How a Summerhill family preserved their heritage home while injecting contemporary pop

The Place

A four-bedroom, three-bathroom detached house in Summerhill.

The History

In the spring of 2023, a young family with two kids purchased this house and immediately started renovating. They reached out to Natasha and Luca Penzo of Urban Blueprint to execute the work, also partnering with interior designer Vicky Frost. Their clients’ goal was to keep the home’s heritage feel while adding contemporary elements and embracing a maximalist ethos to display the owners’ collection of art and antiques.

The biggest changes happened on the main floor, which was entirely redone, including the foyer, living room, dining room, kitchen, family room and powder room. The second-floor bathrooms also got a glow-up. The renovations began in September of 2023 and finished a year later.

Related: How a family transformed their dated Woodbridge townhouse into a moody delight

The Tour

The property’s whole exterior was refinished: painting the brick, updating the windows, rebuilding the porch with natural flagstone and re-jigging the roofline to emphasize the Georgian architectural style. There’s even an antique duck door-knocker—a vintage find.

The old foyer had tiled floors from the 1990s. They’ve since been updated with a classic-meets-modern checkerboard marble pattern. The old wood staircase railing has also been swapped with a metal design. Note the Fornasetti cloud wallpaper on the ceiling.

There used to be a gas fireplace insert in the living room, but the team converted it back to wood-burning since the home still had a working chimney. The space then got a fresh coat of green paint to match the grasscloth wallpaper opposite the bay window. As for the pot lights, the owners opted for wall sconces above the fireplace instead.

Moving to the kitchen, its original footprint was increased by extending the steps down to the family room by about two feet. The team added new green cupboards in a high-gloss finish and paired them with a Calacatta Verde marble counter and backsplash.

The old kitchen also had glass cabinets above the peninsula, but the reno removed them for better sight lines. Those same marble checkerboard tiles from the foyer run through the kitchen, and that custom hood vent was painted with a special technique to look like brass.

Now for the dining room. The family wanted an eat-in kitchen table, so the designers incorporated this charming L-shaped banquette with a channelled back and bamboo-style dining chairs—crowned by a chandelier from Julie Neill.

The new family room features a completely reworked wall of shelving as well as a marble Napoleon fireplace topped by a Samsung Frame TV.

The designers also added two-tier crown moulding and a waffle ceiling.

Before heading upstairs, let’s visit the powder room. It was updated with a custom Calacatta Viola marble vanity, floral wallpaper, brass fixtures (they’re un-lacquered, so they’ll develop a natural patina over time) and a brass-framed mirror.

Moving to the second floor reveals the upgraded main bathroom. The old version came with a corner tub that has since been removed to make way for a double vanity. There’s a large glass shower to its right, benches on either side and a new skylight above.

Finally, here’s a peek inside the former laundry room, which is now a children’s shared bathroom. It has a tub shower, a large linen closet and a double vanity with two custom pull-out stools for the kids built in. Mint-green penny round floors with a coral-pink border inlay complete the look.

Stoked about your staging? Recently finished a renovation? Send your story to realestate@torontolife.com.