Wanda Ely Architect Inc.

We have had the privilege of working with Wanda twice. Both pre-construction condo projects, combining two units, designing our home from scratch. Our experience with the first project 10 years earlier made working with her again a no-brainer when we were ready to move. To our surprise, she happened to already have a business relationship with the builder which made the complex, 2 plus year period, that much easier to navigate. There are so many intricate details that go into designing a home and working with all the players involved in condo developments. Wanda took the lead on all of this advocating for us throughout. She took a deep dive into our wants, needs and preferences leveraging them in the design of every room in our home from the layout of the pantry, to the coffee nook, to the jewelled lighting in the bedroom. Projects like these feel like a leap of faith for a client which can be stressful, unless you have the benefit of a knowledgeable professional with a proven track record that you can trust implicitly. Our new home is so beautiful we have zero desire to ever move again, but if we did, we wouldn’t consider a project like this, unless Wanda could take it on. I have to add, her team, Victoria and Jade, are an extension of her. Consistent, detail oriented, creative and always a pleasure to deal with. Working with them for the past two years, they have all become the friends we will miss connecting with weekly.

We feel incredibly fortunate to be living in a home designed by Wanda and her team. We first discovered her work through her portfolio and were immediately struck by how distinct each project was—every house clearly shaped around the people who lived in it, not a signature style imposed on top. That was exactly what we were looking for, and it proved true in our own experience. We love colour, and Wanda embraced that from the start. She helped us develop a cohesive colour palette that runs through the entire house in a way that feels intentional and sophisticated rather than overwhelming. Her taste is confident and interesting—she works thoughtfully with colour, texture, and form to create spaces that feel elevated and anything but boring. One of Wanda’s greatest strengths is her clarity. She is direct in the best way: if something doesn’t work functionally or visually, she says so, early and clearly. That honesty helped us narrow choices to the ones that truly suited our needs and prevented a lot of second-guessing along the way. She also has an exceptional ability to listen, translating our answers to her questions into designs that are both beautiful and highly functional for everyday living and entertaining. Wanda was also an effective and engaged project manager. She communicated closely with the contractors and builders, provided direction and corrections when needed, and was always reachable. When challenges came up—as they inevitably do—she addressed them quickly and pragmatically, and the project stayed on schedule through to the finishing details. Working with Wanda was genuinely a joy. We would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking for a truly customized design experience and a designer who combines strong vision with honesty, precision, and care.

We first became aware of Wanda Ely Architects when we saw an article regarding one of her houses in the Globe and Mail. The house in question was a modern farmhouse design in a rural setting which very much matched our design aesthetic and our plans to build on our farm in Prince Edward County. Working with Wanda and her team was a very positive experience. The house she created for us incorporated all of our wishes, some of which were somewhat contradictory: like wanting floor to ceiling windows but also lots of wall space to hang art and many many books. Her team was very professional and organized, and we worked closely together throughout the design and build process. This work was mostly done virtually as we were living in a different province at the time and the pandemic was ongoing. All visitors to our home have raved about the thoughtful design and the beautiful aesthetics. What they can’t see however is the close partnership that we developed with Wanda and her team. Building this house was expensive and we took great comfort in knowing that the team was very in tune with our wants and concerns. We would unreservedly recommend Wanda Ely Architects for anybody interested in building a beautiful, unique home. You will be in very good hands

If you're heading into a major renovation, don't you wish there were a way to minimize your stress during the process and maximize your happiness with the finished product? There is, and her name is Wanda Ely. Over the course of a two-year project (one year of planning and permits, one year of building), Wanda guided us with creative brilliance, consummate professionalism, thoughtful care, and meticulous attention to detail through every step, from the initial "deep dive" through to our moving day and beyond. Her talented associate, Victoria Walker, was with us throughout the process and, toward the end, Jade Sakamoto stepped in to help with interior finishings. Working with Wanda, Victoria, and Jade was always a pleasure. The process was smooth, collaborative, iterative, and surprisingly fun. Wanda expects only the best and therefore that's what you get when you're working with her. From the contractor she recommended and his team (M Squared) down to the person who supplied the blinds, all the people we encountered working on our house held themselves to high standards and took pride in the work they did, and it shows. Wanda also worked with us to make our new home energy efficient and less reliant on fossil fuels. We are so grateful to Wanda both for the beauty, ease, and comfort of our new home and for taking such good care of us in getting there.

