Home tour: A 1940's church conversion to a multi-storey loft in Toronto

Nivek Remas’ blend of industrialism with Canada’s west coast rustic country house is a praiseworthy transformation

Built in 1941 as a functional religious centre for Slovak immigrants at the time, the Church of St Cyril and Methodius went on the market five decades later and was promptly purchased by two couples to split the sprawling dwelling into equal halves. One of them, the Myers, even transformed their half of the church into a modernist-inspired space with Toronto-based architect Richard Drdla.

Almost 20 years later, the 3,410 sq ft property was sold to the current homeowners—a couple with three children—who lived in the property for a few years and initially planned to sell the residence when they moved to Vancouver.

Above The Church of St Cyril and Methodius was a functional religious centre for Slovak immigrants in the 1940s

Above The terrace is part of the 970 sq ft outdoor compound

Above The front entrance with large, black-stained oak doors.

“Because of the uniqueness of the residence, they thought it would be beneficial to provide renderings and plans of future renovations to convince future buyers of the property’s potential,” recalls Samer Shaath and Kevin Chan of Nivek Remas, who were introduced to the project at the time. “The clients found the plans and renderings we conceptualised to be so compelling that they decided to keep the property and hire us to lead the renovation.”

The homeowners broke away from Nivek Remas’ original vision for the property: a loft conversion turned into high-end luxury contemporary residential. Instead, they visualised a relaxed, rustic nature getaway on Canada’s western coast, fused with the industrial works of renowned architect Tom Kundig, which the couples love.

“There’s probably only a handful of comparable hard loft church conversions in Toronto, the uniqueness and potential of the space drew us to the project,” Shaath and Chan remember. “Moreover, we liked the points of reference that the clients were gravitating towards and enjoyed the idea of conceptualising a cottage in the city.”

Bringing the A game

Above “Muskoka in the City” fused Tom Kundig's industrialism with Canada's west coast countryside rustic

For the couple’s pied-à-terre in the Queen West area of Downtown Toronto, Nivek Remas nicknamed it “Muskoka in the City,” after the popular lakeside district within Central Ontario, some two-hour drive north from Toronto.

The main focal points of the contemporary marriage between industrialism and rustic countryside cottage firstly included the double-storey wood A-frame structure across the ceiling that spans from the living room space into the primary suite on the second floor.

“That was a key component to the design and to achieve the cottage vibe,” the luxury interior designers elaborate. “We had to see how we could create [the wood beam structure] in a way that was not trite; it had to look original to the building and not ornamental. We went out to many fabricators and went through many rounds of sampling to get the beam construction and tone of wood to what we were looking for.”

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Above The five-storey black metal staircase is an industrial statement piece in the loft

Above The double-storey wood A-frame structure is the key component for a rustic cottage vibe

For the industrial aspect of the interior architectural language, the five-storey high black metal staircase takes centre stage upon entry through the large, black-stained oak doors.

“The previous stairwell was narrow and claustrophobic, so it was demolished, flipped, and a new staircase was inserted, with overhanging Juliet balconies looking onto the main 25-foot high living room space,” Shaath and Chan explain.

“The new staircase also better connects the basement all the way to the attic on the fourth floor, which previously was only accessible by a spiral stair from a bedroom on the third floor.”

If it ain’t broke

The living area with a wooden A-frame that lined the 25-foot high ceiling

Above The original cross doors and windows in the living area

Above Niches in the living area

Above The original pendants were relocated into the kitchen area

Nivek Remas strived to retain the existing design characteristics of the church as much as possible.

The cross doors and windows remained aligned on the main floor, while the niches on the ground and second floors discovered during the demolition phase were repurposed as shelving units to display the homeowners’ many art sculptures collection.

The Gothic-style light pendants were refinished and relocated to above the kitchen counter, just as the mural above the window in the primary suite was up-lit with the LED strip lighting from the beam work.

Level up

Depths in the kitchen area with black cabinetry and island counter

A mustard-toned dining area with oak timber cabinets

Niches in the dining area repurposed into shelving units

Photo 1 of 3 Depths in the kitchen area with black cabinetry and island counter

Photo 2 of 3 A mustard-toned dining area with oak timber cabinets

Photo 3 of 3 Niches in the dining area repurposed into shelving units

Across the five bedrooms and four bathrooms in the property, Nivek Remas kept a neutral palette of white walls, black metal and warm oak timber for the cottage-meets-Kundig design concept.

The knee-high windows in the kitchen and dining areas were replaced with metal-framed glass double doors, opening out to a private garden in the back terrace that is part of the 970 sq ft grounds outside, while similar industrial versions of the glass-paned doors were fitted into the bathrooms upstairs.

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Access into the primary bedroom from the walk-in closet

The primary bedroom exudes warmth and cosiness reminiscent of a country house

Direct pathway from the primary bathroom to the bedroom

Industrial rustic in the primary ensuite

Photo 1 of 5 The up-lit mural in the primary bedroom

Photo 2 of 5 Access into the primary bedroom from the walk-in closet

Photo 3 of 5 The primary bedroom exudes warmth and cosiness reminiscent of a country house

Photo 4 of 5 Direct pathway from the primary bathroom to the bedroom

Photo 5 of 5 Industrial rustic in the primary ensuite

Above The crawl-in media room with wall-to-wall sofa

Above The rooftop terrace with black metal siding and a fireplace coffee table

On the second floor, the primary suite was reworked completely with a walk-in closet fitted in the middle, connecting to the warm-toned bedroom on one side and the ashen-coloured ensuite on the other.

The children’s two bedrooms and ensuite on the third floor also lead to the rooftop terrace refinished with a sizable roof light and black metal siding. The cosy outdoor living area also features a suspended stone deck with gas line fittings for the large fireplace coffee table in the middle.

The previously inaccessible attic space on the topmost floor was reimagined as a study and workspace, and a quiet crawl-in media room with wall-to-wall sofa, where the family of five can cosy up for a movie night-in.

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Credits

Photography

Scott Norsworthy

Topics

industrialism loft country house rustic church Toronto Canada

Tatler Asia

Home tour: A 1940s church conversion to a multi-storey loft in Toronto

Bringing the A game

If it ain’t broke

Level up