House of the Week: $1.95 million for Marjorie Harris’s garden escape in the Annex

Neighbourhood: The Annex
Price: $1,949,000 Size: 2,006 square feet plus a 666-square-foot basement Bedrooms: 3+1 Bathrooms: 4 Real estate agents: Beth Sulman, Sutton Group-Associates Realty

The place

A three-plus-one-bedroom, four-bathroom, two-unit Victorian semi with a verdant backyard that stretches 173 feet from the street. Since 1967, the place has belonged to journalist and garden guru Marjorie Harris. It’s within walking distance of Dupont and Bathurst stations, Casa Loma, several parks and the many businesses on Bloor.

The history

Harris and her husband bought the house as a place to raise their children. They renovated the interior over the years and fashioned it into two connected apartments in case they ever wanted a tenant or caretaker. The most important upgrade, though, was the backyard garden. After nurturing it for more than 50 years, Harris says letting go feels bittersweet: “The views of the garden from the dining room are irreplaceable.”

Related: $4 million for a Yorkville Victorian with a three-storey skylight tower

The tour

After passing through the front yard and sunroom, residents can take the stairs to the separate unit or hang a right toward the office and living space.

Here’s the office, which faces the sunroom and comes with a wall of closets.

Now for the banana-yellow living area, with a full grid of custom shelves.

Beyond the living area is the main kitchen, flanked by mirrored columns that give the illusion of added space.

The compact kitchen is equipped with just the essentials—plus a pretty cool electric cooktop and stainless steel oven.

There’s even a peanut gallery overlooking the dining area and backyard.

Here, the wall-to-wall folding glass doors frame the garden as if it were a painting. (We’ll revisit this later.)

Moving to the second floor reveals the open-concept space.

Here’s the second kitchen, illuminated by the alley window.

This space has floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, a dining table and a bay window overlooking the neighbourhood.

There’s also a bedroom at the rear of the second floor.

On the third floor: the main bedroom, which comes with a curved ceiling and putting-green-like carpeting.

Outside the bedroom by the staircase is a double-duty bathroom and laundry room.

In the sunken bedroom, there’s a network of bespoke shelves in lieu of a walk-in closet.

A neat freak’s paradise.

Behind the shelving is the ensuite bathroom, complete with a soaker tub, a tiled shower and a wide vanity.

Here’s a view of the rear of the home from the backyard.

And here’s what the garden looks when in bloom—a stunning bit of nature in the city.

Future residents have this to look forward to come spring.

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