Studio GTA Real Estate Media
41 St. Andrews Gardens, Toronto
Asking Price: $4.898-million
Taxes: $19,100.58 (2020)
Lot Size: 40 feet by 138 feet
Agents: Carol Lome, Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Johnston & Daniel Division
The backstory
The formal living room has a fireplace, plaster crown mouldings and French doors opening to the front garden.Studio GTA Real Estate Media
Interior designer Kate Thornley-Hall was living in London with her husband and three children when the family decided to move back to Toronto in 2003.
Ms. Thornley-Hall was interested in finding an older home she could renovate. But then she saw 41 St. Andrews Gardens, which was listed for sale in a small Rosedale enclave.
She was drawn to the 1920s house for its kitchen and family room with French doors opening to the garden.
“It was beautifully renovated,” she says. “I saw this house, which had just been done, and I thought this would be a lot easier.”
Ms. Thornley-Hall had grown up around the corner, in her grandmother’s house, with exactly the same layout.
“It was just so familiar to me.”
The house today
The kitchen has an island, stainless steel appliances and cabinets painted in blue and white.Studio GTA Real Estate Media
The house has seven bedrooms and five bathrooms in 5,508 square feet of living space.
Guests arrive to a foyer with black-and-white marble flooring and a traditional staircase winding to the second floor. The second floor hallway is open to the levels above and below.
“It makes it feel elegant,” Ms. Thornley-Hall says.
The formal living room has a fireplace, plaster crown mouldings and French doors opening to the front garden.
Ms. Thornley-Hall says she picked up a few things for the home while she was still living in London. She purchased the Portland Stone fireplace surround in England, for example, and had it brought to Canada.
“I made myself the client.”
The formal dining room has original elements such as stained glass windows. The beamed ceiling and wood paneling are painted white.
At the rear of the home, there’s a family room with a fireplace, a casual eating area and stairs leading to the lower level.
The house has seven bedrooms and five bathrooms.Studio GTA Real Estate Media
The kitchen has an island, stainless steel appliances and cabinets painted in blue and white. There’s a built-in desk with shelves above.
Upstairs, the largest bedroom has a gas fireplace, a dressing area and French doors opening to a balcony. There’s an ensuite bathroom with wainscotting, a claw-foot tub and a glassed-in shower.
There are two other bedrooms, a bathroom and a laundry room on that floor. One bedroom, currently used as an office, has a Juliet balcony opening to the foyer.
The third floor has four additional bedrooms and a bathroom.
Downstairs, the lower level has a nanny’s suite with a separate entrance.
Ms. Thornley-Hall says her children found lots of friends their own age on the street as they were growing up.
“It’s an incredibly family-friendly road.”
There are parks nearby, along with connections to trails through the surrounding ravines.
The house sold last week.
The best feature
The backyard has a stone patio, mature gardens and a putting green.
There’s also a detached garage which is currently used as a workshop.
Studio GTA Real Estate Media
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Carolyn Ireland