How a $1-million reno transformed a frilly Rosedale mansion into a “home for adults”

The Place

A four-bedroom, four-plus-one-bathroom, 5,000-square-foot mansion in the heart of Rosedale.

The History

In 2018, the current owners of this classic Rosedale home asked interior designer Megan Crosbie to tour it on their behalf. They were based in Asia at the time, and their goal was to buy the real estate, renovate it and live in it eventually. The mansion’s maximalist aesthetic was dated: loud coffered ceilings, decorative Roman columns and garish wallpaper. A softer, airier, contemporary aesthetic was required. “It needed to be a home for adults,” Crosbie says. “And with no pets, my clients had the luxury of using lighter fabrics and finishes without concern.” The project took about a year, completing in 2024.

Related: How a Summerhill family preserved their heritage home while injecting contemporary pop

The Tour

The home’s front room serves as a double living room. Crosbie removed the ceiling decoration and repainted the walls in a neutral tone. She then sectioned off the space using a double-sided curved sofa from Pierre Frey, effectively creating two distinct lounges. One side faces the fireplace (re-clad in dark marble) and the other has two green Poliform chairs and floor-to-ceiling drapery.

Crosbie’s team also removed coffered ceilings in the dining room, plus its bulky California shutters. They installed a large round dining table as an anchor and layered the wood-burning fireplace with more marble. Given the room’s neutral palette, Crosbie figured that a kooky Bocci light fixture would bring a welcome pop of colour. Smoked white-oak flooring from Moncer completes the space.

The kitchen was previously equipped with shaker cabinets and decorative moulding. To achieve the owners’ vision of white, Crosbie chose flat-panel cabinets with panel-ready appliances. Her team also moved the fridge and freezer to an adjacent wall for better flow. Dotting the new space are linear pendants from Artemide, and the light above the sink is by Vancouver designer Matthew McCormick.

Crosbie wanted to tone down the former powder room, which came with mirror walls and a pedestal-base sink more appropriate for a bistro. She modernized the space with a custom vanity made entirely of stone, its faucet coated with a moody bronze finish. Those hanging lights are also Bocci.

The central staircase was a beloved feature of the old home, and maintaining its skylight effect was a priority. The problem was that its carpet runner and ornate posts felt heavy and stuffy. So Crosbie designed a floating staircase with glass rails and oak treads for some contemporary elegance.

For the main ensuite bathroom, the team moved the closet, allowing Crosbie to carve out vaulted ceilings and install two separate vanities. “A double vanity is nice,” she says, “but to truly have your own space is even nicer.” A central wall divider—clad in textured Moroccan zellige tiles—separates the toilet and the shower, and the new soaker bathtub stands by the original bay window.

Crosbie decreased the size of the already jumbo main bedroom to make space for the revamped ensuite. Here, she ripped out the old carpeting and replaced it with the same smoked white-oak floors as downstairs. Then she crafted a new lounge by the bay window.

Finally, here’s a peek inside one of the renovated secondary bedrooms, this one overlooking the street. It used to feel hulking, says Crobsie, because of its built-in furniture, wallpaper and shutters. Semi-sheer drapery, a neutral hue for the walls and a vintage Persian rug lightened it up just right.

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