'It’s crazy when people hear it’s only an 11-foot wall-to-wall,’ says designer Cynthia Ferguson. ‘People just don’t believe it.’
When Cynthia got the call to design a compact Toronto condo in the city’s Little Italy neighborhood for a newlywed couple – one a principal dancer with the Canadian National Ballet and the other a choreographer – every decision needed to gracefully balance beauty with performance. Space planning, enveloping color, storage, and ergonomics were all essential to the house design, from cooking dinner to practicing grand pliés.
The couple’s hip, walkable neighborhood gives them nearly everything they need just beyond their front door, making the 750-square-foot home ideal despite its narrow footprint. Located within a historic former public cinema – later converted into 18 loft-style condos – the space captured their attention not only for its setting but for a dramatic architectural focal point: a soaring 22-foot window that spans both the main level and the bedroom above.
‘As soon as I walked in and saw the 22-foot window, I thought, how can we make it sing?’ Cynthia says. ‘How can we make it a masterpiece?’ As the only source of natural light in the condo, the window needed to support both privacy and rest alongside the couple’s demanding schedules.
Motorized, floor-to-ceiling custom drapery in McLaurin & Piercy’s Yucatan Stripe in Jet, paired with Kravet Basics sheers, now articulates the glass from top to bottom, emphasizing its height while keeping the home bright and open during the day and cocooned at night. Previously, curtains covered only the lower portion of the window, resulting in glare, limited privacy, and disrupted sleep in an open-plan layout where the bedroom overlooks the living areas below.
To imbue the home with spirit and impact, she approached each connected zone with saturated color and discreet, elegant storage. The transformation began underfoot: the flooring was swapped for a darker, wider plank that grounds the interiors, camouflages pet hair, and subtly elongates the narrow berth, while new carpeting lines the stairs to the loft and basement level.
The kitchen, which once felt out of place with its stark palette and builder-style fixtures, proved to be the project’s most complex challenge. Tucked behind the staircase and entirely without natural light, the original layout was as impractical as it was unsafe. The hob sat directly against the wall, leaving visible burn marks, and the cabinetry was ill-suited to one of the homeowners, who stands 6 feet 5. ‘He has limbs for days,’ Cynthia says. ‘He kept hitting his head at the sink and cabinets.’
The redesign was both corrective and expressive. ‘Part functional fix, part aesthetic fix,’ Cynthia says. A wash of warm ochre – Stuart Gold by Benjamin Moore, a color they were drawn to from the outset – covers the cabinetry, while bronze knobs, Caesarstone worktops, and a multi-arm ceiling light bring an optimistic air and even illumination.
The yellow-and-red kitchen features striped cement tile; its hand-painted quality softens the flat cabinetry fronts, as ‘a solid backsplash would’ve been a missed opportunity for whimsy,’ Cynthia says. It’s unexpected, a choice that wouldn’t necessarily work in a larger kitchen.
As with any small space, ‘every inch had to count,’ says the designer of the custom kitchen island on oversized castors. It’s a flexible anchor built slightly higher than standard counter height. ‘Dancers are about mobility, functionality, fluid movement,’ she explains. ‘A lot comes down to ergonomics. It was all part of the dialogue – what’s better for alignment.’ The designer also tucked coat storage and room for pet accessories into a single cabinet, ‘a mini mudroom within a built-in’.
The rest of the first-floor living spaces are equally inviting, with ‘warm British style that feels constantly cozy’. The paint color, Kennebunkport Green by Benjamin Moore – one of three shades the designer initially considered – was among the most impactful choices. With that much natural light, seasonality matters. ‘A paint color that feels amazing in the summer can, come January when it’s freezing, make you feel just as cold inside.’ This green paint strikes the right balance between sophistication and moodiness, pairing comfortably with patterned cushions and plenty of collected artworks the couple have acquired over the years.
In the dining area, a round table with hand-painted chairs works equally well for meals for two or for hosting friends and family. In a small space, flexibility comes first. ‘Nothing can have just one purpose, or it doesn’t deserve to take up square footage in a space that tiny,’ the designer adds.
Upstairs, the enveloping green extends into the lofted bedroom, where constraints once again demanded inventive solutions. With wardrobe doors that swing close to the bed, traditional bedside tables were impossible. Instead, a hanging light provides task lighting for reading without encroaching on circulation. Once again, function reigns when real estate is at a premium.
The ensuite bathroom underwent a dramatic transformation as well. The original space featured a confusing layout and poor-quality materials that had warped over time due to moisture – what Cynthia calls ‘a bizarre mix of split laminate and MDF’. By relocating the toilet and reworking the layout, she was able to introduce a proper vanity with generous mirror space and flattering lighting, an important upgrade for the two performers for whom skincare and visibility matter.
The room is finished with glimmering Centura tile. ‘The pinks are bonkers,’ Cynthia says. A large rain shower adds everyday indulgence, while a rich chocolate-hued paint replaces wallpaper as a cost-saving choice that is, as Cynthia puts it, ‘warm, elegant and luxurious’.
Now complete, the loft serves as a highly personal home base, supporting movement, rest, and creativity within a remarkably compact footprint.