City Homes
A Tired Fourplex Is Transformed Into an Elegant Single-Family Home
Published on March 26, 2026
The Toronto home of e-commerce entrepreneur Diandra Guglielmello and health tech entrepreneur Paulo Gomes is built around entertaining. After guests shed their coats in the foyer, they enter a front hall where library panelling conceals a powder room, a staircase leads upstairs to the bedrooms, and an open plan — encompassing the living, dining and family rooms — spreads out invitingly. “We love to host, but our previous house was a narrow semi,” says Diandra. “We simply didn’t have the space to entertain.”
Even though the goal was clear, the path wasn’t easy. Paulo and Diandra found a house with the right footprint — 3,500 square feet — but the 100-year-plus structure had, at some point, been chopped up into four apartments. They hired Lindsay Mens, who worked with designer Haley Dermenjian on the renovation project. “It was basically a hodgepodge of small rooms,” says Lindsay. “It had to be taken back to the studs.”
If visitors are lucky, either Diandra or one of the couple’s two girls will be playing the grand piano that sits in a bay window overlooking the tree-lined Annex neighbourhood, and a fire may be crackling in the fireplace nearby. It’s a domestic scene the family couldn’t imagine until recently.
Designers Haley Dermenjian (left) and Lindsay Mens of TOM Design Collective.
The process was eased by the fact that Lindsay has been friends with Diandra and Paulo for years. She met Paulo at university more than two decades ago. Later, she helped design his first condo, then the semi he shared with Diandra. “Our friendship means we understand each other well,” says Lindsay. “I knew Diandra and Paulo wanted something sophisticated and timeless but also youthful. That’s why the palette is so fresh.”
Homeowners Diandra Guglielmello and Paulo Gomes
The kitchen is tucked at the back of the house but suffused with natural light, thanks to a wall of windows with classic black sashes.
This mix is evident in the kitchen. Rather than opting for something stark and high-contrast that would date quickly, Lindsay chose an off-black island and putty-coloured uppers. “It’s warm and cosy, and it looks nice with the herringbone floors, which are always elegant and in style,” she says.
An archway off the kitchen leads to a bar and pantry.
Modern touches keep the home feeling current, including the minimalist white oak millwork in the family room and the new windows at the back of the house. Working with Post Architecture, Lindsay and Haley introduced black-framed glazing on the exterior and extended the living quarters on the second and third floors. “Diandra and I were inspired by New York brownstones, and it made everything so much brighter,” says Lindsay.
The dark wood dining table is softened by bouclé dining chairs and a paper pendant.
Vibrant art adds a dose of colour to the dining room.
Library panelling hides the powder room from sight when the door is closed.
The wallpaper in the powder room is a print of a romantic, centuries-old landscape painting.
Light, soothing hues and layers of textiles make the principal bedroom bright yet cosy. “It’s a pleasure waking up here every day,” says Paulo.
Another favourite room is the pretty bathroom for their school-age girls — pink appears subtly in a striped tile pattern offset by grey-veined marble. The space should still feel right as the girls get older. “We added niches at different heights in the girls’ bathroom,” says Lindsay. “They work for baths as well as showers.
Pink tile brings a youthful feel, while the grey marble is grounding.
In converting the apartments back into a single-family home, Lindsay wasn’t interested in restoring its Victorian past. There are trad touches — including chunky ceiling mouldings and high baseboards — but she focused on preparing the family for the future.
“I would love it if Paulo and Diandra didn’t need to renovate again for at least another 20 years,” says Lindsay. “Renovating can be stressful and takes a lot of resources. This renovation gave them everything they needed, and it should last a long time.”
Patrick Biller
Post Architecture & Lindsay Mens, TOM Design Collective