A renovated Victorian-era Toronto house with a beautiful blend of old and new

Sarah Tolle – Homify Canada Sarah Tolle – Homify Canada
Old Victorian Home Modern Renovation - Harvard Ave, STUDIO Z STUDIO Z Living room
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Displaying a delicate blend of old and new, this renovated home draws out the charm of its Victorian origins while brushing up the interior with a mixture of modern, contemporary, and Scandinavian styles. 

The interior designers from Studio Z provide background on the project: “Located in Toronto's Parkdale area, this large 125 year old semi-detached house was once divided into several apartments. The home was returned to a single family residence claiming enhanced functional and bespoke features including sound proofing and cleverly designed built-in cabinets throughout. The formerly dark and partitioned home is now bathed in natural light and boasts a welcoming and open ground floor living space.” 

This Victorian renovation serves as a beautiful example of how an older building can be re-imagined as a roomy, bright, and healthy space—while retaining that “but with character” element that many of today’s homebuyers are holding out for.

​Dining room

As the architects point out, this home was designed for a couple who loves to cook and entertain guests. This dining room serves up a vision of both practicality and elegance, maintaining the air of a formal dining atmosphere while lightening things up (literally) with an assortment of fine-legged furniture and lightweight decor.

​Kitchen

The kitchen underwent a major change, relocated to the center of the home so as to become a focal point for both daily living as well as for special gatherings. The elongated and narrow layout so often seen in Victorian-era town homes is taken into account in this linear kitchen design, whose long layout harmonizes with the dimensions of the home.

​Front entry

From the stairs, you can observe the front entryway, which has been given a fresh and upbeat look thanks to the installation of patterned encaustic cement tiles.

Find more entrance designs in this ideabook: 12 entrance ideas that make your guests take note

​Sitting room

In calming purpley-grey tones, this chaise/sofa offers a relaxing spot for a windowside chat, the rest of the decor corresponding with an appropriately casual, laid-back attitude. However, you’ll notice that an element of grandeur has been preserved in this room, present in the elegant stained glass window!

​Stairs

This view shows the open stairs leading to the basement, component of the home that has been de-compartmentalized, now with more breathing room as it maintains an open relationship with the hallway.

​Modern decor

Colourful and light, this casual living space has all of the artistry of a Victorian space, with none of the pomp. Drawing on modern design that favours artwork in its many forms, this room becomes a blank canvas for the many attention-grabbing furnishings distributed throughout the space. Punchy colours jazz up the room, with plenty of space to shine against a light, neutral background palette.

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