2024 INTERIOR DESIGN TRENDS!

Toronto home renovation - victorian style house - entrance way with ceiling medallion and herringbone floors

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Ten 2024 Interior Design Trends

Now that we are almost a quarter of the way through the 21st century we are reconsidering our past interior choices especially as life transitions back to ‘normal’. During COVID we turned our homes around to accommodate ‘stay at home’ policies with new ‘work from home' spaces, but now that more and more people are returning to the office, its time to re-evaluate. Perhaps the dining room table or kitchen island no longer needs to be as multi functional as it used to be, especially now that we realize the practicality of having a quiet small space to take a zoom call. With that being said, are large open concept layouts as appealing as they once were? Time will tell…

With so many of my 2023 Interior design and kitchen trends still holding strong, putting together a fresh list of ten 2024 Interior design trends was no easy task. Yet designing with intention, purpose, and conscience is ever more important so without further ado, here is what I’m seeing, reading and hearing are leading the way for 2024.

2024 Interior design trends - interior design colour trends - brown interiors with lime wash walls, picture mouldings - Photography - Jono Parker   CTRL Space

CREDIT: Jono Parker, CTRL Space

Chocolate Neutrals

Full of warmth and richness, an uprising in a variety of shades of browns can be seen across the board from fabrics to textiles to cabinetry and casegoods. Perhaps just an extension of everyone’s past obsession for terracotta and natural oak, deep golden wheat colours and even rusty brown are becoming more prevalent. Instead of draping a whole room in brown (more on monochromatic colour rooms later) what I am noticing are designers offsetting saturating multi-tone brown rooms by incorporate mid-range nude pinks or olive tones, a gorgeous combination if you ask me.

interior design trends 2024 - artwork by Shahla Friberg - sculpture

Artwork by Shahla Friberg

Sculptural Art

Echoing off of my 2023 Interior Design Trends blog post, textural art pieces and wall mounted sculptures continue to be eye catching and a great way to establish a focal point within rooms by adding depth and dimension. Plaster wall murals and decorative motif wall paper in new colour ways are also making a huge splash in 2024 especially around hallways and staircases. Moving from one floor to the next becomes a journey for the eyes as the light, colour and shadows change and play with the walls throughout the day.

Latest interior design trends - 2024 interior design trends - interior design colour trends 2024 - cream tones - butler pantry with chandelier and chevron floors

Source: Pinterest

Butler Pantries, Wet Bars, Coffee Nooks and Wine Storage

Functionality, convenience and storage is what all of these spaces have in common. People are no longer interested in having kitchenwares on display and small appliances lining their kitchen counters. Instead they are designating small areas to display their things in a way that not only look beautiful but feel beautiful. If you don’t have the space to designate a small room to a pantry or wine storage, an easy alternative for hiding kitchen appliances is to tuck them away in cabinetry, incorporating appliances garages to give your kitchen a clean and seamless look.


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2024 Interior Design Trends - clever ways to hid your TV - cabinet with motorized TV lift from Nexus 21

TV lift from Nexus 21

Hide the TV

What may have started with small kitchen appliances has made its way into all forms of technology as heightened efforts are now being made to not just camouflage TV’s but hid them completely. I can’t say I am surprised as there isn’t much appeal a big black box can add to ones living room but what I have noticed is an uptick in DIY’s for reframing your TV to look more like a picture frame or even more recently, hiding it completely behind cabinetry or artwork. I have recently also seem more designers and DIYers incorporating motorized TV lifts that allow you to hide your TV in the ceiling or in a console when you are not using it. Alternatively, projectors that work in bright rooms are becoming more affordable and are much easier to hide. What does this mean for interior design though? Well it allows us to re-orientate our furniture towards socializing vs. soley staring at yet another screen. It also allows your space to become more formal when needed and casual when desired - a win-win.

interior design trends - latest interior design trends - dining room with boucle fluted banquette and tapestry art - design trends 2024

Source: Pinterest

Mixing Eras and Styles

In a world where everything is mass produced, there is something appealing about collecting antiques, vintage pieces, handmade works and heirlooms. Cookie cutter spaces transform into unique places when a mix of patterns, material, textures and periods are introduced. Not only are you contributing towards sustainability but you’re also building your homes personality and charm by adding pieces that can’t easily be replicated or reproduced. Just remember, the hunt for the perfect piece or pairing takes time so be intentional not impulsive!

Laundry Room / Utility Room Makeovers

No longer falling by the wayside, laundry rooms and utility rooms alike are no longer just functional spaces but opportunities to incorporate your design style. More and more people are flipping these spaces into little dreamy, texture and colour drenched spaces that you actually want to spend time in. I’m seeing a lot of colourful statement stone countertops and backsplashes and a bold use of colour and pattern. Statement flooring like mosaic tiles are also a great way to add curb appeal to an otherwise basic room, just make sure they are proportionate to the size and make sense. Further, since the square footage of these spaces tends to be small, opting for those expensive mosaic tiles you’ve had your eye one becomes a little more digestible.


