Toronto Condo and Real Estate Blog

Carolyn Ireland – Globe and Mail

Just a short walk from Kensington Market, on the edge of Toronto’s Little Italy, construction is about to begin on a new row of eight dwellings in the style of traditional mews houses.

The townhouses are not the first to carry the imprint of interior design firm Cecconi Simone Inc.

But they do mark the first time Elaine Cecconi and Anna Simone have taken a stake as developers as well as designers. The two have teamed with Brad Netkin of Netkin Architect to form Blurredge Group with an aim of bringing contemporary infill houses to Toronto’s urban pockets.

The three principals each have an equity stake and the backing of a silent investor in the project known as Lippincott Living.

Cecconi Simone has been creating interiors for more than 20 years. Since the mid-1990s, the firm has established a busy practice in designing loft conversions and condominiums. They’ve created model suites in countries as far away as Dubai.

Two years ago the Blurredge Group found the land at 56 Lippincott St. Plans were already in place for a row of eight townhouses but the partners quickly dismissed any idea of using that design.

“That would have been a disservice to the community,” says Ms. Cecconi.

Mr. Netkin came up with a design that fits precisely into the site. The houses are no more than 14 feet wide. They take advantage of the sunny aspect to the south and occlude a three-storey apartment building to the north. A common walkway runs along the mews gardens.

“Row housing is really the urban fabric of Toronto,” says Mr. Netkin.

The overall design is sensitive to the environment and the elements are cutting-edge, the designers say.

The mews give privacy to each terrace and also to the surrounding neighbours. A green wall runs along the length.

“It’s a more sensitive way to integrate into the neighbourhood,” says Ms. Cecconi.

The project is aimed at buyers who are very urban. They are uncommonly attuned to fashion, design and architecture.

“They’re super-sensitive to it – they’re very well read and well travelled,” says Ms. Simone.

One might wonder why such stylish people would buy a house that comes with a layout, finishes and range of colour palettes selected by the designers. If they choose, home buyers can even purchase furniture and decor items chosen for the units, right down to the cutlery on the (optional) custom-stained dining table.

The team says creative types can still express their individuality through their furnishings.

“You personalize it with your own sensibility,” says Ms. Simone.

Ms. Cecconi adds that people are often so focused on career, family and other passions that they want the ease of moving into a well designed environment without having to think about it.

“They just want to bring a toothbrush and their clothes,” she says.

The pair have found through their years of experience working with the buyers of condos and lofts that even the fashion-oriented want guidance.

“Sometimes they’re so busy that they just want to simplify their lives,” says Ms. Simone.

Mr. Netkin says the design, construction and ventilation of the houses will make building and energy consumption more efficient.

Solar shading devices take advantage of the southern exposure to keep heat in the building in the colder months. Precision panels are made in a plant, then erected on site. That modular way of building reduces waste and cuts down the construction time.

“Once the foundations are in, the building frame will be up within two weeks,” says Mr. Netkin.

The model, which has been built inside a showroom on the ground floor of the Cecconi Simone headquarters on Dundas Street West, allows prospective buyers to walk through a unit almost as they will be built.

Buyers typically have trouble looking at plans and imagining a finished house, say the designers.

“They haven’t developed that vocabulary because architecture and design is a vocabulary in itself,” says Ms. Cecconi.

For example, it’s hard for buyers to look at plans and perceive how the narrow houses on Lippincott will still feel generous in size because of the 10-foot high ceilings on the main floor. In the third-floor master bedroom, the roof cranks up so that the ceiling is 10 feet high at the window end.

“Heights become really important when spaces are smaller,” says Ms. Simone.

Construction is getting under way this summer with a move-in date slated for next spring.

Meanwhile, the developers continue to search for new properties. They say the economic recession has not slowed their plans. They think there is a strong demand for modern, infill houses that suit the individual character of neighbourhoods such as Little Italy, Little India and Little Portugal.

“There’s a critical shortage of new housing in downtown Toronto,” says Mr. Netkin. “We’re not here to do mass building. We’re here to create a niche.”

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information  -  416-388-1960

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Industrial graveyard now trendy loft central

By Derek Raymaker – Globe and Mail

It was thought to be beyond saving — a patch of industrial wasteland so grey and exhausted by a century-and-a-half of heavy industry that few could imagine anybody would want to live there by choice.

Up until the late 1980s, King Street West, between Crawford and Dufferin streets, was a mishmash of chemical, textile, food-processing and manufacturing sites; relics of the Victorian-era economy that had gone into a slow and grinding decline.

In their heyday, the industrial titans who owned and managed these companies built themselves mansions just to the west in Parkdale. After they were long gone, their noble brick domiciles were turned into rooming houses for the poor and drug-addicted. There were other thriving streets in the neighbourhood that embraced a rough-hewn working-class aesthetic, but many of those residents, too, would soon drift further west, toward Mimico and Etobicoke.

By the 1970s, most Torontonians didn’t want to go to the King West area, except to see a North American Soccer League game at rickety Lamport Stadium, or to visit the Canadian National Exhibition at summer’s end.

In a way, the real estate boom in the 1980s probably saved King West from permanent desolation. Artists, fashion designers, animators, filmmakers, musicians, photographers and members of the burgeoning computer arts found that the creaky industrial skeletons were cheap and had the space needed to satisfy their muse.

Much of the barren industrial area was rezoned for residential use in 1996. And then came the lofts.

