Garage: A salvaged warehouse window, originally sourced for the kitchen, became a focal point of the new garage when logistics made it impractical for use in the main house.
Ipe siding: Ipewood Canada; Bronze Train Station sconce: Sescolite; Home Depot French doors with Taymor hardware
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Ipe siding: Ipewood Canada; Bronze Train Station sconce: Sescolite; Home Depot French doors with Taymor hardware
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family with three kids
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Size: 2,250 square feet (209 square meters)
Designer-builder: Plan A Contracting
Scope of work: Like many century-old duplexes in Toronto, this home was characterized by small, dark rooms with little connection to the exterior. The homeowners, in need of more space for their growing family, decided to undergo a full renovation down to the studs to open up the main floor plus a major addition to the third floor and a new garage.
Brolite pendant in hand-painted resin: Green Light District; custom pine harvest table; Bacco chair with walnut legs: Design Within Reach; captain’s chairs from the homeowners’ existing furniture collection