A Condo Makeover With Savvy Storage Solutions

We are in downtown Toronto right in the middle of the heart of the city in my client's condo and it was in need of a refresh. The unit has always been a rental. My client was renting it for quite some time and then decided to buy it. She basically said to me the place is a disaster. I mean there were also huge storage issues. It's a small space but it's also really inspiring to see what you can accomplish in a space that's under 600 square feet. One of the first things we did was the kitchen but it was just not functional. There was a very strange portable movable island on casters that was just plopped in the middle of the room. Love this amazing Miami Vice curve. It looks great but it doesn't allow for a lot of storage and it sort of takes up a lot of space in the room and becomes a dumping ground as you can see. No island, I can dance. There is so much space in here. I feel like I mean it's not bigger because it's not like we knock down a wall but it feels so much bigger in here and this is all brand new storage for my client. Like she can put all her stuff in here and it's very well organized because I mean I've looked through her drawers. No I haven't. One of the decorative touches in here is installing the pendant above the sink. I mean we don't have any windows facing out to a luscious garden but again it sort of breaks up this wall of cabinetry. Otherwise I think even if we included a smaller cabinet in here it would have felt a little too overwhelming. I made sure to lay out and include a small L-shaped peninsula which gave her double I would say actually even triple the storage. It gave her a work surface plus it gave her a little space for her to be able to sit and have breakfast or lunch or even a spot for when she's entertaining friends or family. The living room is actually a very good size considering the size of the overall unit but the problems in this space were obviously storage organization and lighting. One of the things that I did after designing the kitchen was the built-ins on the TV wall but it gives my client ample storage for all of her books as well as some of her other accessories. One of the other key things that was incorporated into this built-in is the lighting as well the puck lights and oh let's not forget this awesome custom little niche that I designed so she can pull out these ottomans when she's got friends or family over. She can also use this ottoman as extra seating in the dining space and then when she's done with it she just sort of tucks it in to here and voila. The dining room mostly just received maybe I would say cosmetic changes. This is a full 48 inch diameter table. It sits for very comfortably. We added pot lights in the bulkhead which are essential. We added a little bit of drama and wow factor by painting out this wall a very very dark rich green. I originally wanted to paint it blue it was her idea to paint it green so it's like listen to your clients sometimes because they have good ideas. This beautiful mirror as well and then this credenza which she hides her work stuff in here printer paper files and then these cupboards as well hide away a lot of her linens and dinnerware. Including round tables in small spaces is great because it promotes a sense of flow and I think it works wonderfully in here particularly as there's that little bit of that bump out near the windows so even if she's got you know a large party or more people over she can slide that table easily into that nook and create even more space for her. The bedroom design started with tackling the custom wardrobes. They were builder closets and huge issues in the sense that there was literally no built-in storage. I'm not actually going to open this door because it won't fall off its hinges it's loose but this is the only closet space that my client has so super tiny. By customizing them I was able to give my client the storage that she desperately needed so this is all for long hanging in here all her dresses shirts blouses this in here is for all her folded items as well and then in here are pullout drawers and she's got all her jewelry in here. Oh storage so this bed is on hydraulics so she fits all her like winter crap it's all hidden in there so again like storage is key. And you can't forget the judge especially in a bedroom my client was totally game for wallpaper from the get-go. We went through a couple of different options I initially wanted to do something a little bit more bright and vibrant but I'm glad we both settled on this very dramatic option it grounds the space and provides a little bit more wow factor in this small little bedroom. And the bathroom oh my god okay okay so let's move into the bathroom this screams 15 years ago this kind of looks like a spaceship you really cannot fit a lot of stuff under that vanity it takes up a lot of space in the room and removing all of this tile in the shower as well giving my client a nicer and upgraded showerhead this one's seen better days it was fine back then but it doesn't give for a good showering experience. The bathroom received a complete overhaul including new vanity, brand new tile, tub, shower panel as well as a medicine cabinet. We gave her ample lighting, light in the shower, added an overhead pot light obviously in the ceiling and then these two beautiful sconces on either side of the medicine cabinet. Storage solution was saved by adding a new vanity as well now the bathroom is updated modern and organized and my client is able to just tuck away all her bathroom essentials behind closed doors. This has been a fantastic project to work on my client is amazing she was totally open to any and all ideas and it was really a collaborative effort. It's kind of shocking for me to refer back to the old pictures and videos because when you're working on a project and you're you know doing this for months and months and months you sort of forget what it looked like before the space is so calm and so serene but also full of her personality.