We loved the entire process of working with Wanda and her dedicated and talented team and are thrilled with the result. From the moment we met her, we could see that she was serious-minded and dedicated, meticulous in her approach, and genuinely curious about who we were and how we lived; this includes questions about our kids and our dog, who became a recurring joke for how often he featured in conversation. Wanda’s comprehensive management of her projects meant that she was involved in every stage of our full home renovation, and she led with a clear and uncompromising vision. It began with a thorough first meeting at the house where she asked detailed questions about our tastes and goals for the house. She listened carefully, and it was revealed in subsequent meetings the attention she’d paid to what we said. She translated our many conversations into a design concept that truly captured our wishes, and a home that reflects this. Communication was open and scrupulous throughout the entire process. In an era where a lot can get missed or lost in translation, this was never the case with Wanda. Nothing fell through the cracks; on the contrary, when anything went awry (as is bound to happen occasionally in a project of this scale), Wanda was the first to step up – to steer things back in the right direction; to hold everyone accountable; and to guide toward the vision. We relied on Wanda immensely in this regard and felt consummately assured in her unwavering commitment to excellence. We had brought the general contractor to Wanda (another outstanding team we’d worked with on renos in the past), and it’s to her credit that she was open to the union. The entire project was collaborative and smooth. Despite the stressors inherent in any home renovation, we can’t say enough what a pleasure it was to have Wanda at the helm: it was an outstanding overall experience, and we highly recommend Wanda and her team.

Our experience with Wanda Ely was exceptional. We considered moving to a condo but chose to stay in our home but make it truly ours. We had ideas but Wanda brought real vision to the project to realize its true potential. Together, we re-modelled a traditional 3-bdrm detached Leaside house into a home designed around the way we live. The second floor 3-bdrms became one suite with bedroom, lounge and walk-in closet. The main floor was opened up to expand the kitchen across the back of the house and build in a bar and larder on the East wall; the living room was adapted with a built-in bench and dinning room table. The cedar deck on the rear of the house was removed and replaced by a closed in stone patio with a second floor deck off the bedroom. The home was upgraded at every turn with beautiful fixtures, tile and stone. Throughout it all, Wanda guided us to see our home's true potential, understood what we wanted and provided inspired solutions, worked extremely well with our contractor and delivered on every promise. Wanda and her designer Fabian Greico drew up perfect plans, never missing the details and worked to make the plans reality with no drama for us. It was a big decision and big investment to create the home we always wanted and we never doubted we would get there thanks to Wanda. Our home now suits perfectly the way we live, everything has a place thanks to brilliant storage ideas that make life easy and the flow throughout the house is beautiful. It is truly a wonderful living space. We would recommend Wanda and team most highly -- brilliant ideas, delivered with conviction and completed with perfection. Choose Wanda and a lot of other choices become easier. Greg + Leah

We have an early 19th century house that got a terrible 8’ wide rear addition in the 1970s where our kitchen and bathroom was located. My partner and I initially thought of just demoing the rear addition and rebuilding with a side yard extension to allow for a bigger kitchen that opened onto the backyard. We looked into architects to help us and found Wanda Ely. We couldn’t be happier we did. From beginning to end, Wanda was amazing. Being newbies to home Renos, she walked us through both her process and process in general from beginning to end before we retained her and her team. She also introduced us to a general contractor - Bigelow Construction Inc. - who likewise has been amazing (and got us back in early). The design process was thorough and fun! Not only did she listen to what we wanted to achieve, but she was also inquisitive on likes/dislikes etc. to enable her and her team to design our dream forever home. They came up with a number of initial plans to discuss with us. One was our simple side yard extension, but thanks to their expertise and creativity, the other plans offered so much more. We ended up landing on a side yard extension + a 2nd storey addition that enabled a much larger, stunning mid-century modern like kitchen on the ground with tons of display space for all of our collectibles and tchotchkes and a 2nd floor wash closet with a gorgeous walk-in shower built for two. The 2nd storey addition also enabled a larger master bedroom, a home office, a bonus small studio space and much more closet space!! Her attention to detail was also greatly appreciated. From the hardware for the kitchen cabinets, to designing perfect lighting, and wonderful plumbing fixtures, our renovation is everything we could have hoped for and more. Thanks to her guidance on budgeting, we also came in under budget!! We highly recommend Wanda and team, especially if you want a space that is uniquely you and beautifully thought out.

