“When my husband moved into my Beaches apartment, we realized we needed more space—so we rented the unit next door too”

Who: Tiffany Pratt, 45 Space: Two 1,200-square-foot two-bedroom apartments in the Beaches
Years spent renting: 18

I moved into my apartment in 2009. If you had told me then that I would still be here, I would have said you were crazy. I had spent the previous nine years living between my apartment in New York, where I worked as a personal shopper at Saks Fifth Avenue, and Connecticut, where my then-partner had bought a fixer-upper near Long Island Sound. But, by 2008, I was looking for a change of scenery. I decided to give Toronto a whirl—my sisters were living here, and I had visited numerous times and liked it.

I’d become accustomed to living by the water in Connecticut and was drawn to the Beaches. Specifically, I was smitten with a 1920s fourplex located steps from the lake. I signed a lease thinking I would stick around for a year. My unit was 1,200 square feet, with stained-glass windows and a fireplace. It was also in poor shape, with outdated finishings. That didn’t matter, though—I fell in love with the apartment and the area, and over the next 18 years, I slowly overhauled the unit. With my landlord’s blessing, I painted the whole place white (including the wood floors), changed every light fixture, and gutted the kitchen and bathroom.

I’m a designer, artist and creative director, so I see my apartment as a space to try out different ideas. I’ve re-painted, re-wallpapered and re-tiled at least 10 times. Along the way, I’ve regularly added new pieces of furniture and art that were gifts or that I found, either at vintage stores or on the street, and refurbished. But the biggest change came in 2019, when I met my husband-to-be. My dachshund, Poppy, had endeared herself to my next-door neighbour, who introduced me to her son. We fell in love. My apartment, which also serves as my workshop, wasn’t big enough for the two of us. We thought about buying a home, but I couldn’t bear to leave the Beaches, and as a self-employed creative, I didn’t want the costs and responsibilities of home ownership. I have no interest in clearing snow, repairing appliances and mowing the lawn, not to mention paying for things like maintenance and property taxes.

Related: How designer Tiffany Pratt turned a run-down Beaches apartment into a technicolour oasis

Luckily, there was an empty two-bedroom unit beside mine, so we rented that too. In the main apartment, we have our bedroom, kitchen and living area, and we use the other unit for my workspace, my husband’s home gym and storage. The crown jewel of the main apartment is an ornate rose quartz fireplace made by a Port Dover company called Trumeau Stones, which makes Renaissance-inspired fireplace replicas. The company’s owner didn’t know what to do with it. A friend of a friend told him about my apartment, and he reached out. Once I had the fireplace installed, I paired it with baby-pink-striped wallpaper and a pink velvet couch. The second unit also has a new fireplace: when the original 1920s one started to crack, we built a new one with a minimalistic white mantle. To make it more whimsical, I created an art installation in the mouth of the fireplace, with fabrics and flowers spilling out to mimic the look of an overflowing bouquet.

If there was one thing I would encourage renters—or anyone—to do, it would be to live for now, not for the future. Nothing is guaranteed, so make your apartment into a place you’re proud to call home, even if only temporarily.