Kitchen of the Week: Vintage Industrial With a French Twist
A Toronto architect draws on her clients’ nostalgia for their former Parisian apartment to renovate this period space
When planning a move from Paris to Toronto, this family of four wanted to bring some of its Parisian apartment to its new home in the Canadian city. The homeowners hired M-Squared Contracting to complete a whole-house renovation on the Edwardian, and the firm in turn recommended its frequent collaborator, architect Wanda Ely.
Ely worked closely with the couple from afar to figure out how they liked to function in the kitchen and to gain a strong sense of their style. The result is a beautiful open space that suits the family’s lifestyle, with a mix of Parisian and vintage industrial influences layered atop the Edwardian architecture. Sustainability was also important to the homeowners, so the renovation also transformed a drafty older home into an energy-efficient machine.
Ely worked closely with the couple from afar to figure out how they liked to function in the kitchen and to gain a strong sense of their style. The result is a beautiful open space that suits the family’s lifestyle, with a mix of Parisian and vintage industrial influences layered atop the Edwardian architecture. Sustainability was also important to the homeowners, so the renovation also transformed a drafty older home into an energy-efficient machine.
Before: The kitchen was located in an addition off the back of the house. It was compact and closed off from the other rooms. It also had a low ceiling.
After: The kitchen in the previous photo was located in the spot where the green sofa is in this photo.
In addition to the vintage clock, other elements inspired by the Parisian apartment include the chevron composition of the white oak flooring and the trimwork on the walls. “They wanted to bring a little bit of Paris to their new home,” Ely says.
The kitchen is part of one large, open space that includes the dining area and living room. Large new doors and windows connect all three spaces to the backyard.
In the extensive whole-house renovation, a major issue was how disconnected the interiors were from the yard. There was only one exterior door off the back of the house and few windows. In addition, the first floor was elevated a few feet above the backyard. Ely remedied this by sinking the back half of the first floor down a few steps from the front half of the house. This also created the opportunity for higher ceilings.
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In addition to the vintage clock, other elements inspired by the Parisian apartment include the chevron composition of the white oak flooring and the trimwork on the walls. “They wanted to bring a little bit of Paris to their new home,” Ely says.
The kitchen is part of one large, open space that includes the dining area and living room. Large new doors and windows connect all three spaces to the backyard.
In the extensive whole-house renovation, a major issue was how disconnected the interiors were from the yard. There was only one exterior door off the back of the house and few windows. In addition, the first floor was elevated a few feet above the backyard. Ely remedied this by sinking the back half of the first floor down a few steps from the front half of the house. This also created the opportunity for higher ceilings.
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In speaking with her clients, Ely found out how they liked to function in the kitchen. The husband is passionate about French cooking and enjoys watching news or sports on TV while working in the kitchen. The wife loves to drink tea. The family wanted room for everyone to be together in here, and they love to entertain. All of these factors influenced the design.
A desire for openness to the other spaces also influenced the kitchen design. Ely created a beautiful island to delineate the kitchen within the open plan. “This island is gigantic, and we gave it a look like it had been crafted from repurposed furniture,” she says. She used white oak on the base and cup pulls to lend a traditional look. The island measures 13 by 3½ feet.
A desire for openness to the other spaces also influenced the kitchen design. Ely created a beautiful island to delineate the kitchen within the open plan. “This island is gigantic, and we gave it a look like it had been crafted from repurposed furniture,” she says. She used white oak on the base and cup pulls to lend a traditional look. The island measures 13 by 3½ feet.
Working closely with the cabinetmaker, the architect also considered every detail on the island. These include the rounded corners and an ogee countertop edge. “This countertop edge is more ornate and traditional,” Ely says. The island countertop is marble, while the perimeter countertops are soapstone, a material suggested by the homeowners.
Another detail crafted for the main cook in the family is a 3-inch-deep ledge that runs along the range wall. “This is a good spot for him to put his salt and pepper, cooking wine and other ingredients while he’s cooking,” Ely says. The countertop, backsplash and ledge are all soapstone, creating a seamless look. Ely camouflaged the electrical outlets in the backsplash by using black outlet covers.
She meticulously lined up the ledge with the bottom of the new custom windows, doubling its purpose as a windowsill. She lined up the top of the windows with the bulkhead and specified the exact dimensions of the muntins. Then local shop Ridley Windows & Doors custom-made them to her specifications. This kind of attention to detail is why the kitchen is so pleasing to the eye, even if you can’t quite put your finger on the reason.
Cabinetry: Barlow Cabinet Works
Another detail crafted for the main cook in the family is a 3-inch-deep ledge that runs along the range wall. “This is a good spot for him to put his salt and pepper, cooking wine and other ingredients while he’s cooking,” Ely says. The countertop, backsplash and ledge are all soapstone, creating a seamless look. Ely camouflaged the electrical outlets in the backsplash by using black outlet covers.
She meticulously lined up the ledge with the bottom of the new custom windows, doubling its purpose as a windowsill. She lined up the top of the windows with the bulkhead and specified the exact dimensions of the muntins. Then local shop Ridley Windows & Doors custom-made them to her specifications. This kind of attention to detail is why the kitchen is so pleasing to the eye, even if you can’t quite put your finger on the reason.
Cabinetry: Barlow Cabinet Works
Ely was also careful to tuck the island’s electrical outlets out of the way. They’re located on the side of the island.
The architect also custom-designed the new French doors and surrounding windows to fit the space. “These doors get such nice eastern light in the morning,” she says. They are wood but are painted black to give them the look of industrial steel-and-glass doors. Once again, Ely specified everything, including the proportions of the muntins and the boxes that provide mounts for the door handles. The doors and windows are double-paned to maintain a tight envelope.
“Sustainability was very important to these homeowners,” Ely says. “The best way to be sustainable in our climate is to make the house as well insulated and sealed as possible. About 80% of energy use here is in heating and cooling, so sealing the house properly goes a great distance in reducing the carbon footprint.” All of the other windows in the house are new and triple-paned. And the house is almost entirely electric, with the exception of the gas range.
“The family wanted a landing zone for things like their schedules, invitations and their keys, but they didn’t want to have to look at it all the time,” Ely says. So behind that door to the left of the range is a bulletin board for all those things. After the cabinet door is opened, it can slide back into the cabinetry so it’s out of the way when the family wants to leave the bulletin board on view. And Ely mounted the bulletin board on hinges so the family can swing it open to store things behind it.
“Sustainability was very important to these homeowners,” Ely says. “The best way to be sustainable in our climate is to make the house as well insulated and sealed as possible. About 80% of energy use here is in heating and cooling, so sealing the house properly goes a great distance in reducing the carbon footprint.” All of the other windows in the house are new and triple-paned. And the house is almost entirely electric, with the exception of the gas range.
“The family wanted a landing zone for things like their schedules, invitations and their keys, but they didn’t want to have to look at it all the time,” Ely says. So behind that door to the left of the range is a bulletin board for all those things. After the cabinet door is opened, it can slide back into the cabinetry so it’s out of the way when the family wants to leave the bulletin board on view. And Ely mounted the bulletin board on hinges so the family can swing it open to store things behind it.
The area at the end of the room is a bar for drinks, coffee and, most important, the wife’s tea. The small bar sink has a hot water faucet for just that purpose.
The kitchen has an easy work triangle layout, while the placement of the fridge and bar make it easy to stay out of the cook’s way. This side of the island contains the dishwasher and a trash-recycling pullout on either side of the sink.
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The kitchen has an easy work triangle layout, while the placement of the fridge and bar make it easy to stay out of the cook’s way. This side of the island contains the dishwasher and a trash-recycling pullout on either side of the sink.
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And much like the landing-zone bulletin board, the family wanted a kitchen TV it didn’t have to look at all the time. Ely designed the area above the bar around a TV mount. Via remote control, the TV slides up out of sight behind the upper shelf.
Ely designed the vent hood and had it fabricated by local metalcrafters Discreet + Discrete. It’s a patinaed metal that lends a vintage industrial look. “It’s old-school industrial — I took cues from the train station clock,” Ely says. “It’s a special feature but it’s not too in-your-face.”