We can’t say enough good things about Wanda and our experience with her and her team. Creatively, Wanda is a genius. Unlike other architects we interviewed, Wanda was interested in us, not just the property we owned. As a result, she was able to take what we find beautiful and interesting and what we wanted functionally and wed them in ways we never imagined. Our home is beautiful now and it feels completely ours. Professionally, Wanda was wonderful to work with. This was our first major renovation and it was undertaken, somewhat insanely, during the pandemic. Wanda stayed involved in all stages of the project and, when issues arose, she problem solved them quickly and creatively. The peace of mind she gave us during this sometimes stressful time was invaluable. Moving back into our home was something of a revelation. The home functions so well now for our family and feels much larger than it is because of the architecture and the light. The new space continues to surprise and delight. This is really a reflection of the careful thought and attention to detail that Wanda put into our project. Trusting Wanda with our home is one of the best decisions we ever made.

Wanda Ely Architect Inc is an outstanding firm. We can't recommend Wanda Ely and her team highly enough. At every step of our renovation process, from conceiving the new space to creating it, in every detail and every decision, we felt seen and heard by Wanda and her team, and we were amazed by their skill, insight, and execution. We worked closely with Wanda and Tawnya, both excellent architects and excellent listeners. They have a beautiful capacity to take what they hear and transform it into light and space, a light and space that became the home we love. Wanda is professional, exacting, and generous--exactly what we needed in our architect. With her, the process of designing and building a home is a conversation, one that involves time, careful attention, trust and insight. The process felt at once collaborative and skillfully guided. Wanda and Tawnya know their stuff! And it was a privilege and a joy to work with them and the Wanda Ely Architect Inc team. We are grateful for them and their work every day.

We were eager to transform our well-lived semi-detached house into a modern home that reflected us as new empty nesters. Our original interior was dark, with an outdated kitchen, tiny main bathroom and very poor flow. Hiring Wanda Ely Architect Inc, the process started with her listening to our needs and what wanted our home to embody. High on our list were our desires to bring in more light, a modern kitchen that reflected our love of food, a spa-like main bathroom and a place that we could enjoy as a city retreat. Wanda and Victoria proposed a number of architectural designs, and we found one that captured our imagination and suited our budget. She matched us with a fantastic general contractor (M Squared Contracting Inc) and they worked like a dream team, communicating with us regularly and resulting in a project that ended on time and on budget. We opened the main floor, changing the flow to provide us with a light filled entry that invites you into transformed living and dining areas. Our custom kitchen with its exceptional millwork, eye catching tiled backsplash and impressive island, makes cooking and entertaining a dream – and all looking onto a spacious new backyard deck. We also renovated our upper floor, and Wanda and her team helped us to redesign rooms to create a functional work-from-home office, new guest bedroom and the spa bathroom of our dreams. We started this adventure naturally nervous as reno novices and unsure how the pandemic would continue to affect construction and supply chain. Wanda’s expert guidance, throughout each stage of the project, made a tremendous difference. Her creativity and attention to detail, taking into careful consideration our aesthetic and functional preferences, turned what could have been a stressful experience into an exciting and worthwhile journey. We achieved the transformation we wanted and are loving our new home.

Our 1910 semi-detached home was in need of a major makeover to turn it into a place to call home for the next 20+ years. We hired Wanda Ely Architect Inc. to take on the challenge of renovating our entire house and making all three floors into beautiful and functional spaces. The original interior was dark, with poor spatial flow and idiosyncratic layout, as well as an unfinished basement with an ultra-low ceiling. Wanda and team’s architectural design introduced gorgeous natural light from windows and skylights; tall ceilings on every floor with soaring space in the new entrance and on the uppermost floor; great spatial flow throughout and good functionality with ample storage; the team designed the interior around exceptional custom metal work and unique millwork; and their exterior design gave our house the facelift it needed but a look that fits in with our neighbourhood. We worked collaboratively with Wanda, Victoria, and team on the design, interior features, and fixtures over the best part of a year before work began to renovate the house over 14+ months (all during the COVID pandemic!). Wanda and team designed the transformation, recommended a skilled general contractor and craftspeople (millwork and metalwork), and then worked with them to turn design into reality. We were looking for a transformation – and that’s what we got!

We have lived in our home for 25 years and our bathroom was overdue for a complete renovation. We wanted to incorporate a number of different elements into the design but needed help in pulling the pieces together into a coherent vision. It was really important to us that we work with someone who could listen to what we wanted and turn it into reality. Wanda and her team did just that! Over several collaborative design iterations, we arrived at a final design that went well beyond what we were expecting. We are incredibly happy every day with our new bathroom. Wanda also recommended an excellent contractor to do the project. The quality of the work was superb and Wanda and her team worked closely with the contractor, ensuring that the detailed design vision was translated into a delightful reality.