What: A 1911 Methodist church, used by an Italian evangelical congregation since 2003
Where: Roncesvalles
Last winter, Kerr wanted to make a drastic change to her living situation—without leaving the neighbourhood she’d lived in for more than two decades. She scoured the market for architecturally idiosyncratic spaces. Kerr had always admired the old Methodist church across from her kids’ school, and she had watched as the building was gradually transformed into condos, several years before she ever considered living in it. She was drawn to the stonework and the otherworldly charm of the building, and she bought her 1,800-square-foot two-level unit on just her second day of apartment hunting. “I love the history and the mix of textures—the shiny ductwork, the hundred-year-old stone, the rough wooden beams,” she says. But Kerr’s favourite features are the giant cathedral windows, which make the place feel almost spiritual: “I love to wake up to light pouring in through the windows, making patterns on the floor.”
The master bedroom shows off the original fir beams of the roof and a leaded glass window restored by the developers. The window is nine feet high on a 15-foot wall. There’s an identical one in the living room.
The window is set asymmetrically in the room, so the stepped dresser balances out the wall.
The teal couch is from Barrymore on Caledonia. “Only when I set it all up did I realize that it perfectly matches the small trim of glass on the upper window frames,” says Kerr.
Almost all of the cabinetry in the house was custom-made for the unusual space. “There’s no storage in the building, so built-ins hold everything—extra food, towels, luggage, you name it,” says Kerr.
Kerr bought this mother-of-pearl chessboard in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. It was made by a local craftsman.
The brightly coloured cushions and the sofa were designed by interior decorator Trevor Kruse. As a gift, Kerr’s real estate agent gave her a two-hour consultation with Kruse, with whom she ended up working on the rest of the house.
The surfboard-shaped coffee table is by Oly Studio. Kruse found it at South Hill Home in Toronto.
You missed the Church off Roncesvalles – on Sunnyside. A favourite.
November 2, 2011 at 2:30 pm | by Jessicasorry! I stand corrected. Number 4!
November 2, 2011 at 2:31 pm | by Jessica#5
Victoria Lofts, formerly a Presbyterian Church on Annette in The Junction. Completed and people are moving in now.
November 3, 2011 at 6:21 am | by HeyRedLove, love, love #1.
November 3, 2011 at 6:31 pm | by Davediggeri love the abbey lofts on Sunnyside…I was so excited to see one of the million dollar penthouses a year ago when it hit the market.
November 13, 2011 at 11:11 am | by amy