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Kitchen of the Week: More Light, Better Layout for a Canadian Victorian
Stripped to the studs, this Toronto kitchen is now brighter and more functional, with a gorgeous wide-open view
This 120-year-old Victorian home in Toronto has beautiful bones, but the interior needed an update to work for the family of four who live there. Toronto designer Philippe Beauparlant focused the renovation around the kitchen.
Set at the back of the house, the kitchen could be accessed only through a narrow hallway with little natural light. By opening up the kitchen to the backyard, expanding windows and using a traditional color palette, Beauparlant created a space that he says "is of today, with a nod to the past."
Set at the back of the house, the kitchen could be accessed only through a narrow hallway with little natural light. By opening up the kitchen to the backyard, expanding windows and using a traditional color palette, Beauparlant created a space that he says "is of today, with a nod to the past."
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| Previously, a raised stoop at the back of the home created a visual and physical barrier to the backyard. A mudroom with no connection to the outdoors also prevented direct access. After the space was stripped to the studs, Beauparlant relocated the basement stairs to this part of the house. Now the kitchen has backyard access and a clear view through a 1 1/2-story glass wall. Yellow pendants: West Elm; cabinetry: custom; cabinetry paint: Desert Twilight 2137-40, Benjamin Moore |
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| Like many Victorians, this house is on a deep and narrow lot, making natural light scarce. The kitchen's location at the back of the house couldn't be changed, but Beauparlant reconfigured the room for maximum natural light. |
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| Adding a staircase to the basement created room for more storage in the kitchen, allowing the removal of storage space in the kitchen entry hall. Larger windows above the sink let in more natural light than before. Countertop: Kashmir white granite; backsplash: Pavimenti Bianco, Stone Tile, Toronto; upper shelving: custom walnut veneer |
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| The clients wanted a better sitting and eating area in their new kitchen, but the narrow layout made it difficult to fit in an island. Instead, Beauparlant had a table custom made with reclaimed wood and vintage legs, and designed a vinyl banquette for comfortable seating. Banquette fabric: Ryder, Cocoa vinyl, Threadcount, Toronto; pendant: vintage |
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| Beauparlant started off with distressed wide-plank oak flooring and built the kitchen palette from there. The flooring "is perfect for the kitchen area, since the boards are already dented and scratched at the factory," he says. |
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| Hints of green in the wood floor and the newly framed backyard view inspired the cabinetry color choice. Microwave: Panasonic; faucet: Citterio Semi-pro, Hansgrohe |
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The stair risers were left open to let light from the backyard filter down into the basement family room.
The new layout not only suits the family's kitchen habits, but betters the house as a whole. Beauparlant recommends that everyone about to embark on a kitchen remodel take the time to consider the right layout.
"It's easy to just replace cabinets and keep everything in the same configuration, but this is often not the best solution," he says. "Lifestyle and trends change all the time, and I'm sure the priorities and decision factors of the previous owner or builder are different than your goals and objectives."
He adds, "I've made some significant changes to this home that has been standing for 120 years. I would hope that what I've created will also last for many more years and homeowners."
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The new layout not only suits the family's kitchen habits, but betters the house as a whole. Beauparlant recommends that everyone about to embark on a kitchen remodel take the time to consider the right layout.
"It's easy to just replace cabinets and keep everything in the same configuration, but this is often not the best solution," he says. "Lifestyle and trends change all the time, and I'm sure the priorities and decision factors of the previous owner or builder are different than your goals and objectives."
He adds, "I've made some significant changes to this home that has been standing for 120 years. I would hope that what I've created will also last for many more years and homeowners."
Share your kitchen remodel! We'd love to see what you did.
See more Kitchens of the Week
Ideabook published on Feb. 1, 2013.
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I think before and after photos give a much better idea on the space has been used, whether it be a total rearrangement, a new addition, or a new paint job.
I agree with previous comments that some before pics and maybe floor plans would be great to help understand.
As to vee2 and the other nay sayers about the Architecture /Design, while I agree the exterior should maybe follow the original Architecture, not everyone wants the "froo-froo" of interior Victorian, or other period.
I for one love when Modern/Contemporary is mixed with Older, vintage styles - it keeps things fresh, and it;s for the way people live today.
The Window / Door frames are very stylish and really transition well.
Clearly, these people didn't want to live in a "Museum Time Warp".
Kudos!
Great to see it can work in a narrow kitchen.
The floor is from Moncer www.moncer.com and is called “euro oak latte" tumbled with a natural oil coat
The pulls are from Richelieu www.richelieu.com and the part number for the pulls is 719160-195. Richelieu is a trade only hardware supplier, but your local hardware store or general contractor could order them in
There seems to be some concern over the style of the kitchen or some of the decisions made in this project. Personal tastes aside, I am definitely one to believe we should build houses for today; we don’t have to build using only hand tools and horse draw carriages, so why should our houses look as if they were. This area of Toronto, even if it does represent the largest continuous area of preserved Victorian housing in north America, most of the housing was quite average for the time. I question the amount of preservationist ideas they truly deserve. I wonder if 100 years from now we will try to desperately preserve our disintegrating white vinyl windows commonly used in our suburban neighborhoods.
I really enjoyed your comments draftycranium and Patrick L. Boyd-Loyd and I had a good laugh at your coal burning stove comment sikuvitall . I think this project resonates with most of you. My charming clients are thrilled with the changes and improvements we have made and plan on living in the house for many years to come.
Lastly, I am really not a fan of "before" pictures. Frankly it doesn't matter to me what it looked like before, what's important is the final result. But for those asking, here are two images.