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2024 interior design trends - textured walls - Roman Clay in powder room - Nitty Gritty by Portola - source james may homes

CREDIT: James May Homes

Textured Walls

Limewash, Roman clay, and Venetian plaster walls continue to increase in popularity in 2024 as designers appetite for texture increases. Fluting kitchen islands and ribbed panelling on walls and glass are also being favoured over flat slats and panels which seemed everywhere only a year ago. Perhaps it’s just another nod towards peoples desire to mix eras/styles by taking inspiration from traditional greek columns, construction techniques and architecture but it’s giving timeless elegance that proves some things never go out of style.

interior design trends 2024 - latest interior design trends in furniture - Accent chair in blue boucle fabric By Latitude Run

CREDIT: Latitude Run

Bouclé But Different

It’s out, it’s in, it’s out it’s in. Designers can’t seem to make up their minds about how they feel about Bouclé and I think it’s because they love the texture, coziness and comfort of the fabric but the white and cream variations have oversaturated the market. What I believe is going to happen is that instead of giving it up completely people are going to start incorporating different Boucle colour ways into furniture and fabrics and begin using thicker piles to create variations. I also see the use of velvet and sueded leather become more and more popular as a way to add a pop of texture and colour to a room and incorporate a new element of interest.

2024 interior design trends - Ribbed Wall Panels Decorative Reeded Wall Panelling Modern - fluted wall panel - by panels by sofia on etsy.jpg

CREDIT: Panels by Sofia on Etsy

Creams, Taupes and Warm Neutrals

Bright whites are being swapped out for earthy beiges as people combine natural elements like wood furniture with pops of colour and jewel tone accents. Alternatively, monochromatic coloured rooms are also on the rise as a variation of midtown 2024 colour trends are announced by paint suppliers. I’ve seen a few people do this tastefully but definitely don’t think washing your room all in one colour is for everyone. With that being said, paint continues to be one of the easiest and most achievable ways to breathe new life into a room so there’s no reason to refrain from having some fun with it. What’s the worst that could happen? You repaint.

2024 interior design trends - Paris Apartment with modern furniture and light, chevron floors and crown mouldings - Photography by Yann Deret, courtesy of Olivia Massimi

CREDIT: Yann Deret, Olivia Massimi

Victorian Revival

As a proud owner of a Toronto Victorian home, this is definitely my favourite trend for 2024! Coming off of 2023’s hottest trend, Neoclassical opulence continues to trickle down through ornate crown mouldings, decorative ceilings, false ceiling designs, internal archways, picture mouldings and wallpapers featuring historical patterns or landscapes in new colour ways. Designers are no longer only playing with paint but they are using panelling, textures, and wallpapers on ceilings the same way they use false ceiling designs to drag your eye upwards. Parisian apartments are another great place to source inspiration for this trend as many of them illustrate how to mix eras, furniture pieces and trends tastefully.

Design trends 2024 - floor lamp - gweilo by Partisans Toronto - sculptural lighting

CREDIT: Gweilo by Partisans Toronto

BONUS - Sculptural Lighting

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if it’s a little drama you’re after, a simple lighting update may just be all you need! No longer just functional, unique and interesting lighting has many designers favouring clusters of plaster lighting and over-scaled horizontal LED chandeliers over anything farmhouse. It’s also a super easy way to incorporate artistic features into a room beyond sculptures, murals, wallpaper and your customary framed paintings.

So there you have it! Ten (well 11 with the bonus) 2024 interior design trends that are on the rise!

If you are curious to see how my home renovations are turning out and what interior design trends I am incorporating into my Toronto Victorian home, you can subscribe to my Instagram and YouTube channel ! If you think this list is missing any big 2024 trends or you are obsessed with anything I shared above, feel free to let me know in the comments below!

Until next time!

- Soheila


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EPISODE 6: THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL - RENOVATING MY TORONTO VICTORIAN HOME

Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home - classical mouldings - plaster crown mouldings

Newly installed ornate plaster mouldings from Parsiena Design

RENOVATING MY TORONTO VICTORIAN HOME - EPISODE 6!

We are officially a month and a half into our finishes and I am already beginning to see the dream home I have been manifesting start to materialize. It’s one thing to dream and pin’ to Pinterest but now that it’s time to pull the trigger on the design elements I have been swooning over for the last year, my heart has begun to flutter with excitement watching it all come together.

Of course the finishes have come with their own set of challenges. Unlike everything that has happened up to this point, being ‘hands off’ means we’ve had to communicate very clearly and leave nothing to chance. There have been a few instances already where small assumptions have led to bigger mistakes and further work in order to correct immediately. Despite these obstacles, Adam and I continue to push our Toronto home renovation forward with bated breath, especially now that we are able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

If this is your first time tuning into my new Toronto home renovation series and want to start from the beginning, check out Episode Episode 1: Sledgehammer Therapy and keep up with upcoming episodes by subscribing to my YouTube channel!

Since the last episode, a lot has happened at the house! Adam and I are happy to report that we passed our ‘pre-drywall’ inspection. I was so nervous for the inspection because I had to be on site by myself to answer any questions our inspector had. Thankfully I was able to calm my anxiety by keeping busy by cleaning the main floor and installing sound proofing insulation into the walls surrounding the middle bedroom on the 2nd floor.

toronto home renovations - soundproofing wall with sound batt insulation

Soundproofing the interior walls of our new second floor middle bedroom using batt sound proofing insulation

SOUNDPROOFING WALLS

Adam and I did a lot of research around soundproofing walls. Now that we had reconfigured the 2nd floor layout, adding in two new bedrooms and a bathroom, we thought it would be wise to soundproof the middle bedroom now if we hope to one day turn it into a nursery.

