How a stager revived a stuffy Windsor Arms condo

Address: 22 St. Thomas Street
Listed for: $4,449,000

The property

A 3,500-square-foot, two-bedroom unit in the Windsor Arms Residences. There are only two units on the floor, each with nine-foot ceilings, hardwood floors and a spacious terrace. The owners are an older couple who have lived here since the 1990s. They bought the place when the residences were being built and never updated any of the decor. The property is still on the market.

The stager

Roz Page grew up in London, U.K., where her family owned a textiles company. “I always say I was born with a piece of gossamer between my fingers,” she says. She studied interior design at Parsons School of Design in New York, and launched her company, Creative Interiors, in Toronto nearly 30 years ago. Today, she offers staging, interior design and project management services—and proudly brings a bit of European flair to her clients’ properties.

The strategy

When Page came across this property, it was quite dated. The furniture was heavy and dark, and there was bright yellow silk wallpaper covering most of the living area’s walls. “It felt dim, even though it was a fairly bright unit,” she says. She painted the walls a soft grey, and whitewashed all the trim. “A lot of people just paint everything white, but I find it’s too stark and cold,” she says.

Because of the high asking price, Page figured the buyers would probably be empty nesters coming from a large Rosedale or Forest Hill home. She kept the colour scheme neutral. “It won’t offend anyone that way,” she says. Since the unit has a traditional look, she chose furniture that wasn’t overly trendy.

In the family room, Page repainted the wooden fireplace surround and replaced all the knobs on the cabinetry. She brought in an elegant sofa set and used a piece of abstract art to add a pop of colour. “We had to use large pieces of art because of the size of the space,” she says.

The foyer opens up onto an open living area surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows (here’s a snapshot of when it was yellow). Page added a reading area with a south-facing view of the University of Toronto and Queen’s Park.

Page kept the owners’ crystal chandelier in the dining room. She mimicked the style of the vintage table that used to be there, but used a lighter yew wood, instead:

In the master bedroom, Page removed the floral wallpaper and painted the walls and the wooden ceiling beams. She also added blackout blinds. The headboard, bed and linens are from her personal collection: