House of the Week: $7 million for a red-brick by Casa Loma with a staircase that looks like a sculpture

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The place

A classic Toronto home recently renovated into a luxury five-bedroom with loads of natural light. Located in the tranquil South Hill neighbourhood, the house is a short walk to the sprawling Sir Winston Churchill Park, the St. Clair streetcar, and the hustle and bustle of Avenue Road.

The history

The current owners, both executives working in fashion tech, purchased this century home in March of 2021 during one of the pandemic lockdowns. Immediately, they hired Toronto firm Studio AC, as well as design-and-construction company GV & Co, to spearhead a major renovation. Over the next year, they restored the house’s brick shell, redid the flooring, added space in the south wing and constructed a majestic three-storey central staircase. They then accented everything with travertine and blue marine marble, inspired by the Maison Margiela and Celine brands. In March of 2022, the owners moved to England to pursue new job opportunities, leaving their project ready for someone else to enjoy.

The tour

The house is on a corner lot, with driveways on its north and west sides. That giant bay window is new, as are many of the skylights.

A custom curved staircase—echoing Frank Gehry’s stunner at the AGO—greets guests in the foyer and rises through the ceiling. On the right is the living room, featuring a gas fireplace with white oak surround.

The living room flows into the professional-grade kitchen, which features micro-cement walls and a full suite of Gaggenau appliances. Wall-to-wall sliding windows the size of billboards let in the light and lead to the backyard.

On the other side of the staircase is an all-purpose space (new owners are free to turn it into a dining room or a library, for example) with built-in shelves, white oak herringbone floors and access to the street—all under an arched 10-foot ceiling.

Another view, this time from the second-floor landing, of the gawk-worthy staircase.

The main bedroom overlooks the backyard.

Attached to the main bedroom is not simply a walk-in closet but a massive dressing room fit for a tailor, with loads of storage and an aquamarine countertop island.

Here’s the ensuite bathroom, with a super-long vanity and an arched entrance.

Down the hall is one of the other bedrooms. It has a new corner window.

Now the south-wing addition: it has a double-height glass atrium with corner windows, sharp black trim and matching hand-laid brick.

Here’s a full view of the huge backyard, fenced in and verdant, which is rare for this part of town.

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