Although it is challenging to make a wall 100% soundproof there are a few things you can do to dampen the noise. The first thing we did was install sound proof insulation between the studs in the interior walls surrounding the middle bedroom. Given my recently acquired expertise in batt insulation (watch the last episode to find out what I mean) I was able to do this myself in just a few hours. After that, we had the drywall crew install SONOpan (soundproofing panels) prior to drywall as a way of adding an additional sound absorbing barrier between the rooms. This of course made the wall thicker, but it was a loss we were willing to accept in the name of comfort!

Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home

We had to wrap the 2nd floor front window after we found a leak

WE FOUND A LEAK

Of course, nothing goes as planned when it comes to home renovations and the night before drywall was suppose to start we found a leak! There was a massive storm that night and Adam and I were at the house moving things out of the way for the drywall crew, when all of a sudden we spotted water drops coming from main floor ceiling at the the front of the house. Upon further investigation, we figured out that the leak was coming from our second floor windows and had to act quick. I ran to the basement and got a sheet of left over vapour barrier, which Adam and I used to wrap the front window and stop the leak. Thankfully our temporary solution worked and is holding up pretty well, but fixing the front windows is just one more thing to add to the list for spring.

Drywall went up pretty quick and obviously made a huge impact in making our Toronto Victorian home feel livable once again. Part way through, Adam and I did had to demo the existing stairs case and finish up the batt insulation along that wall, but other than that there wasn’t much work required for us to do at the house. Demoing the stairs did result in our basement turning into a bit of a sandbox though. Although we have no plans to start working on it now, we do plan to finish it after the work on the first and second floor is complete.

Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home - ceiling medallion silicone mould replica

The first cast of the ceiling medallion Parsiana Design made from the silicone mould they created a month earlier

MY VISIT TO PARSIENA DESIGN

Since I didn’t physically have to be working at the house all day, I finally had time to turn my attention to the finishes! It had been a couple weeks since Parsiena Design had made a silicone mould of my ceiling medallion on-site, and although we had the good fortune of successfully removing the original medallion, Parsiena did make a replica using the mould and I was excited to see how it all turned out.

Located just outside Toronto in Vaughan, Parsiena Design’s production house was a feast for the eyes! Specializing in the manufacturing of architect elements, Parsiena is known as the place to go for custom fireplace mantels in Toronto. In addition to fireplace mantels, they also have a extensive catalogue of beautiful ornate plaster crown mouldings, stone range hoods, medallions, rosettes, friezes and trims. Not only can you see their work across the city of Toronto, but they have also done a lot of work internationally and in the US.

One of my favourite parts about my visit to their production studio was seeing their creative process in action! It’s not everyday an artist lets you peak behind the curtain, and I was thrilled to be invited into their workshop to see masters at work. During my visit they not only showed me the replica of my ceiling medallion, but also some beautiful stone fireplace mantels they had recently completed, I also got to see the crown moulding panels they had produced for me which were ready for install once the drywall was complete.

What do you think I should do with the replica of my ceiling medallion? Fell free to let me know in the comments below!

Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home - classical mouldings - plaster crown mouldings

The plaster crown mouldings that were installed in my kitchen


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Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home - finished drywall-3.jpg

The main floor after drywall is complete! So excited for my new kitchen to be installed!

INTERIOR ARCHWAY

By mid January, drywall was wrapping up and the house felt completely transformed. Now that we had walls you could really feel each room beginning to take shape.

One special request I had made prior to drywall was to make an archway where our future dining room bar will be. I was really happy with how it turned out and think it created a really interesting focal point within the room.

The kitchen area also had me giddy with excitement. With the new back door letting in all this natural light, the first floor looked better than ever.

The second floor was no exception. Our new bathroom was starting to materialize nicely as well as the two new bedrooms we had framed out in the last episode.

Even the fake vent exchange I had created had been drywalled, and Adam and I reached yet another high as we took in all our accomplishments.

INSTALLATION OF OUR NEW BESPOKE STAIRCASE

With drywall behind us we could finally turn our attention to our new custom staircase!

The first part of the instillation process took two days. However, since there is still a lot of messy work to do in the house we had the carpenters hold off on installing the balusters and railing, and instead had them cover it with a protected sheet.

It’s funny to look back now and think about how much Adam and I agonized over whether or not we should replace/widen the staircase. The original staircase was so skinny and in worse for wear condition with a noticeable dip. It is common for old Toronto Victorian houses like ours to have a skinny staircase but it made it really challenging to get furniture up and down the stairs. Now with the new staircase in and the opening made wider, it seems like a no brainier decision.

More to come on this topic in a future episode!!

REINTRODUCTION OF OUR BULLNOSE CORNERS

While the stairs were being installed, we also had someone come in to reintroduce the bullnose edge detail around the fireplace that was present in the original house. You can still see it in its original plaster form on the corbel in the entrance way, but in order to reintroduce it we actually had to finish the drywall corner using a bullnose corner bead first before adding an additional layer of 1/4 inch thick drywall on top. The results were remarkable and I am so happy with how it turned out! For me, it’s the small details like this that really give a house character!

Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home - classical mouldings - plaster crown mouldings and corbel

An example of an original bullnose corner that once existed in various places throughout the house.

The bullnose corner detail that we reintroduced around the fireplace mantel using a bullnose edge and additional 1/4 inch drywall


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Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home - classical mouldings - plaster crown mouldings - Parsiena Design

Installation of our new ornate plaster mouldings from Parsiena Design in our kitchen

INSTALLATION OF OUR CLASSICAL MOULDINGS

Of course, our house wouldn’t be complete without some new crown moulding from Parsiena Design. I could watch them be installed all day and never get bored. The large ornate plaster crown mouldings for the kitchen area were even more beautiful in their full format and took a master with over twenty years of experience to install. Each cut had to be made with such precision so that each corner lined up in perfect harmony and symmetry.

In the dining room and living room we went with a more understated, classic moulding design that echoed the egg and dart motif seen throughout the remaining plaster work in the house. I think the contrast in the size of the crown moulding works beautifully on the main floor because it actually makes the ceilings in the living room and dining room appear higher than the kitchen, when it fact they are slightly lower. I also love how much drama the big plaster crowns bring to the kitchen. I think if we had done them everywhere it would have been too garish and overdone so I’m really happy with my decision to just keep them in the kitchen area.

Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home - classical mouldings - plaster crown mouldings and stained glass window

Halfway through our finishes! Can’t wait to see this room when it’s done!

To end off an incredibly productive week of finishes, Parsiena was also able to delivery the replicated cast and mould of my ceiling medallion and they were able to reinstall the original ceiling medallion, mending it back together piece by piece until it was hole once more. Since we had taken it down, I had some time to work on it in preparation for re-installation, and during this time I had actually discovered a whole extra layer of scalloping detail that was hidden under caulking and plaster. It was an incredible discovery which only adds to its unique character and beauty. I’m thrilled to have it back, not only in it’s rightful place but in all its grandeur.

DELIVERY OF OUR REFURBISHED CAST IRON RADIATORS

As the month came to a close, we also welcomed the delivery of our newly refurbished rads from Ironworks Radiators Inc. Although it is a little premature to install them, once the floors are done we should be close and I can’t wait to see them in their final position and glory!

More to come on this topic in the next episode! Hopefully!

UP NEXT!

Lots more exciting things to come in the next episode of our Toronto home renovation series including the installation of our beautiful herringbone floors from Chestnut Flooring, the tiling of new our master bathroom, and the installation of our custom kitchen from Domani Design Group!

Thank you so much for joining me today and for checking out my new Toronto home renovation series on Youtube. I am super excited to be modernizing a Victorian home while still keeping the charm of an old Victorian house. If you have any questions about my Victorian house renovations, what it’s like to live in Little Portugal, Toronto or recommendations for Toronto contractors, hit me up in the comments below!

Before I sign off, I’d also like to say a big thank you to Parsiena Design and Ironworks Radiator Inc. for partnering with me on this project. I’m so excited to be working with local industry experts on our Toronto home renovations but want to reiterate that, like always, all opinions remain my own.

Before I sign off, I’d also like to say a big thank you to Parsiena Design and Ironworks Radiator Inc for partnering with me on this project. I’m so excited to be working with local industry experts on our Toronto home renovations but want to reiterate that, like always, all opinions remain my own.

Until next time,

- Soheila


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EPISODE 5: THE BIG PUSH - RENOVATING MY TORONTO VICTORIAN HOME

The silicone mold made by Parsiena Design of my Victorian ceiling medallion

RENOVATING MY TORONTO VICTORIAN HOME - EPISODE 5!

For me, 2022 was a year of firsts. First time doing a home renovation. First time gutting a house. First time demolishing a wall, removing flooring, widening a staircase, doing structural work of any kind, and yet here we are!

A year ago, all the work we have done would have been outside my scope of knowledge. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a good team of people by your side and I feel so blessed to have worked with such great crews on this project. I am so proud of all that we have accomplished together and without them I would have never gotten this far. So before I kick off this episode, I just want to acknowledge everyone who has supported me and this home renovation series thus far. Without you, it would never have worked and we would never have gotten this far. Thank you for one of the best years of my life. ♡

If this is your first time tuning into my new home renovation series and want to start from the beginning, check out Episode 1: Sledgehammer Therapy and keep up with upcoming episodes by subscribing to my YouTube channel!

Since the last episode, lots has happened at the house! At the end of summer, Adam and I had our roof redone! With five layers of shingles, including the original cedar shingles, the front half of our roof was in rough shape.

Our roof was in serious rough shape before we had it redone!

ROOF REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE

It’s unclear when the previous owners did something to the roof but judging from the state of it, it would only be a matter of time before it would become an issue. The peak was deteriorating and you could see a depression where the old chimney stack used to be. Considering how much effort and money we had already put into this project, we weren’t willing to take the risk of going through another winter without making sure it was sealed tight.

The whole process of removing shingles, repairing any rotten areas, waterproofing, and laying down new shingles took two days. Adding back the eves and aluminum capping took an additional few days but for the most part it was fairly painless.

The worst thing about getting your roof redone is all the debris. I had to make sure it all landed in my front lawn and didn’t damage my neighbours property. At the end of the job I made sure the crew took extra time to clean their properties and they did do a pretty good job. It’s been really nice getting to know my neighbours over the past year and a half (can you believe it’s been that long since we bought our first home) and it’s nice to see that everyone really looks out for one another. One of my neighbours has a snowblower and always does the sidewalks for us. Another always gives us grapes from their garden. Having great neighbours is gift and I lucked out with a bunch of beauties.

One unfortunate outcome that did occur from my roof being redone, was that our smoke bush took a major hit. Despite having cut it back, all the debris that was coming off the roof was falling on the smoke bush causing it to lose entire branches. I had neglected it over the summer and by September it was out of control. I noticed it didn’t flower very well this summer and my mom’s friend who is a horticulturalist advised me to prune it back. I guess the roofers kind of did it for me but I love that smoke bush and really hope it makes an awesome come back next summer.


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STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Soon after the roof was finished we heard back from our residential structural engineer, K.H. Davis Engineering Consultants LTD who provided us with plans for the second floor.

When I first realized we would have to do structural work on the 2nd floor, my heart dropped. I was so worried about how long it would take and how much it would delay our plans. Turns out, when compared to the work we had already done it wasn’t going to be as complicated or extensive, which came as a huge relief. The new plans required us to install 4 new LVL beams (laminated veneer lumber) which we were confident we could do ourselves, and took us just over a week to complete.

Gearing up to install our fist LVL beam on the 2nd floor. Supports are up and the boys are already removing the top plate.

Most of the work was similar to what we had already done, except the first beam we installed actually had to be built in the air because it was so heavy! We would never have been able to lift it into place, and so we had to lift each piece it into position and connect them all once elevated. After that first massive LVL beam, things got easier. We built the beams on the floor and alleviated some of the lifts with a ‘ladder method’ I once saw our amazing residential structural contractor Raouf use in the basement with a steal beam.

Shout out to Raouf at Dynamic Design and Construction, we miss you and the crew!! We would have never gotten this far without you!!!

The last two beams were pretty simple to install and, much like we had done with the staircase header and floor joists, we connected all the joists that run perpendicular to the beam using joist hangers.

Once all the structural work was complete, Adam and I felt very accomplished. It’s crazy to think a year ago we had no structural or renovation experience whatsoever and here we are building our house from the inside out!

Parsiena Design in the process of making a silicone mold of my ceiling medallion!

MAKING A SILICONE MOLD OF MY CEILING MEDALLION

I know by now you must be thinking ‘Jeeze, this girl and her ceiling medallion’ (I know Adam is), but the original moldings and character of the house was a huge part of what made me fall in love with it in the first place. When Adam told me we would have to level the ceiling in the living room I protested, worried about damaging the almost 150 year old plaster ceiling medallion. I wouldn’t let them touch it without me first finding a solution to either remove it or have it replicated. Enter Parsiena Designs.

Parsiena Designs is one of Canada’s leading manufacturers of stone mantels and architectural elements. I first discovered Parsiena on Instagram and really wanted to work with them. They have a large catalogue full of beautiful medallions, friezes, trims, casing, panels and plaster crown mouldings, and I ended up picking one of their larger, more intricate crown molding designs for my kitchen! For the rest of the main floor, I chose another one of their more simple crown moulding designs, an egg and dart motif which echos the original plaster work found throughout the house.

I also learned that they can do plaster replication. I was so scared of what was going to happen to my ceiling medallion when we would inevitably have to take it down, and I thought a mold of it would be great ‘insurance’. In addition to the ceiling medallion, I also got the door crowns reproduced.

I am so excited to be partnering with Parsiena Designs on this project and can’t wait to see what the house looks like with my new crown mouldings! I think it’s going to really elevate the main floor and allow me to stay true to the original Victorian aesthetic while also providing the flexibility to modernize it.

After the mold was made, we miraculously removed the ceiling medallion. I was so nervous the entire time despite having a mold, but was still determined to do whatever I could to save it (the original is always better after all). Two hours and a miracle later we managed to get it down safely using a drywall lift, a foam pad (used to absorb some of the vibrations), a crowbar, and lots of patience. We were all surprised to learn in the process that it was actually 5 separate pieces instead of just one large piece and although one of the side pieces broke, I knew it was easily reparable and was so thrilled with the outcome.


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Renovating my victorian home - cast iron radiators - Ironworks radiators - painting a radiator

My newly refurbished, cast iron Victorian radiator being painted at Ironworks Radiator Inc.

PAINTING MY VICTORIAN CAST IRON RADIATORS

Remember this beauty? I first spotted her last summer while treasure hunting in the Ironworks stockyard.

Well in November I received a call from Jennifer at Ironworks Radiator Inc who told me that the ornate Victorian radiators I had purchased from her for refurbishment had been sandblasted and primed, and were ready for painting. It took me weeks to pick colours, but I finally landed on brass for the dining room and an antique bronze for the front foyer. I think both colours will go well with our incoming natural oak herringbone floors and french navy blue cabinetry as well as the brass hardware in the kitchen and the modern Castrad Radiators in bronze gold that arrived at the end of the summer.

