House of the Week: $2.8 million for a Beaconsfield Village century home hidden by a wall of greenery

Neighbourhood: Beaconsfield Village
Price: $2.8 million
Last sold for: $327,000 in 2006
Size: 3,000 square feet
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 3
Agent: Suzanne Senst, Royal LePage

The place

A three-bedroom, three-bathroom century home on Argyle Street in Beaconsfield Village. Sitting on a 26-foot-wide lot, it comes with a pool, a lush garden and an addition overlooking the backyard. It’s also within walking distance of Little Portugal, Trinity Bellwoods Park and the many amenities of West Queen West.

The history

Built in 1898, this Victorian was purchased in 2006 by Michelle Donnelly, a creative director, and her husband. The house was crumbling to the ground at the time, so the two brought on Levitt Goodman Architects to restore it to its former glory—and then some. Donnelly took pains to restore the original features while adding plenty of contemporary touches, incorporating reclaimed woods, vintage fixtures and tasteful finishings.

Related: $7 million for a red-brick by Casa Loma with a staircase that looks like a sculpture

The tour

Walking through the front door, guests are greeted by this period-inspired library with narrow-plank floors. It’s sunken, which gives the space an added sense of grandeur. 

Ideal for bookworms and sleepy pooches, the room also features a retrofitted vintage bookshelf from Smash Salvage, rumoured to have come from an abandoned mansion in Rio de Janeiro.

Here’s a reverse view of the library, with tall bay windows theatrically set behind one of the house’s original arches. A gas fireplace warms the room from the hallway. Those support beams were designed to give the space more drama.

Down the hallway is the open kitchen, with a view of the living area and backyard.

While the appliances are all luxury and stainless steel, the details are vintage. For example, Donnelly reclaimed wood from the home’s original doors for the cabinets and pantry.

A quick detour to the adjacent powder room showcases a reclaimed schoolhouse sink and beehive ceramic flooring.

The living area comes with 10-foot industrial glass doors.

This block of re-milled barn board is the highlight of the space. It runs the width of the house and extends outside, above the soffit and up the addition.

Here’s what the addition looks like from the backyard.

At the heart of the garden is a dining area.

There’s a nine-by-18-foot pool hidden within the forest. 

Back inside, the staircase is equipped with a Victorian newel post.

The second-floor landing is flanked by two charming nooks.

Here’s a closer look at the reading nook outside the main bedroom. Donnelly relocated the original main floor fireplace mantel, which was no longer functional, and installed it here as an ornament.

In the main bedroom, light streams through the huge original windows. That’s a vintage dresser on the far wall, which Donnelly converted to a washing table with a sink.

A reverse view of the suite reveals the walk-in closet.

Now, a closer look at the walk-in. 

This is the second bedroom, overlooking the backyard

Donnelly set up the third bedroom as a study.

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