Grove House

Home Renovation . Toronto, ON

A stately, semi-detached Victorian house on a leafy street in Toronto’s Ossington neighbourhood appealed to our client due to the charm and creative and youthful spirit of the locale, but the ailing state of the house, and its narrow, elongated plan with a party wall, made it dark and uncomfortable. The lowest-carbon building is the one that is already built, so our client commissioned us to maintain the house while bringing new life to its 2,100 sf interiors. His direction was to maximize the utility of the house’s small footprint, draw in as much light as possible, and provide an ambiance reflective of his preference for contemporary design.

The house had been partially renovated, and there were no original elements worth preserving, so we began by opening the walls vertically and horizontally and redefining the interior layout. Our client wanted a music studio on third floor, but since sound would carry along the party wall, we situated the studio in the basement where we could dampen acoustics. There, we also created a small bathroom and the laundry.

Our big move was to relocate the back-room kitchen to the heart of the ground floor, making it easily accessible from both the living and dining areas. In the living area at the rear of the house, we added a sliding glass door to the yard, extending the interior space to the outside, and increasing the luminosity of the main floor with cross views from east to west. Since the backyard was quite small, we conceived of it as an outdoor room, integrating decking and benches to keep the space tidy, uniform, and functional — all under the shade of a mature ginko tree.

On the second floor, we created a principal bedroom and a second bedroom that doubles as a home office. These bookend a generous spa bathroom. The principal bedroom window offers sweeping street views, and in the rear bedroom, we enlarged the windows to flood the room with natural light and the everchanging presence of the tree canopy while still maintaining privacy.

The third floor is now a flexible, open concept den and gym loft that can also serve as a guest bedroom. We added a tall window and expanded the door to improve daylight and connections with the outdoor roof terrace. A new skylight over the staircase draws light down into all levels of the house. And picking up on a popular Victorian feature, we introduced transom windows to the second floor rooms to increase its effect in those rooms.

Throughout the house, we custom designed millwork to assist with the house’s overall functionality and impression of spaciousness. Some discretely disappear such as the cabinetry surrounding the stair vestibule that hides a full pantry. Others, such as the combined oak and white powder coated cabinetry and shelves set between powder coated steel frames in the kitchen, create the impression of furniture to deftly draw varied spaces together. The counter cantilevers to host a pair of stools to accommodate casual dining within the tight space. Other millwork, such as a floating oak vanity in the main bathroom, create the impression of openness while adding luxuriousness to the room.

We made strategic use of our budget to enhance key features to add warmth, richness, and texture including a tile wall backing the staircase, and oak doors on the second floor. The transformative outcome showcases the merits of bespoke design, offering an interior that surprises with its functionality, abundant natural light, and newfound vitality, setting the stage for the home’s exciting next phase.

Details around the house include concealed kitchen storage and integrated sliding door to basement, metal + wood shelving, metal railing and integrated step lights, kitchen cabinetry, and baseboard details.

Photos by: Rémi Carreiro Photography

Existing home photos prior to renovations.