I really love the look of ornate cast iron Victorian radiators. To me they are like jewellery, but for your home. Not only are they eye-catching but depending on the colours you pick, they can totally add a pop of glamour to a room. I just loved how these turned out and I can’t wait to have them installed in my home! Which colour is your favourite? Feel free to leave your answer in the comments below!

Framing the 2nd floor - pictured here 2nd and 3rd bedroom

FRAMING THE SECOND FLOOR


Once all the structural work was done on the second floor we could immediately start framing. Besides building the bulk heads on the main floor and one wall, Adam and I didn’t really have a lot of framing experience. Thankfully, Adam’s dad was able to lead the charge and show us how. Within a week we had the new second floor layout entirely framed out. Instead of having only one bedroom on the second floor we now had three and we were able to move the bathroom across the house so it could eventually act as a shared master ensuite.

Overall, the framing was easy and uneventful except for the fact that the new layout I had originally planned for was a little tighter than expected in reality. After mapping out the space, Adam and I realized that the closet necessary to house the laundry machines would have eaten up to much space into bedroom 2 causing it to be significantly smaller than bedroom 3. Adam was also worried about future repairs and having to move them around in such a small space so we both agreed that the easiest and best solution was just to have a laundry area down stairs in the basement for now and keep the bedrooms fairly similar in size. The small space we had left over will now become a ‘hidden’ linen closet - a project I’m excited to work on when we we move onto finishing.

Once all the framing was done we could finally start having all the other trades come through to install plumbing, electrical and heating. The last two weeks in November were crazy! Not only were the other trades able to get all the ‘guts’ in the house done, but we passed inspection and had our new window and back Crittall door installed!

INSTILLATION OF OUR NEW WINDOWS & CRITTALL DOOR

New windows have arrived (early too) and are being installed along with my new Crittall door .

The long awaited arrival of our back door finally happened! Adam and I originally placed our custom order for a new back door in the spring, expecting it to arrive mid summer. Here we were, well into fall, the weather is getting cold and I was super cheesed about how long it was taking. When our new Crittall door finally showed up I was still kind of sour, but what I didn’t know was that the manufacturer had sped up our window order which we had only placed a month prior (which wasn’t suppose to arrive until February) and the whole thing was getting installed in the same day. My whole mood did a 180°! All was forgiven and I was happy as a clam once again.

Plus our new Crittall door turned out amazing! Adam and I put a lot of effort into calculating the perfect glass size ratios for the opening and once it was installed, it was obvious all our hard work had paid off.

The ornate cast iron Victorian vent exchange I used to hide some water pipes with the help of some fancy carpentry work.

A LITTLE FANCY CARPENTRY

One small solo project I took on that I feel so proud about arose after our plumber Steve unknowingly hit a floor joist while running new water lines to the second floor. Having nowhere to go but around the joist and up, I had an opportunity to get creative with some fancy carpentry. Luckily, prior to the demo I made sure to save a few things that were part of the original house like this old vent exchange. I didn’t have any ideas as to what I would eventually use it for but clearly I’m a hoarder of old things and when this situation arose, I finally had the perfect reason to upcycle it. My background in design really came in handy for this little project and I was pretty proud of how it all turned out. All I had to do was build a box that could attach to the wall and be dry-walled in to look like it was meant to be there. The vent would fit inside it, blocking the lines while still making them accessible. Pretty cool, right?

Still smiling despite being incredibly itchy from all the Batt insulation work I’m doing

SPRAY FOAM INSULATION & MY DEAL WITH ADAM

In our relationship, Adam is definitely the spreadsheet guy. He’s the one who organizes our renovations expenses and makes sure we stay on budget. If I spring things on him like wanting new crown mouldings for the main floor, a compromise needs to be made. When planning for this home renovation we had set aside money for Batt insulation but was unaware that we would 1) have to use closed cell spray foam insulation on the 2nd floor ceiling because it is a flat roof (our inspector told us this) and 2) how costly replicating a ceiling medallion and putting in new crown mouldings would be.

So to help make room in the budget for these items, I told Adam I would do all the Batt insulation work myself. Boy did I have my work cut out for me. I had no idea how long it would take or how itchy Batt insulation makes my skin but I really wanted those crown mouldings so a deal was a deal. Although doing Batt insulation work is very easy, to do both floors took me more than a month because I could only do it in piece meal and only after the other trades were finished running electrical lines, PEX, and plumbing in those areas. By the end of it, I was so sick of dealing with insulation and being itchy all the time but I managed to get it all done and saved us a few thousand dollars.

When it comes to closed cell spray foam insulation you want to make sure you hire a trained professional with certified qualifications. Although a popular insulation method and one required by the Toronto Building Code for all non-vented roofs, if not done correctly you could experience toxic off-gassing. For this reason, we originally wanted to use Batt insulation everywhere but after our inspector informed us of the code, we had to compromise and do the 2nd floor ceiling. Thankfully, we were able to find a qualified company with great reviews to do it for us, but it did take some time and a lot of questioning. During our search though we did encounter a few shady companies, which is why I just wanted to take a moment to reiterate the importance of choosing a company wisely.

