Before & After
February 8, 2023
Before & After: A Thoughtful Renovation For A Young Family That Loves To Entertain
When homeowners Yael and Michael purchased their 3,000-square-foot detached home in Toronto’s Lytton Park, the parents of four had all of the typical wants of a young family: room for kids to run around, zones for entertaining and loads of storage. But one thing was a non-negotiable — they needed two of everything in the kitchen. “Our clients are an orthodox Jewish family, so their kitchen needed to be kosher, meaning two dishwashers, two sinks and two ovens. This lead to very thoughtful design choices in a smaller space,” says Jordy Fagan, co-founder of design firm Collective Studio. “We love for our spaces to feel homey, but also pride ourselves on maximizing space and using every corner in a thoughtful way,” adds co-founder Alana Firestone.
We chatted with the design firm to learn about how they injected their signature design moves into the newly revamped space. Scroll down!
Before: The front hallway was a mishmash of smaller storage closets that lacked cohesion and efficiency.
House & Home: How did you maximize space in the front hallway?
Collective Studio: We replaced old closets with custom floor-to-ceiling storage which now serves as a full coat closet for guests, plus overflow space for small kitchen appliances, cleaning supplies and miscellaneous household items.
Before: A classic living room located off the front hall needed new floors and trim, but was otherwise a blank canvas for a fresh coat of paint, contemporary furniture and bold art.
H&H: What was your vision for the new living room?
CS: Most of our younger clients with kids are opting to move away from the traditional living room, but this couple still wanted a designated adult zone for entertaining. Large abstract art and a new fireplace brought a modern update to the room, and a caramel-hued sofa ties in with the home’s neutral palette.
H&H: Tell us more about this fabulous living room corner!
CS: This client had bright art so we laid a neutral base for the art to be the centre of attention. The joint living and dining area had a ‘bowing alley’ feel. To break up the space and avoid the rooms competing against each other, we added these ribbed glass dividers which add so much architectural interest. The table belonged to our client’s grandmother, so we had it slightly stained to match the wood throughout the rest of the house. We love reimagining old pieces!
H&H: What was the biggest change you made during the renovation?
CS: Flipping the kitchen and family room!
H&H: We featured a curved pantry from one of your projects in our March 2022 issue. Why did you decide to do one here?
CS: There’s a lot of traffic coming in and out of the family room and mudroom. With young kids running around this corner, designing a soft curved pantry worked with the flow of the space.
Before: The old L-shape kitchen presented a lot of challenges. “By flipping the room and moving the range and fridge to the largest wall, it gave us more real estate to squeeze in everything we needed” says Alana.
H&H: What was your vision for the new kitchen?
CS: It’s a very modern, high contrast space which is the style that our clients love. We tend to do a lot of mixing which is one of our signature looks. This island is a beautiful oak stained black, the range hood is a patinated metal, the white cabinets are painted MDF and the pantry is wood veneer. By not sticking to one color or material, we add a lot of interest and depth to our spaces.
H&H: How did you come up with the design for the island?
CS: This was our first time doing a banquette off of an island, and it allowed us to make room for a kitchen table. If you look closely, we added a mitered lip on the counter which is a clever way to avoid spills on the banquette.
H&H: What was the biggest challenge you faced?
CS: It’s not a huge kitchen so it was challenging to work around a second sink, fridge, freezer and two dishwashers. Our best tip to achieve a cohesive look in a compact kitchen is to spend the money on fully integrated appliances. Here, the second 18″ dishwasher is tucked away next to the second sink.
Having a double wall oven and a small appliance cabinet was ideal for the homeowners who love to cook. “Entertaining friends, family and community is central to our living,” says homeowners Yael and Michael.
Before: The former living room was spacious but didn’t maximize space. “For a TV wall, you don’t need as much space as you might think. At the end of the day, it’s just a place to watch a show or movie,” says Jordy.
The new family room is a cozy area to gather. Built-in storage on either side of The Frame TV lets them hide kids toys and display their books and objets.
H&H: Is there one thing you think every room should have?
CS: Texture – our favorite! In the family room we added a wood veneer feature wall which is the same material used on the curved pantry. We love mixing materials when we can.
Before: The generously sized principal bathroom invited Collective Studio to get creative with architectural details, storage and texture. Keep scrolling to see how they totally transformed this bathroom!
The principal bathroom wows with an arched shower door, a double ribbed vanity and a freestanding tub and linen closet.
H&H: What was your client’s biggest splurge?
CS: They were always adding custom millwork to the main floor but we advised them to add it in the upstairs bathrooms as well. As you can see, it was worth it!
Before: When Yael and Michael purchased the home, they knew this would be a shared kids’ bathroom, so maximizing space while keeping things cost-effective was top of mind.
H&H: What a transformation! How did you manage to stay on budget in this space?
CS: We chose very affordable bathroom materials but designed them in interesting ways so it looked high end. Staggered subway tile and two-tone walls are two budget-friendly bathroom ideas.
H&H: What are your best tips for designing a functional mudroom?
CS: Get creative with the space you have! If you don’t have the depth for deep drawers, put in shelves with integrated hardware and get organized with baskets for each kid, a spot for wet boots and wall hooks for everyday jackets and bags. During demolition, we discovered a nook in the wall and decided to use the 6″ of space for Ikea shoe storage that looks built-in and custom.
Niamh Barry
Collective Studio