This couple transformed a basement suite into a colourful paradise
They used the profits from selling their condo to go wild with the design
When artist and wedding officiant Ryookyung Kim and senior risk management manager Phil Chan got together a decade ago, they pulled a Goldilocks, living in three neighbourhoods before buying a condo: North York was passable, Yorkville was too loud and Swansea was just right.
So, in 2020, with help from both of their parents, the couple slapped down $640,000 for a 900-square-foot two-bedroom unit on Lake Shore Boulevard. At the time, real estate returns were promising and interest rates were low.
Four years later, however, the situation had changed. By 2023, their mortgage payments had almost doubled, and later that year, their monthly maintenance fees rose by 20 per cent.
Sustaining these ever-increasing costs felt impossible. Most of Ryookyung’s friends lived in the east end, so any form of socialization involved a lengthy crosstown commute. Plus, the Gardiner’s incessant traffic noise was beginning to grate.
In 2024, over dinner at Ryookyung’s parents’ house in Richmond Hill, the couple joked about moving into the basement of the classic cookie-cutter three-storey suburban home. It was an unfinished but spacious 1,200 square feet, and the walkout sliding door would be convenient for walking their dog, Sylvi. (They also have two cats, Aggie and Arti.)
Ryookyung’s parents didn’t take it as a joke and immediately agreed to the arrangement. So the couple decided to sell their condo and invest the profits into transforming the rent-free basement into the sleek, colour-drenched living space of their dreams. Within two months, they had sold the condo and moved in with Phil’s parents, enlisting architect Suhaib Arnaoot and associate designer Dakota Wares-Tani of the firm One:1 Designs to go nuts. The assignment? Something joyful, minimalist and cutting-edge.
“We wanted it to feel like an apartment, not a basement,” says Ryookyung. For design inspiration, the pair went on YouTube binges, finding inspiration in popular architecture channels like Never Too Small, which highlights elegantly designed minimalist micro-homes. “We wanted coziness and character with pops of colour,” says Phil. The vivid blue Ligne Roset Togo sofa, found at eclectic Queen Street East vintage shop the Apartment, kicked off the stylistic direction for the basement. Every design decision that followed was based on how well it would complement the couch. “That sofa is $13,000 brand new, and we paid $8,000 for it,” says Phil. “It was our first foray into introducing colour, before we were into Japandi neutrals.”
Also crucial was a layout that felt spacious, but with enough privacy to accommodate overnight pals. “It was important to have a workspace for Phil that can be converted to a guest room when we have out-of-town friends over,” says Ryookyung.
To let more light into the subterranean space, the original windows were enlarged and a new window for the bedroom was added at the side of the house.
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Even though the design is minimalist, they didn’t want it to feel stark. To bring in warmth, the designers used birch wood as a calm anchor for the bright blasts of red, green, pink and blue that animate the space. The living room wall consists of custom birch millwork, including a stylish archway by Langmaid Cabinets. While Ryookyung’s parents didn’t necessarily “get” some of the design-forward decisions, like the arch, they gave them carte blanche to go as wild as they wanted. “They like the finished product, but they still can’t see past their conventional tastes,” says Ryookyung, who maintains that the arch softens the space and just feels right.
The cabinetry melds seamlessly into the kooky kitchen, which sports a coffee nook, a rippled red island base and a birch hood vent. “I have my dream kitchen,” says Phil. The green cabinet pulls are made from painted walnut. “It’s such a warm and unexpected moment,” he says.
The “spine,” the nickname for the wall that divides the public and private areas, conceals boxy ductwork. Beyond the arched wall are the couple’s bedroom, a storage area, two bright bathrooms (hello, pink and blue), and a laundry area. In the winter, they use the main entrance of the house to get to the basement, but in the summer they have the walkout sliding door as their own private entrance.
“There’s a lot of flow and movement and energy exchange,” says Ryookyung, whose brother, sister and sister’s boyfriend also live upstairs, making it a seven-person intergenerational household. “There’s shared labour, such as snow shovelling and yardwork, which means less strain on my parents. And I like being near them as they’re getting older.” Plus, the home has built-in pet sitters for when the couple wants to plan a getaway.
However, it’s not an open-door free-for-all. The family texts first before popping downstairs and vice versa. “We actually come upstairs more often, like if we need to borrow an onion,” says Phil. The close-knit gang convenes for board-game nights and weekly dinners upstairs.
Though they’re farther from downtown than in their condo, the close relationship with family makes up for their lack of proximity to friends. “Interestingly enough, we feel less isolated than we did in our previous space,” says Phil. “Our trips downtown have become more intentional because of the distance. Plus, driving down the DVP feels easier than driving across town on the Gardiner.”
The renovations cost nearly $290,000—more than the total profits of the condo sale but still less than the average cost of a home. “My parents had concerns about some of our decisions, mostly around cost,” says Ryookyung. “They said, ‘Why not do what is cheapest?’ But we were intentional and slow about the process and wouldn’t compromise.”
Now that they’re settled in after moving last July, Phil and Ryookyung can’t imagine ever leaving. “We got to build our dream home without purchasing the land, which in the GTA is a massive privilege,” says Phil. While it took some time to get used to sleepy Richmond Hill, both are enjoying the new pace. “I get the hustle of the city when I go to the office two days a week, and the other days it’s peaceful and quiet,” says Phil.
But they say the biggest perk is probably living rent-free. “I’m going to be debt-free in five years,” says Phil. “It’s a dream come true.”
Iris Benaroia is a contributing writer to Toronto Life with a focus on interior design and lifestyle. Her stories also appear in House & Home, Style at Home, the National Post, Maclean’s, Elle Gourmet and HGTV.
