Old Vic

Isaac Langleben and Jacqueline Prehogan found each other in 2009 and bonded over their mutual love of pugs. In 2014, they launched Open Farm, an ethically sourced pet food company, and Jacqueline also runs a snazzy dog apparel line called Canada Pooch. For years, she and Isaac rented in the Annex, assuming they couldn’t afford to buy nearby.

Then, in 2016, they discovered a crumbling 4,500-square-foot Victorian semi in the neighbourhood and scooped it up. For two years, they saved enough to transform it into their dream house, enlisting architect Richard Wengle and interior designer Jessica Neilas of Wolfe ID in the summer of 2018.

The reno was supposed to take a little over a year and a half, during which Jacqueline and Isaac rented a house to live in and had their daughter. When Covid delayed the project, they bunked with Jacqueline’s parents for the last stretch, then finally moved back into their house last August.

Today, the family hang out in the open-concept kitchen, where Isaac has been perfecting his vegetarian carbonara. And they spend as much time as possible in their new basement gym—which has been especially convenient during lockdown—to help work off all the carbs and cream.

The kitchen has a marble waterfall island and an integrated wood counter. “Isaac is a really great cook—I’m an excellent cleaner,” says Jacqueline:

Jacqueline and Isaac added a waffled ceiling, white-oak herringbone floors and black industrial flourishes:

In the dining area, Jacqueline and Isaac recreated the old-school Victorian ceiling medallions that they loved in the original home:

They have three pugs—Duncan, Maddie and Bella. “People buy me pug-themed everything,” says Jacqueline. “I’m the crazy pug lady.”

The sunken living room—which used to house a kitchenette with a toilet and washing machine—has 12-and-a-half-foot ceilings and full-length windows:

The light fixture and felt elephant in their daughter’s room are from Restoration Hardware:

“The pugs are on every Zoom call,” says Jacqueline, who works from this desk in her bedroom, while the dogs hang out nearby on an ottoman at the foot of the bed, with plush blankets:

Meanwhile, Isaac works out of a separate office upstairs:

The master bathroom is Jacqueline’s Zen space:

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The basement has eight-foot ceilings and includes a rec room, a home gym and a more appropriate home for a washer and dryer:

Jacqueline and Isaac work out four times a week. The wall that looks like back-lit wood is trompe l’oeil wallpaper from Rollout:

In the warmer months, Isaac and Jaqueline spend lots of time in the backyard, with a newly added pool, a deck and an outdoor kitchen, where Isaac barbecues. “Isaac’s idea of a great afternoon is hanging out outside and smoking a brisket for 20 hours,” says Jacqueline.