Narrow Victorian Residence in Toronto Revitalized with a Practical Modern Makeover

Giving old homes a new lease of life means transforming both the interior of the house and the exterior a swell. At times, architects and homeowners want to leave the street façade untouched while it is the rear section that is drastically changed. Nestled in a busy neighborhood of Toronto, Canada, the Northcote Renovation by VFA Architecture is one in which the overall footprint of a narrow Victorian residence is unaltered even as the interior gets a whole new look. Instead of the traditional rear section, there is now a wood and glass wall that connects the kitchen, dining area and a reading room with the rear garden. This section also ushers in ample natural light.

Glass-widnows-and-doors-connect-the-interior-with-the-new-rear-yard-36574 — Glass windows and doors connect the interior with the new rear yard

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Wood-and-white-kitchen-of-the-Toronto-home-with-a-modern-traditional-style-27547-217x155

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Practicality was the key constraint that defined every aspect of the renovation as all unnecessary partitions were removed to create a new open plan living. Wooden walls, cabinets and storage units in the living area, kitchen and dining make the biggest impact in here as every nook and corner is completely utilized. Wood and white is the color scheme of choice on the lower level living area, kitchen and dining space and this continues in the more traditional bedrooms as well.

Classic-and-narrow-Victorian-House-in-Toronto-gets-a-lovely-modern-makeover-87394 — Classic and narrow Victorian House in Toronto gets a lovely modern makeover

Combination-of-closed-and-open-wooden-shelves-in-the-modern-kitchen-72473 — Combination of closed and open wooden shelves in the modern kitchen

Large-floor-to-ceiling-glass-wall-connects-the-new-interior-with-the-backyard-while-bringing-in-ample-natural-light-23102 — Large floor-to-ceiling glass wall connects the new interior with the backyard while bringing in ample natural light

Moving-away-internal-partitions-and-clearing-space-for-a-more-modern-interior-71105 — Moving away internal partitions and clearing space for a more modern interior

Revamped-floor-plan-of-the-Toronto-house-with-wooden-shelves-and-platform-59819 — Revamped floor plan of the Toronto house with wooden shelves and platform

Small-tea-station-in-the-kitchen-with-bookshelf-underneath-10779 — Small tea station in the kitchen with bookshelf underneath

We love the use of dark wooden cabinets and open shelves in the kitchen and bookshelves in the loving area and niches used for decoration also add to the overall woodsy charm. Custom lighting solutions and adaptive design solutions complete the sensible transformation.