It started with the 46-unit Massey Harris Lofts, a conversion of a factory office building completed in 2002 by Canderel-Stoneridge Equity Group. The success of the Massey Harris Lofts project spawned an upsurge in loft projects in the area, which notably includes the Toy Factory Lofts — Lanterra Developments’ 214-unit factory conversion on Liberty Street that the Greater Toronto Home Builders Association named the best high-rise community of 2005.

Along the way, the area has been rechristened Liberty Village, and has added several townhouse communities as low-rise components, especially on the western edge of the area adjacent to Parkdale. Closer to downtown, a commercial district anchored by a 24-hour Dominion supermarket is growing rapidly along Liberty Street.

As the revitalization of Liberty Village carries on, it continues to be fairly affordable by downtown standards, with many newly launched condos available for less than $200,000, and townhouses available for under $300,000. New developments are being launched regularly, though it appears that loft conversions have given way to new towers and townhouse tracts.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416-388-1960

Kimberley Court is an intimate community of 7 luxurious town homes and 1 single detached home in the heart of The Beach. The tree lined street of Kimberley Avenue will proudly welcome our community in one of Toronto’s most desirable streets. Minutes to the downtown core, Queen Street, Kew Beach and the boardwalk, Kimberley Court presents an ideal setting to relax and unwind yet only minutes from everything that matters.

The 7 town homes range in size from 1,850 1,975 square feet and the single detached home is 2,671 square feet. All homes are covered by Tarion Warranty Program and feature the best in modern finishes. Don’t miss your chance to be part of Atria’s newest neighbourhood. Life just got a whole lot greeener – Kimberley Court.

Atria Developments is an established builder in the Greater Toronto Area. Their past success include the i-Zone Lofts and the Garment Factory Lofts in Toronto’s Lower Eastside and Parkwood Residences in Oshawa.

Contact us today and book your appointment to get in before the general public. As real estate agents, we can get you in early, from 7pm-9pm on Thursday June 12th. We must accompany you to the sales office to take advantage of this special event.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416-388-1960

Broadview Villas brings a gorgeous enclave to the east end

The Danforth/Riverdale area is one of Toronto’s feature communities. Broadview and Danforth at the east side of the Bloor Viaduct – one of the city’s most spectacular bridges spanning across the Don Valley Parkway – is where it starts.

Often referred to as ‘Greek Town,’ this cosmopolitan community was named for the abundance of authentic Greek cuisine offered by many well-known restaurants that have grown to be Toronto establishments. But more than just Greek cuisine, there is a community feel to the neighbourhood, where the streets are shut down for festivals and many events bring people out in droves to celebrate and experience culture, including Taste of The Danforth, a wine garden, sidewalk sales and the music festival, Sound of The Danforth.

This community prides itself in maintaining vibrancy and neighbourliness. Delpark Homes found a prime piece of real estate just north of The Danforth on Broadview Avenue at Westwood Avenue and is bringing a stylish enclave of luxury villa townhomes to the community. Broadview Villas will be an ideal place to call home.

The area is rife with just about every amenity your urban lifestyle demands. There are plenty of businesses and services within the area, dining and entertainment options are seemingly endless, and this area provides a great location to cut out the commute and live in the city. The subway line is close by and public transit stops at the front door, 24 hours a day.

This part of downtown Toronto offers easy access to the city’s core, the financial district and The Beaches. It also offers great access to the Bayview Extension, the DVP and all of the major city arteries. The neighbourhood has an excellent variety of schools, recreational facilities and parks, ideal for young and growing families.

In a community that has so much to offer, Broadview Villas has been designed as the perfect complement. Offering only 12 luxury townhomes, these three-bedroom homes range from 1,544 to 2,460 sq. ft.

Well-planned designs maximize square footage, promoting both privacy for sleeping quarters and great spaces for family living and entertaining. Homes are finished with an impressive level of upgraded features and appointments. In the various designs, living space is spread over three or four levels plus a basement.

The basement level is either a single or double-car garage, as per plan. Basements also feature a garbage storage room, making it easy to keep trash at bay until trash day. A finished landing leads up to the main level. Staircases from the basement to the upper levels are all oak with oak railings and stringers.

The spacious main level has a street-level entry. This large, open-concept level is finished with oak strip flooring. It features a living and dining area with a gas fireplace set into a built-in entertainment centre. French doors leading to a Juliet balcony add romance to the room and allow sunlight to stream into the home.

Opening onto the kitchen, many designs include an island with breakfast bar to define the rooms, creating a great seating area. Kitchens are incredible. A stainless steel fridge, stove and dishwasher are set off by a gorgeous tumbled marble backsplash.

The second and third levels are for the bedrooms. A laundry room, complete with washer and dryer, is also incorporated on one of these floors in most layouts. Some designs have the master suite sprawling over an entire floor.

The master suite is a generously proportioned bedroom with either his’ and her’s walk-in closets or one massive walk-in. Either way, there’s plenty of room to accommodate a large wardrobe. The master suite also features a luxury ensuite, complete with a deep six-ft. soaker tub and separate glass-enclosed shower.

The stairs wind all the way up to the roof, where a surprisingly spacious roof-top terrace is the perfect place to entertain or relax and catch some rays. Surrounding parks, a view of the Don Valley and the cityscape beyond provide a gorgeous panorama. A gas line makes it easy to fire up the barbecue any time throughout the year.

A wonderful combination of luxury, convenience and value, it’s hard to resist the life at Broadview Villas, especially once you’ve taken in the view. Consider too, the impressive reputation of quality, craftsmanship and after-sales service that comes with every home Delpark builds, a well-earned reputation with over 30 years experience building in the GTA.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information