A builder's 600 sq ft Toronto condo with hotel-style calm
Custom home builder Matt rebuilt his grey downtown condo from the floors up, designing much of the furniture and lighting himself.
Matt builds high-end custom homes, and he treated his 600 sq ft downtown Toronto condo as a project. He starts with what he calls the shell: floors, walls, baseboards and cabinets. The unit was grey when he arrived. He replaced the flooring and redid the kitchen in warm rift-sawn ash with no visible handles.
Where he couldn't find something, his team made it. The solid maple dining table has curved brass legs. He designed a smaller version of an Italian pendant he loved but couldn't fit. A blue asymmetrical mirror in the entry started as his own sketch.
His favourite piece is a set of pivoting bedroom doors, inspired by the Aman hotel in New York. Each door has a cut steel panel, frosted acrylic and lights inside, so it glows. He took out a closet in the dining area for a hidden drinks station that lights up when the door opens.
The bathroom uses large travertine-look tile, Calacatta Gold marble and a curbless shower. In the living room, a friend's original 1972 Mario Bellini Le Bambole sofa sits on its own.
