House of the Week: $1.6 million for a quaint duplex located at one of Little Italy’s busiest intersections

House of the Week: $1.6 million for a quaint duplex located at one of Little Italy’s busiest intersections

At 1,900 square feet, this semi comes with four floors, a jewel-box staircase, a main suite that looks like a tent and a courtyard out back

The jewel box staircase serves as the home's spine.

Neighbourhood: Little Italy
Price: $1,599,000
Size: 1,926 square feet
Bedrooms: 3+2
Bathrooms: 3
Real estate agent: Shane Little, The Richards Group


The place

A newly renovated three-plus-two-bedroom, three-bathroom semi with two units at College and Euclid. Along with Little Italy’s many shops and restaurants, the place is a short walk from Trinity Bellwoods Park, Kensington Market and Chinatown. It also has easy access to several bike lanes, streetcar lines and bus routes.

The history

The current owners bought the property in 2017 and lived on its second and third floors while renting the main floor and basement, generating an income of up to $65,000 per year. They also renovated the place extensively: paving a front patio, painting the façade black, laying new flooring throughout and installing a sleek glass staircase. They recently became parents and are now on the hunt for a larger space, leaving a versatile pad that can work as a family home, an investment property or both.

Related: $5.3 million for a Trinity Bellwoods semi with a zigzag staircase and its own laneway suite

The tour

The owners added a front-patio fence for privacy and to keep little ones safe from street traffic.

This property almost looks like a country home, dropped down in the middle of the big city.

First, the bottom unit: the foyer has mahogany flooring and a storage unit.

The foyer has mahogany floors.

Here’s the living room, featuring a Sputnik chandelier.

A classic Toronto living room layout.

The living room opens to this bedroom, which fits a king-sized bed. This space could also be fashioned as an office.

There's a bedroom attached to the living room.

Down the hall is the kitchen, finished with custom cabinets and crown moulding.

This room is more cabinets than kitchen.

This is the dining area. That door leads to the courtyard.

There's a dining area in the kitchen too.

A quick detour to the basement foyer reveals the unit’s separate entrance.

The current owners rented out the basement (entrance pictured) and the main floor while occupying the second and third floors.

Downstairs also comes with this bedroom as well as an office and a second family room.

Here's one of the basement bedrooms.

Now a look at the main unit on floors two and three. Here’s the living area, complete with 10-foot ceilings and west-facing street views.

This is the second floor, where the main unit starts.

Turn around to see the kitchen, equipped with a two-seat island and cabinets that match its downstairs counterpart.

The kitchen a mini version of its counterpart downstairs.

This is the secondary bedroom.

Here's one of the main unit's secondary bedrooms.

The main bathroom is chic—an alcove tub with a rainfall shower head and matte-black accents, a glowing mirror, and white all over.

Note the elevated tub and matte black glass shower.

Here’s another look at the glass staircase, which separates the living room from the kitchen.

The glass staircase is the home's centrepiece.

With its vaulted ceiling and treetop views, the main bedroom feels like a tent in the sky.

The main suite feels like a tent in the sky.

A pleasant space for working or relaxing in downward dog.

A closer look at the office.

Finally, a view of the courtyard: a respite from the downtown bustle.

The charming courtyard


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