The perimeter cabinetry has a more modern look than the island. Ely used Shaker-style profiles but kept the frames around the panels narrow for a sleeker, more modern look. The cabinetry finish is spray lacquer with a low sheen in a very dark charcoal hue. The hardware is oil-rubbed bronze. The cabinet panels seen on the right side of this photo conceal the fridge.
Cabinet paint: Midnight Oil, Benjamin Moore
The perimeter cabinetry has a more modern look than the island. Ely used Shaker-style profiles but kept the frames around the panels narrow for a sleeker, more modern look. The cabinetry finish is spray lacquer with a low sheen in a very dark charcoal hue. The hardware is oil-rubbed bronze. The cabinet panels seen on the right side of this photo conceal the fridge.
Cabinet paint: Midnight Oil, Benjamin Moore
In the dining area, the concrete-topped table and metal pendant light contribute industrial style to the space. The homeowners brought the table, chairs, pendant and artwork with them from their home in France. This photo also provides a good look at the trimwork that was inspired by the Parisian apartment.
Before: The kitchen had been in the corner where Ely placed the new living room. It was small and this was the only door out to the backyard. See the plans at the end of this article to see how it was closed in by walls before the renovation.
After: The couple went back and forth on which space should be the dining area and which should be the living area. “Once I showed them how we could custom-design a sectional sofa to fit into that corner, they knew it was the right spot for the living room,” Ely says.
Even though she replaced all the existing windows, the architect found a way to preserve the original Edwardian leaded glass transoms. She had the glass shop sandwich them between two panes of glass. This maintained the original look while keeping the tight envelope. The large glass pendant light plays off the leaded glass of the original architecture.
Browse sectional sofas in the Houzz Shop
Even though she replaced all the existing windows, the architect found a way to preserve the original Edwardian leaded glass transoms. She had the glass shop sandwich them between two panes of glass. This maintained the original look while keeping the tight envelope. The large glass pendant light plays off the leaded glass of the original architecture.
Browse sectional sofas in the Houzz Shop
Before: The jut-out on the right was the addition that had served as the existing kitchen, and the exterior door was tucked on the side of it. The house did not have strong connections to the backyard. In addition to the lack of windows and doors, there was a significant drop from the first floor down to the ground.
After: The new doors and windows in the kitchen now provide a strong connection to the yard and let in lots of natural light. By sinking the back half of the first floor, Ely brought the kitchen, living room and dining room closer to ground level. Now there are just two steps between the kitchen and the patio.
Before: The kitchen had been wedged into the upper right corner on this plan, which also shows the walls Ely removed to open up the back half of the house. She used glass walls to maintain a more open feel in the front rooms. Be sure to check out photos of the rest of the home.
After: The new kitchen runs along the lower right half of this plan, with the new windows and doors along the right edge.
Please note that this was a working plan, drafted when everyone was undecided about where the dining and living areas would go. The living area with the green sectional sofa wound up in the top right corner, with the dining area to the left of it — they’re flipped on this plan. The beloved train station clock hangs between the two spaces.
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Please note that this was a working plan, drafted when everyone was undecided about where the dining and living areas would go. The living area with the green sectional sofa wound up in the top right corner, with the dining area to the left of it — they’re flipped on this plan. The beloved train station clock hangs between the two spaces.
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two teenage daughters
Location: Toronto
Size: 275 square feet (26 square meters)
Architect: Wanda Ely
Contractor: M-Squared Contracting
It may seem unorthodox to kick off a kitchen story with a photo of a clock. But this piece served as a jumping-off point for the style. “This was a very collaborative project with the homeowners,” Ely says. “They had owned this clock, which came from an old train station in France, in their Paris apartment. We knew we wanted to give it a prominent spot, and its old-school industrial style served as inspiration.”
The style of the kitchen is a mix of modern and traditional. Ely incorporated elements inspired by the beloved Parisian apartment her clients were leaving behind and by vintage industrial style.
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