No Two Rooms are Alike Inside This Victorian Townhouse Reimagined as a Jewel Box – 'It Deserved More Detail and More Color'

There’s something quite rebellious about a house like this refusing to go beige. Tucked between Toronto’s Rosedale and Yorkville neighborhoods, this late-19th-century townhouse began life as a humble workers’ cottage before decades of modernization stripped much of its character away.

By the time TOM Design Collective's Tommy Smythe and Jenny Dames came to renovate the house design, many of its original details had long disappeared, modernized in the 1970s and ‘80s. 'The house deserved more detail and more color,' says Tommy – a philosophy that became the starting point for an entirely new chapter.

From lapis lazuli floor tiles and lacquered millwork to striped wallpaper, vintage finds, and statement stone, the interiors embrace what Tommy describes as a 'jewel box approach' – layered, intimate, glamorous, and entirely personal.

Working with a stylish, well-traveled homeowner who had lived in the property for more than a decade, the team undertook a down-to-the-studs renovation, extending the house at the rear and completely rethinking how it flowed day to day.

The kitchen was relocated to the center of the main floor, where, as Tommy puts it, 'the room that is always the heart of the home' could finally sit in its rightful place, while upstairs, a clever cantilevered addition expanded the primary suite without sacrificing natural light below.

But while the structural changes transformed the practicality of the home, the decoration is what gives it soul.

'The client came to me through a mutual friend who knew we were kindred spirits,' says Tommy. 'It's such a gift to embark on a renovation of this scale with a homeowner who has lived in the house for so long. She had really taken the time to be considerate of what worked well and of areas in need of rehabilitation or rethinking.'

Importantly, this was never about painstaking historical restoration. Instead, the aim was to restore a sense of richness and individuality to the home, creating rooms that feel collected rather than minimal.

'She sourced a few amazing jumping off points for us to build on – most memorably, the living room rug and the Christian Lacroix wall covering in the little front parlour,' Tommy continues. 'The entire process was collaborative, so the result is incredibly personal. This could only be her home, and I love that.'

In their first meeting with the homeowner, she described wanting the interiors to feel like a jewel box.

'The house isn’t enormous, but we felt it deserved more detail and more color. Jewel tones like sapphire blue, emerald green, amethyst, pale pink quartz, and garnet really helped to get us there,' says Tommy. 'Glamorous, but not fussy fabrics and furnishings were important so that comfort could also come with a sense of occasion and a special feeling.'

Rather than assigning every room a completely separate palette, however, Tommy explains how 'many of the rooms actually use the same handful of colors – it’s the different ratios and combinations that give each room a personality all its own.'

Like any good host, this townhouse knows how to make a good entrance. Stepping through the front door, guests are immediately greeted by shades of blue, beginning underfoot with small square lapis lazuli floor tiles – the very first purchase made for the project, and, as Tommy points out, 'they’re real'.

'Arrivals can be tricky. You want formal but friendly,' says Tommy.

Although much of the home’s original Victorian detailing had long since disappeared, the designers reintroduced custom millwork and paneling to give the compact entrance a sense of stature. 'We paneled, we painted, we tiled, and papered,' he says.

That sense of drama only deepens in the front parlour, where Christian Lacroix wallpaper became the room’s entire jumping-off point.

Rather than tempering the drama of the bold print, they leaned into it fully, pattern drenching the walls and window treatments for an immersive, cocooning effect.

'In order not to have such a small room overburdened by the strength of the paper, we put it everywhere, and had curtains made in the corresponding fabric,' he explains. 'The pattern is broken by the texture of the original brick – exposed by the renovation and painted black so as not to be too jarring a contrast with the paper. The room functions as a little starter cocktail space before heading out on the town or a moody place to read or sit and chat.'

'Next to the cocktail parlour is the bar,' Tommy explains of the layout. Tucked into a remarkably compact footprint, the space feels more like an intimate cocktail lounge than a typical home bar, thanks in large part to the designers’ theatrical approach.

'Rich magenta millwork adds drama and fun… which are pretty essential for any bar, whether at home or out on the town,' he adds.

The adjoining dining room presented a different kind of design challenge altogether. 'Placing the dining table in the centre of the room wasn’t going to be conducive to good traffic flow toward the kitchen, living room, and garden beyond, so we used a custom banquette to draw the table and chairs closer to the wall.'

'The light fixture is pure energy and is certainly one of the best vintage finds in the house, so it was given pride of place here,' he continues. 'The little antique cabinets on either side provide a soulful quality to the vibe.'

After the moodier atmosphere of the front rooms, stepping into the kitchen feels like a deep exhale.

'The kitchen lies in the centre of the house’s main level, so it needed to be a bridge of sorts between the front and back,' Tommy explains.

'A selection of pale neutrals was chosen for a ‘palette-cleansing’ effect, but a robust architectural ceiling with chunky plaster coffers ensures that this room feels very much a part of the rest of the home’s friendly formality.'