If you don’t want to wait for the next episode to catch a glimpse of what is happening behind the scenes you can always follow me on Instagram where I share up-to-date stories of my interior design and renovation progress!

Winter has arrived! First snowfall of the year!

Thank you so much for joining me today and for checking out my new Toronto home renovation series on Youtube. I am super excited to be modernizing a Victorian home while still keeping the charm of an old Victorian house. If you have any questions about my Victorian house renovations, what it’s like to live in Little Portugal, Toronto or recommendations for Toronto contractors, hit me up in the comments below!

Before I sign off, I’d also like to say a big thank you to Parsiena Design and Ironworks Radiator Inc for partnering with me on this project. I’m so excited to be working with local industry experts on our Toronto home renovations but want to reiterate that, like always, all opinions remain my own.

Until next time,

- Soheila

MORE BTS PHOTOS FROM THIS EPISODE


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renovating my toronto victorian home - Victorian homes

SPILLING TEA: ALL MY JUICY RENO PLANS & INSPO!

My Romanesque style Toronto Victorian home


It’s been almost six months since we moved into our Toronto Victorian Home and yet waking up and walking from one room to the next still feels so unreal sometimes. The spark we first felt when we initially toured the house is still very much alive and it all just goes to show that our crazy first time home buyer experience was worth the struggles. In the end, we found a beautiful house in a great neighborhood that we have been loving learning more about and exploring.

OUR CREEPY HIDDEN STAIRCASE

Being over 125 years old, our Romanesque style Victorian home does come with its fair share of quirks. For one, we discovered a creepy hidden staircase in a wall while planning out our main floor renovations! We suspect it was closed off to hide plumbing to the second floor bathroom and make room for a new staircase to the basement, but given it features the same high baseboards you see in other parts of the house, the staircase was likely part of the original house.

Additionally, when we bought the house we noticed that the floors sagged. This is a common characteristic of old houses usually equated to their age, but upon further inspection by our structural engineer, we began to suspect that load bearing walls in the basement had been removed by a previous owner at some point. Thankfully the foundation of the building is sound and our renovation plans will address this issue.


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One thing I am 1000% doing is preserving the historical charm of the house as much as possible. Both the entrance way and drawing room feature high baseboards and crown molding centered around exquisite Victorian ceiling medallions. I also love the original ornamental molding that can be found throughout the first floor that embellishes the doorways including the main entrance. Unfortunately, a lot of these decorative molding features have been removed from the second floor, so one thing I’m definitely including on my ‘to do’ list is custom mill work to incorporate it back in.

Speaking of ‘to do list’, the reason why I am sharing today’s post is not only to expand on my pre reno tour, kitchen appliance tips, and share interior design inspiration for my upcoming renovations but it’s also to introduce a new Youtube series I’m going to be filming, documenting our renovation journey! I feel like this house and first floor renovation is going to be an amazing opportunity to share about my love for design and create entertaining content to excite you. There no doubt will be challenges but it’s in those challenges that great stories are made so I hope you will join me on this journey.

Of course, by way of this blog post I also wanted to give you a sneak peak into all the beautiful inspiration I’ve been collecting, what we are planning, and why we called in a structural engineer to help us. SPOILER: it goes beyond sagging floors!


RENOVATING A VICTORIAN HOME

Given our budget after buying the house and the fact that it is currently split into two units, Adam and I decided the best way to approach our top to bottom renovation is to split each floor into phases. This way, we can continue to live in the house during the renovations while still having a working kitchen on the second floor.

As you have probably guessed by now, phase one of this project is going to include a complete first floor renovation. Structural changes to support this, including widening the staircases on both the main and lower floor, will also be taking place as well as reintroducing an entrance way from the front hallway into the drawing room and removing unoriginal walls to create an open concept layout towards the back of the house where you will find a new kitchen, powder room, and bar. The sun-room at the back of the house will eventually be demolished so as to reclaim more of the backyard and a larger door opening will be created to replace it allowing for maximum natural light.

I will be elaborating further about these design choices throughout this blog post as well as providing inspirational images to help you visualize what we are planning. So without further ado, let’s start with diving into each element our renovation plan starting with structural changes.


STRUCTURAL CHANGES

I knew prior to starting our first time home buying journey that I loved Victorian homes so while on our quest we visited many renovated Toronto Victorian homes. A common repeated feature we noticed was an open concept layout on the first floor which, when paired with high ceilings, not only made the house look bigger but grander! Since original walls only seem to exist at the front of our house, Adam and I had no hesitations when deciding to alter the main floor layout by removing walls to make room for a larger kitchen and overall entertaining space. We learned that making these layout changes would require additional steel beams to provide stability and prevent structural issues that could arise later in the other phases of our renovations.

Additionally, since we wanted to demolish the sunroom and reclaim more backyard space we saw this as an opportunity to install a larger opening for a new doorway leading to the backyard. Doing this would require a steal frame to be installed to support the brick wall at the back of the house.

