Not everybody could see it at first, but this townhouse had the charm Aleksandra Oleksak was searching for. A Toronto Realtor having a love of renovations, Oleksak was looking for a quirky older home to upgrade when she found this dilapidated townhouse. Five months of remodeling resulted in a beautiful house that combined her favorite design thoughts. Tearing down the walls that are outdated, exposing first brick, which makes the ceilings lofted and using several favorite gray hues helped Oleksak bring the home’s beauty and personality to life.
in a Glance
Designed for: Aleksandra Oleksak
Location: Junction Triangle area of Toronto
Size: 1,200 square feet, not including cellar
Price: $80,000 for the Entire renovation
Photography by Joseph K. Muscat
Joseph K Muscat Photography
Oleksak had no idea what lay beneath the crumbling drywall, but her contractors revealed an initial brick fireplace in the living area. It works, but Oleksak enjoys having it on screen. Brick selectively exposed throughout the rest of the house helps carry the structure’s history through the new layout.
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The coffee table is a hundred-year-old mill cart Creative Works. Gray stained pine flooring flows from the living room through the main floor.
Couch: Leons; window treatments: Ikea; wall paint: Pewter Gray, CIL Paint; light fixture: West Elm
Before Photo
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BEFORE: The first entryway took guests down a narrow hallway, past the staircase, where eventually they could enter the kitchen, living and dining spaces. The closed-off design made the spacious home feel bigger.
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AFTER: The living area’s nook currently feels cozy but not cramped, as a result of some new, open principal floor.
Oleksak tore down the inside walls with this ground, starting with a clean slate. Many of the home’s first details had been covered up or destroyed during preceding renovations, but she was able to save the initial molding in the dining and living rooms.
Light fixture: HomeSav; window treatments: Ikea
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Some fiddling and creativity led in this unique light fixture — it is Oleksak’s combination of West Elm cords, Home Depot cover plates and chrome-tipped Morba bulbs.
The dining table combines several separate pieces, too. Oleksak’s mother had the glass left over from an old table, and artisan Steve Wallin custom melded the steel base.
Before Photo
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BEFORE: Oleksak claimed the first kitchen’s design, to prevent moving any plumbing and to cut back on cost.
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AFTER: Although she initially wanted an island, Oleksak immediately realized that it would be a tight squeeze in this space with the fridge against the far wall. Instead she opted for a peninsula, which keeps the main walkway open but nevertheless provides extra seats and counter area.
Cabinetry, sink: Ikea; fridge: Whirlpool French Door; oven, hood: Whirlpool; pub stools: Urban Barn
Joseph K Muscat Photography
The kitchen’s high-gloss Ikea cabinetry contrasts with the gray stained wood flooring, adding to the home’s subtly rustic but modern mix. Sticking with Ikea cabinetry and getting a deal on granite from a friend helped Oleksak cut kitchen costs down to $10,000.
Placing the majority of the cabinetry on one side of the kitchen made extra room for a cabinet next to the fridge on the opposite side of the space.
Before Photo
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BEFORE: The staircase inside the front entryway leads up into two bedrooms plus a home office on the next floor. Although she debated tearing down the staircase, Oleksak decided to update it for a more modern appearance and direct access into the cellar.
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AFTER: The brand new customized staircase was one of Oleksak’s select splurges, costing roughly $1,500. A brand new cedar banister fits the corner pole. The combination of walnut wood risers and tradition metal stringers from Ignac Blacksmith keep the home’s unique rustic and modern appearance.
Before Photo
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BEFORE: Half walls, fluorescent light and dark wood trim made the older cellar feel suffocating. To top it off, the space could be retrieved only from outside the home.
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The Ikea kitchen island which came with the home is now a bar-console from the cellar. The brand new cedar and walnut staircase today leads down from the main floor.
Carpet: dark gray industrial, Diana Flooring
Before Photo
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BEFORE: Although the lawn was already lined with pavers and came with a desk and seats, it needed some tidying up.
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AFTER: Oleksak designed modern fencing with engineered wood cut lengthwise and attached to fence posts horizontally. Low-maintenance plantings fit her need for a simple garden layout.
Umbrella: Lowe’s; dishware: HomeSense
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In the upstairs office, Oleksak had walnut barn doors completed with a unique pine stain to tie in with all the gray stained hardwood flooring. Boat hooks instead of handles add to the rustic appearance. These magnificent, antique-style doors cost about $50 altogether.
Wall paint: Pewter Gray, CIL Paint; mirror: Ikea; dining table: refinished antique
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Oleksak wanted to earn a loft ceiling in the bedroom the potential proved to be a huge reason she bought the home. The labour and materials for the loft ceiling cost about $700.
A French door found on the street became a headboard using fresh paint. Carefully exposed first brick adds warmth to the cool color palette.
Wall paint: Pewter Gray, CIL Paint; curtains: Ikea; dresser: classic, refinished by Re: Creative Works
Before Photo
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BEFORE: Although the bathroom was not her fashion, Oleksak didn’t gut the master toilet, saving cash by working with the existing tile.
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A brand new gray wall color contrasts with the bathroom’s preexisting tile. Oleksak had her contractors put in two Kohler sinks and taps in an antique dresser, which makes it a unique and functional vanity. Using the classic dresser, talented sinks and existing tile kept the toilet budget in only $1,000.
Wall paint: Tweed, CIL Paint
Before Photo
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BEFORE: Although it needed some TLC, Oleksak immediately appreciated the townhouse’s charm — as well as its front and centre parking place and low-maintenance front lawn and backyard.
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AFTER: A fresh coat of Oleksak’s favorite neutral (gray, naturally) makes the home feel more modern. Her contractors also custom designed a brand-new railing for the front porch.
Exterior paint: Nile Sand, Behr
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Free of trash cans and crap, the front porch is currently a welcome place where she can watch the world go by.
The entire remodel was completed in five months — thanks in great part to Oleksak’s contractors and help from her mother, Margaret Rellinger, and her boyfriend, Amir Shahi.
“We’re on our hands and knees for two weeks straight,” says Oleksak. “Staying up until midnight, cleaning, staining, sanding, caulking — anything, really, that we could do to assist the contractors speed across the process so I could move in faster.”
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