Condos/Apartments
January 19, 2024
Jennifer Kominek Designs A Dreamy Pied-À-Terre In Toronto
Toronto may not be The City of Light, but where two of its shiniest neighborhoods cross, designer Jennifer Kominek created a Parisian style apartment that’s the stuff of dreams. The Milan, an understated glass tower located at the junction of Yorkville and Rosedale, is the perfect building for Jennifer’s clients, a professional couple who were downsizing from their former home in the east end. After purchasing the condo in 2022, they spotted a project by the designer with a cool, European vibe. Jennifer was soon brought on to turn their 1,300-square-foot, builder-basic box into a home with old world style. “The owners love to visit Paris, and they wanted their condo to feel like an escape,” says Jennifer. “The goal was to turn something typical into something spectacular.”
Jennifer immediately got to work, gutting most of the existing features of the two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit and reconfiguring the space to give it that je ne sais quoi. Next came the smaller details: petite antique rugs with a collected-over-time look, old world brass switches by Forbes & Lomax, and a painterly wall mural in the breakfast nook. Achieving that effortless look took effort, of course. Jennifer faced many challenges throughout the nine-month-long project. “We designed a lot of full-height millwork and a custom banquette for the breakfast nook. As we were planning with the millworker, there was always this hold your-breath moment of, will it fit in the elevator?” she says with a laugh. “Things were often just within a hair of making it.
”Now the breakfast nook is both the couple’s — and Jennifer’s — favorite room. It’s the perfect place to cuddle up with a café and croissant, and take in the city. Jennifer knew it needed something special, but convincing the homeowners took persistence. “They had hung some art, but I told them it needed mo re.” When the project was nearing its end, she called them on a Friday night to make her case, and sent an email with her vision. “On a photo of the breakfast nook, I superimposed this stunning Coordonné wallpaper with birds and branches,” she says. “It looked so beautiful, and they were finally convinced.” Now, it’s the focal point of the entire condo. C’est la vie!
Take a tour of this Parisian-style apartment below!
The Foyer
A wall of black cabinets in the foyer hides the laundry machines and makes the entry feel more dramatic.
The Sitting Room
“We added character details that would suggest the apartment has been here for 100 years,” she says. The grey porcelain tile floors were replaced with white oak herringbone, and plaster moldings, high baseboards and a marble fireplace were added.
The Living room
Floor-to-ceiling windows on two walls flood the living room with natural light.
The Office
The second bedroom became an elegant office with striking feature wallpaper and a glass-panelled wall to take advantage of the light and the view, and the second bathroom was transformed with panelling and a moody hue.
The Kitchen
Jennifer removed most of the uppers and added new cabinet fronts, a new vent hood and all new appliances.
The Breakfast Nook
Because the space is open, lighting decisions had to be strategic. Jennifer chose fixtures that would work together without competing with each other. “In the breakfast nook, I intentionally left the junction box where it was and swagged the fixture to be centred over the table,” she says. “To me, it’s more charming than having everything perfectly lined up. I aim for perfectly imperfect.” The wallpaper above the banquette was the last thing to go up. “The mural is so beautiful — it looks hand painted,” says Jennifer.
The Dining Room
The designer opened up the old office to create a dining room where the couple could entertain.
The Bedroom
The serene, all-white palette continues in the principal bedroom.
The Bathroom
A wall-to-wall double vanity maximizes space in the principal bathroom.
The Powder Room
In the second bathroom, Jennifer panelled the walls and concealed the tub behind a sliding wall, making the space feel more like a dramatic powder room.
Why The Homeowners Chose This Condo:
The Location: “The homeowners chose this spot because it’s convenient and close to everything,” says Jennifer.
The Size: “This condo has exactly what they need and nothing extra.”
The View: “Because the unit is more than 30 storeys up, you get a great view of the city. The vista was a big motivation for having a glass-panelled wall in the office.”
The Light: “Moving from a house to a condo is a big change. Suddenly, you have all this natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows.”
Kiely Ramos
House & Home
Jennifer Kominek