Pre Reno Kitchen and Sun Room - Photo Cred Raffi Tutundijan @jaggedlens

CRITTALL STYLE DOORS

Originally, Adam and I were thinking of doing a large steel Crittall style doors as the back entrance door, however after pricing it out and seeing what the lead times would be to have one made big enough for the opening (it would have to be custom made) we got cold feet.

Living in a cold climate, steel Crittall doors aren’t known for being the most energy efficient door systems since they aren’t great at preventing heat from escaping or blocking the cold from coming in. The Toronto Building Code does have a minimum thermal break requirement for all external doors which is why aluminum doors or fiberglass doors are more common (they offer superior energy efficiency when compared to steel) as well as cheaper. Alas, we are still undecided which way we will go but here’s some inspiration of what we are thinking.


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Further, it wasn’t until we moved in and tried to get furniture to the second floor and basement that we realized how narrow our staircases are! When it comes to staircases, Toronto’s current building code requires staircases in new builds to be a minimum of 36 inch wide. Historically, staircases were never this wide and although our staircase is not original, the opening was never widened by a previous owner. Our staircase comes in at 27 inches making it extremely hard to fit assembled furniture upstairs. For the longest time Adam and I wracked out heads trying to figure out how the previous owners managed to get the kitchen appliances up to the second floor. It wasn’t until we finally measured the width of the doorway to the small front balcony off our master bedroom that we figured out they must have removed the door temporarily and craned them in through the small balcony! Crazy right!? One of the biggest and possibly most pivotal decisions we had to make when putting together our renovation plans was figuring out whether we were going to address our narrow stair issue, how it would impact the structure of the home, and how much widening and replacing both staircases would be.

WOOD STAIRCASE DESIGNS

After finally deciding to move forward with widening the staircases, Adam and I debated whether to go more modern or keep it classic with the new stairs. We both love the look of floating stairs but given how much traditional character the house has, we ended up going for a more traditional design. But I’m sure we will add a modern twist somehow.

Lastly, structural issues in the basement that caused the floors on the main level to sag needed to be addressed before we can lay down a new subfloor and install new floors. To do this it seems that a few new beams will have to go in on the lower level - especially at the front of the house - to ensure the new floors won’t buckle a few years down the road. Installing these new beams will be also help us address the issues on unsupported over-spanned joists that we believe were caused by the removal of a load bearing wall in the basement by a previous owner.

Speaking of floors, I’ve been obsessed with mosaic and herringbone floors for years! Prior to buying a house, I told Adam that I hope whatever we ended up with needed new floors so I would have an built in excuse. During our viewings we saw a few Toronto Victorian's with mosaic and inlaid floors that only continued to fuel my obsession.


CURRENT FLOORING

Currently, the main floor has three different types of flooring going on, one of which does look original. However, it’s only a small section at the back and they aren’t in the greatest shape. If there was more of it and it was in better shape I may reconsider redoing the floors, but in our case this is one ‘out with the old in with the new’ sacrifice I’m willing to make. Traditionally herringbone floors were made of oak and these days you can get them in engineered oak in many different sizes and colours. Narrowing it down to a size was exceptionally hard given the size of the space. Too large and you don’t notice them, but too small and it’s all you notice. It needs to be balanced! In the end we went with a 90 mm natural oak herringbone colour which I am so excited about. It’s going to add warmth back into the space and match beautifully with what we have planned for the kitchen. I can’t wait!

HERRINGBONE FLOOR INSPO

I’ve shared a little bit about the kitchen appliances we ordered a few months back but when it comes to designing my dream kitchen you can bet it won’t be all white! In order to ensure flawless execution for this part of the project, I brought in the big guns, Domani Design Group. Not only does Domani distribute luxury European brands like Pedini but they also specialize in custom cabinetry for both kitchens and bathrooms as well as custom millwork! Just what I needed!

To us, the kitchen is truly the heart of the house and both Adam and I love to cook and entertain. With 10 foot ceilings and an open concept layout, I wanted the kitchen to feel airy but still anchoring, warm and full of natural light. Currently we have two big beautiful windows in our hallway that we plan to position the island between. For cabinetry we are keeping it simple, timeless, and classic but modern with a shaker style kitchen in a dark French navy to match our La Cornue range in the same colour with brass accents. The La Cornue range is going to be the centrepiece so I wanted cabinetry to compliment it, but not compete.

SHAKER STYLE KITCHEN INSPO

A warm porcelain countertop in a Calacatta with brown-gold warms up the space and plays on the natural oak herringbone floors. Floating shelves in a cool natural wood surround a simple and understated range hood which extends all the way to the ceiling to accentuate the height of the room. Bar seating will surround the kitchen island sink. I have even gone so far as to start to think how I will organize the kitchen and have submitted special millwork request to Oscar at Domani including a pull out spice rack and cabinet pull out drawers for my small appliances! I’m so excited!


KITCHEN STORAGE & ORGANIZATION IDEAS


I obviously don’t expect this renovation to go smoothly. I’m actually banking that it’s not so that I have some great stories to come back and share, but I am super excited for all that is to come. I’m also super excited to document and create my Youtube series around it so you guys can get a sense of the process too! If you aren’t following me already make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me on Instagram for updates on this phase 1 renovation and more design projects I have in mind!


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