City Homes
Parris McKenna Updates A Toronto Semi With Textural Touches, Sensuous Curves And A Serene Palette
Updated on May 7, 2025
Tamara and Dan Staines’ 2,200-square-foot semi in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood was showing its age, especially in the kitchen, where a five-layer sandwich of asbestos tile and hardwood flooring had accumulated in the 112 years since the house was built. After living here for more than a decade while raising their two children, Evelyn and Graydon, the couple finally felt ready to renovate.
As fans of the Max show, Selena + Chef, they were inspired by Selena Gomez’s painted brick cook nook. “We loved the idea of the cook nook, and it allows for perfect ventilation,” says Tamara. And so began their kitchen renovation.
An admirer of Parris McKenna’s work, Tamara hired the designer for what would end up becoming a full gut renovation. “Their home wasn’t very functional for family life,” says Parris. “There was no powder room, and the kitchen was poorly laid out. My goal was to equip this house for the next 20 years.”
The year-long reno wrapped in 2024 and included creating a main-floor powder room and a principal ensuite upstairs. Parris had custom millwork installed, brought in a new staircase and added a floor-to-ceiling window in the kitchen. The home is now an organic, serene and timeless space, with unexpected hits of colour and pattern. Take a look at this incredible Toronto semi makeover and watch an exclusive video tour below.
A reeded white oak surround frames the quartz backsplash in the cook nook — an homage to the one in Selena Gomez’s kitchen. The atmosphere in the space is convivial. Plus, combining the dining room and kitchen created space for a new island. “The island faces the dining table, so when you’re tidying up, you don’t feel like you’re missing out and being antisocial,” says Tamara.
The kitchen and dining area’s custom millwork was a splurge at $60,000, but it was an investment that paid off. “Custom cabinets give a kitchen its own personality,” says Parris. The glossy tile backsplash to the left of the cook nook gives the cabinets extra dimension.
An artisanal porcelain sconce spotlights a quartz niche. “We focused on a warm and collected aesthetic,” says Parris.
Parris commissioned built-in hutches to house heirloom china from the owner’s grandmother. The millwork is painted in Sherwin-Williams’ Muddled Basil.
A coat of white paint freshens up the original brick above the scalloped banquette. The bulkhead is painted to match the new hutches on either side.
Homeowners Dan and Tamara Staines agreed that there were many benefits to working with Parris (far right), as well as an unexpected dividend. “We were surprised by the amount of functional space we could get out of the house — without an addition,” says Tamara. And the cook nook is the star of the kitchen. “It’s so beautiful and I’m glad Dan’s happy, given he’s the one who does all the cooking!”
Parris worked with the existing chairs and rug in the neutral living room. “A restrained colour palette of earthy hues brings calm and flow,” she says.
The designer repeated the kitchen’s cream, olive and rust scheme throughout the house to great effect. A fluted Calacatta Viola marble sink and opal sconces turn the powder room into a moody, jewel-like space.
Parris added a custom railing and wool runner to the new staircase.
Earthy hues and mid-tone woods have a calming effect in the principal bedroom.
The designer kept an eye on the budget, finding savings where she could, to ensure that every item on her clients’ wish list was checked off. Custom basketweave marble tile in the ensuite was a big-ticket item that was offset by lower-cost vanities she found online ($3,200 for the ensuite and $3,600 for the kids’ bathroom). Light fixtures were also sourced at cost from suppliers.
The principal ensuite’s textured wood vanity is topped with quartz.
In the kids’ bathroom, a fluted vanity, groovy sconce and checkered tile set a playful tone.
A reeded vanity nods to the kitchen arch that frames the cook nook.
Lauren Miller
House & Home
Parris McKenna