A 1890s Victorian in Toronto Goes Modern and Open
In Toronto property, a deep-seated Victorian with original details intact is the holy grail. After patiently looking at hundreds of houses, Quinn Hewitt and Christopher Sargent eventually found an 1895 Victorian at the Parkdale neighborhood. Although the house was in fantastic shape, it just didn’t fit the couple’s design. A year of renovations transformed this previously closed-off, six-bedroom home into an open and modern family space that brims with character.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Quinn Hewitt and Christopher Sargent; their infant son, Otiscats and cats Kaya and Loya
Location: Parkdale neighborhood of Toronto
Size: 2,500 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms plus office
That’s interesting: A sliding kitchen cabinet reveals a hidden staircase partially converted to a wine “basement.”
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
“We didn’t wish to do something which we were going to look back in in five decades and regret,” Hewitt says. “Our main aim was to mix the old and the new”
“We went with our guts,” says Sargent. “If it felt warm and right, then we trusted that. Actually, this is why a lot of the furniture we made ourselves had made or constructed in.”
Gray couch: P.M. 042, Pavilion; gray chair: Pavilion; orange chair: Living Arts Design; java table, L’Atelier, Toronto
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
The couple’s main aim was to keep anything original or usable intact during the renovation — from the woodwork to the stained glass and moldings. The original wood-burning fireplace has been stripped down to reveal the brick. The couple added a brand new hearth using vintage-inspired tile.
Art prints: The Paper Place
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
The dining room is the exclusion to the home’s light shade palette. The deep, moody navy nods to the property’s background and overlooks the sleek midcentury rosewood dining set and authentic chandelier.
Paint: Drawing Room Blue, Farrow & Ball; dining furniture: In Abstracto
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Inspired by French and Japanese kitchens, Sargent worked with Dylan Barlow Cabinets to design the cherrywood kitchen.
“I loved that there was original tin to the ceiling,” says Sargent. “Unfortunately, when I got back after a day of demolition, the contractor had removed it all and thrown it out!” He managed to locate an identical replacement.
Appliances: Miele; fridge: Sub-Zero; faucet: Waterworks; ceiling lights, Drop 1 Pendant, Design Within Reach; doorways: Ross Windows & Doors
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
A touch of exposed brick works using the decidedly sleek but warm kitchen palette. “We love midcentury modern architecture, also Fallingwater was a significant influence,” says Sargent.
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
A key wine cellar sits behind this bank of habit cabinets in the home’s authentic slave’s staircase. “We didn’t want to just tear out the old staircase even though we had covered up the staircase on the second floor with a bathroom,” says Hewitt.
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Instead, the couple had custom kitchen cabinets built that, when open, reveal the hidden staircase–turned– storage.
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
The key staircase is painted at the identical blue Farrow & Ball paint as the dining room, adding a hint of color to the cherrywood-toned kitchen.
Black Cabinets shops the couple’s wine.
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Hewitt and Sargent used to live in a converted loft and wanted to replicate the exact same open feeling in this house. There’s a view through the entire home and outside a window on each floor.
Seat: Vintage Allan Gould String
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Spectacular black painted brick modernizes the second-floor bath, using its original bathroom and claw-foot tub. The playful Eames Hang-It-All and teak-framed mirror talk to the couple’s love of midcentury design.
Things to know before painting brick
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Brass fixtures and span tile finish the bathroom.
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Baby Otis’ cozy and bright room is full of unique mementos the couple has found through time. “I found the letters in the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena,” Hewitt says.
Pendant: Nelson Saucer Lamp, Design Within Reach; mattress: Century, DwellStudio, Ella and Elliot; dresser: Ella and Elliot; poster: L’Atelier, Toronto; rocker: Machine Age Modern
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
After Hewitt and Sargent were renovating, a baby was not yet in their long run. Nevertheless, they knew that eventually this would be their family home. The second floor of the home has two bedrooms which are attached by a very small opening so prospective elephants could share secrets.
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Huge windows and oversized furniture command the second-floor living space.
Sofa: Tufted, Montauk; paint: Dix Blue, Farrow & Ball; cushions: L’atelier, Toronto; blanket: Mjolk; Paint: Tripod Floor Lamp, Design Within Reach; carpeting: Modern Weave
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
The bookshelves were constructed to coincide with the antique lab tables beneath — coupled with the elaborate windows and couch, these pieces create a gorgeous mix of industrial elegance and style.
Tables: Queen West Antique Centre; shelving: Treehouse Furniture, Toronto
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
A magnificant Serge Mouille three-arm ceiling light on the next floor illuminates the grand staircase.
Artwork: “The Well,” by Aron Wiesenfeld
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
The family enjoys hanging out to the third floor. “When we bought the house, it felt like a cave,” Sargent says. “We wanted to have our bedroom, so we extended the ceilings to the roofline and put in 2 skylights, a walk-in closet, master bath and workplace.”
Walnut built-ins from Treehouse Furniture at Toronto house the bed and plenty of storage. “It is definitely the latest area in the house,” says Hewitt. “It is a really fantastic feeling once we get home from traveling and we crash into our own bed, look out the skylights, and say to one another, ‘This is far better than any fancy resort we’ve stayed at!'”
Sconces: BL6, Bestlite
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Despite sloped ceilings, the master bathroom’s layout works flawlessly.
Running a modern layout into a century-old home has been the pair’s greatest challenge. “The hardest part was coming up with the new layout,” says Hewitt. “We needed to ascertain our priorities and demands, and made many lists on which we had been and weren’t willing to compromise on.”
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
A vintage teak credenza has been cleverly repurposed as a vanity.
Cabinetry: Dylan Barlow Cabinets
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
The few painted the outside trim charcoal gray and replaced all of the windows. But they were careful to keep the original stained glass and entrance door.
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Quinn Hewitt and Christopher Sargent shine a spotlight on Otis.
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