But while quieter in color, the room draws its richness from texture, proportion, and architectural detailing. Chunky plaster coffers add weight overhead, giving the space a sense of grandeur that ties it back to the home's more decorative rooms.

If there is one room that fully captures the project's layered, collected spirit, it is the living room.

Here, decades, styles, and materials overlap to create the kind of space that looks as though it has evolved naturally – and playfully – over time. The starting point, Tommy explains, was the extraordinary rug sourced by the homeowner early in the design process.

'The incredible rug, found by the client, had all of the colors used throughout the house arranged in a pattern that felt modern and also anchored in history, so this was a great starting point for the addition of two 1970’s vintage elements: a pendant light and coffee table, as well as a pair of chairs originally designed in the 1920s,' Tommy explains of the scheme.

'A pair of antique chests was the first important furniture purchase for the home,' he adds. 'Bold striped wallpaper from Farrow & Ball feels contemporary here but also lends an historic, grounding backdrop.'

Despite the variety of influences at play here, nothing competes for attention. Instead, each piece seems to highlight the character of the next.

'As far as the balance of antique, vintage, and contemporary elements goes, I honestly think it’s something that’s learned. Mastering the mix isn’t something anyone can just do without knowledge and study,' Tommy explains. 'There’s no shortcut.'

'Mixed interiors are the hardest to achieve. When successful, they’re everyone's favorite, but when they fail, there’s nothing worse. Most often, it’s a look best left in the hands of a seasoned pro,' he advises.

Upstairs, the atmosphere shifts into something softer and more serene.

The primary suite was designed as a true retreat – not simply a bedroom, but a series of connected spaces encompassing a sleeping area, walk-through dressing hall, and spa-like bathroom.

'A softer, more feminine vibe was needed here, so varied textures and a pale pink and cream scheme were employed,' Tommy explains.

In the bedroom itself, the palette might be gentler, but the space is far from saccharine. Paneled walls wrapped in blush tones bring softness and structure in equal measure, while striped drapery frames the large steel-framed window, filtering light across the room throughout the day.

'Overhead, we added a large but very shallow dome to anchor and highlight the Fortuny fixture,' he adds.

Connecting the bedroom to the bathroom is a corridor of closets with suede-wrapped doors and lacquered millwork to create a blush pink dressing room of dreams.

That sense of glamour continues into the primary bathroom, where everything is framed in softly aged brass, including a rather impressive shower enclosure.

'Stone varieties in onyx and marble combine to give a sense of luxury and layering,' Tommy describes of the bathroom design.

Along the hall, the home office demonstrates a thoughtful approach to practicality. While the homeowner frequently works from home, the room was never intended to feel corporate.

'We wanted it to feel like a proper room in a house rather than a utilitarian work environment,' says Tommy. 'Bookshelves, paneled walls, storage, and the addition of a large screen TV gave this room a sense of handsome comfort as well as dual purpose.'

'The 1970s overhead light is a nice link to the rest of the house with its eclectic mix and collection of vintage finds from many eras,' he adds.

Elsewhere upstairs, the secondary bathroom continues the townhouse’s jewel-box philosophy.

'Amethyst and emerald are a color combination that always works brilliantly,' says Tommy. 'Here, we used the combination in both natural stone as well as ceramic tile.'

Tommy recalls finding an antique mirror long after the room’s palette had already been finalized, only to discover it was crowned with a porcelain medallion in exactly the same amethyst hue. 'Imagine how thrilled we were,' he says of the unexpected find.

For a house filled with bold prints, jewel colors, vintage finds, and dramatic decorative moments, what’s perhaps most impressive is how cohesive it all feels. 'No two rooms are alike, yet each flows effortlessly into the next,' Tommy says of the project.

Much of that continuity comes from the designers’ careful use of repeated motifs and materials. Lamb’s tongue cornices appear again and again, while domed ceilings, paneling, grasscloth wallcoverings, and custom trim details subtly thread the rooms together.

'These links are especially important in smaller homes where there isn’t room for big departures,' he advises.

Another 'red thread' that gives this home its unique personality is the client's personal art collection. 'There are paintings, photographs, works on paper, sculpture, and mixed media. The art collection itself is as eclectic and varied as the furnishings and lighting, so it works brilliantly,' says Tommy.

For all its drama, there is still a warmth and ease running through the interiors that makes the home feel genuinely lived in. Every room reflects not only Tommy and his team's design approach, but also the personality, routines, and collections of the woman who has called the house home for more than a decade.

'I hope people see our client reflected in every grand gesture and big move, but also in the finer details,' he continues. That sense of individuality was always the ultimate goal. 'As a design firm, we always feel most successful when the completed home feels like home to the client, and I have it on good authority, this one does.'

'It was a joy to see her recognize herself in every inch of this house.'

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