CABBAGETOWN RENOVATION

Schematic Design, 2022

This semi-detached house lies in Toronto’s historic Cabbagetown area. The renovation blends the charms of the classic Toronto heritage home and a new plan that sandwiches the kitchen, dining, and powder room between two living spaces at either ends of the floor. While keeping many of the house’s original details such as the crown mouldings, oak baseboards, and stair railings, the new design follows suit in its materiality, integrating the old and the new.

Plan:

The new entry provides storage and spatial separation from muddy winter shoes and the living room, acting as a mini-vestibule within the house, while daylighting the original bay windows and entry stained glass to not lose sight of them from any other areas on the main floor. 

The kitchen, dining, and back lounge area are all integrated on the south wall, linking all of the lower millwork on one side will make the space feel connected and spacious. The kitchen acts as a buffer space between the two living spaces; its cooking area tucks under the stair, which keeps the mess / smell out of sight from the living room. Its counter cabinetry continues to the dining area as a continuous upholstered bench to the dining / lounge space, keeping the # of seats needed flexible. Opposite to the bench, the tall kitchen cabinetry continues to the lounge area to hide a stair that goes down to the garage, and acts as storage for a hidden TV and hearth. At the end of the house, the replacement solarium is seamless with the rest of the house and has an accordion door slider, to continue the living space out to the patio.