Before and After: How one designer transformed an old Casa Loma semi into a Victorian-Parisian hybrid

The Place

A three-bedroom, two-bathroom semi near Casa Loma.

The History

In September of 2023, Amy Kaye of Fliphaus was staging this home in preparation for sale. The new owner, a mother with two children, loved Kaye’s work so much that she hired her to style the property. “At first it was just to spruce up the furniture,” Kaye says. “But it turned into a full-blown reno.”

Related: How a $1-million reno gave this High Park semi a second life

The owner wanted sleek finishes and rich textures with a feminine touch. “I would call it a blend of Victorian, Parisian and modern,” says Kaye. They beautified the front entrance, overhauled the kitchen, enlarged the two second-floor bedrooms and combined the two third-floor bedrooms into one grand suite with a walk-in closet. The team also levelled the top floor and upgraded the furnace and electrical work. The entire project took about eight months to complete.

The Tour

The foyer used to have a pair of French doors, but they were replaced with an open arch leading into the living room. “We wanted to incorporate some airiness,” she says. They also traded the dated parquet hardwood with oak. And though the fireplace remained untouched, Kaye surrounded it with a new window treatment, a velvet sofa from CB2, a plush Loloi rug and an alabaster concrete coffee table from Rove Concepts.

Next is the dining room. Here, Kaye swapped the rectangular dining table with an oak oval from Moe’s to echo the space’s curved windows. It’s paired with a chair set with rattan backs, adding some softness. That light fixture is from Light House Co.

The owner wanted the kitchen to be a dramatic conversation starter. This was accomplished in a few different ways. First, they moved the oven and microwave to the wall opposite the island, added a Venetian plaster hood, painted the cabinets a moody blue-black (from Farrow and Ball) and decked out the counters and backsplash in Calacatta Borghini polished stone. “It’s moody but also cozy,” she explains. The pendant above the old island was replaced with a pair of understated sconces from Restoration Hardware.

The second floor comprises two bedrooms with a large TV room between them plus a full bathroom. The team moved out the two bedroom walls to create closet space and continued the oak-floor motif.

Here’s one of the secondary bedrooms. On the far right is the added closet space. And in the background sits a new banquette with storage—ideal for a reading nook.

And now for the top floor, home to the new main suite, which used to be two bedrooms. The former window nook is now a walk-in closet with a makeup table. Kaye also designed a new lounge in the corner with an armchair, an arched mirror and a built-in desk with storage.

Lastly, here’s a peek inside the main bathroom. It was already in good shape, so Kaye made minor aesthetic upgrades, such as a new vanity, a pair of vertical sconces and floral wallpaper from House of Hackney. “The wallpaper is the show-stopper,” she says. “It’s a small amount of maximalism in an otherwise modern home.”

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