Condo of the Week: $1.5 million for a Beaches loft with a floor made out of a hammock

Neighbourhood: The Beaches
Price: $1,550,000
Size: 1,200 square feet, plus a 200-square-foot patio
Bedrooms: 1+1
Bathrooms: 2
Agents: Ashley Wojcik and Rachel Levy

The history

Completed in 2005 by Streetcar Developments, this 12-unit loft complex with a stacked parking garage is known for bringing a more urban feel to the family-oriented Beaches. Surrounded by amenities, the building is steps from countless restaurants and shops and a short walk from Woodbine Park and Ashbridge’s Bay, with proximity to a half-dozen bus and streetcar routes. 

Related: $599,000 for a Stockyards industrial loft in a former tannery

The place

Designer and builder Damon Snider purchased this unit in February 2020 with the intention of upgrading the traditional industrial loft into something spectacular and then flipping it. The renovations—which included a cocktail pantry, a hammock floor and a 12-foot catwalk, to name a few—were indeed special, but the slow pandemic market forced Snider to hang on to the property. Now engaged to realtor and co-owner Ashley Wojcik, he’s putting the home up for sale, furnishings and all, with an eye to finding a baby-friendly pad.

The tour

Here’s the view of the open-concept main floor from the foyer, featuring nine-foot window walls that lead to the patio.

This pantry was built by Snider. Used as a liquor cabinet, it comes with hand-laid exposed brick and an antique car grille that has been converted into a light. 

The stacked washer-dryer is hidden in a closet next to the pantry.

The first-floor bathroom comes with a glass shower and a floating vanity.

To the left of the foyer is the professional-grade kitchen: touch cabinets, Caesarstone counters, an island that seats four, open shelving, a panelled fridge and a stainless steel Dacor gas cooktop. 

Just beyond the kitchen is the living and dining area, which features wide-plank engineered hardwood flooring and a striking dining table by Flemish designer Dirk Wynants, alone worth $14,000 (US). That light in the background is a real streetlamp converted for home use.

Here is a tighter view of the streetlamp.

Snider always wanted the loft’s skylights to highlight his wacky-yet-functional touches. Yes, that’s the hammock floor, suspended across the catwalk. More on that later. 

Walking through the south-facing glass doors reveals the the 200-square-foot patio, which is meant to have a “Miami vibe,” according to Wojcik. It’s fully furnished and has large-format porcelain tiles, a custom lamp and a hybrid smoker-grill from Manitoba Mennonite company Black Earth Grills.

The wood-and-metal staircase is original and leads to the main bedroom. (Snider added the strip lights for some drama.) That Toronto phone booth underneath? It’s now a multi-device charging station.

A row of bespoke closets separates the bedroom from the bathroom. Other quirks include corrugated metal walls, more LED lighting and a log bench made from a tree Snider cut down outside his first home.

Here’s the view from the bedroom.

The ensuite bathroom has a floating vanity, exposed brick and one of the condo’s few doors. 

Snider subbed the original bathtub for a porcelain-tiled glass shower with a rainfall head. 

The catwalk is hand-welded.

There’s a tiny office and exercise space at the end of the catwalk. 

The hammock floor is something else.

And the rooftop offers a dazzling, unobstructed view of the east end, Lake Ontario and the distant skyline.

Have a home that’s about to hit the market? Send your property to realestate@torontolife.com.