3 Toronto Kitchens Transformed From Mess Halls Into Cool Cucinas

It used to be easy. Not long ago, kitchens really only needed to function; form was an afterthought. Since then, though, they’ve become the liveliest part of people’s homes. They’re home offices, hubs for cocktail parties and even where families eat their meals – shocking, we know. And so, as they’ve become a bit of everything, so too has the need to elevate their style into something a little more amenable to spending plenty of time in. The three Toronto modern kitchens builds, each one a looker, certainly keeps that in mind. Read on to check them out.

That’s a Wrap

A kitchen upgrade by the Toronto architects at Urbanscape proves boxy can be done right: the fresh design has doubled the size and storage capacity of this modern kitchen’s original closed-off condition. Imagined as the new social centre of a corner condo unit, the kitchen effortlessly transitions into its surrounds by way of charcoal-toned MDF cabinetry topped with Laminam porcelain (from Stone Tile), produced by Modex Limited. Each surface and shape serves a unique purpose here, including the dramatic dropped ceilings that appear to float above; these house lighting and audio systems shared with the living room’s tailor-made entertainment unit. The cooking area’s distinguishing feature is a floor-to-ceiling swath of marble-look porcelain Laminam, the broad diagonal veining a soft contrast to all the square angles. And, to warm up the tonal space, the design team added hard-working white oak flooring, appliance-concealing cabinetry, a cascading cutting board and eye-catching open shelving. URBANSCAPEARCHITECT.COM

Heavy Metal Magic

For this 1920s classroom-turned-condo on Hazelton Avenue, Casey Design gets nostalgic with a makeover that recalls the luxury and grandeur of a turn-of-the-century Parisian apartment. If the jewel of the home is the kitchen, then the crowning glory is its opulent 4-metre-tall bronze and glass accordion door system fabricated by Demansou Construction, which combines geometric shapes and window-pane patterning. Fashionable and functional, the dividers offer privacy when needed and easily fold away along a concealed track, making for a gilded, architectural entrance to the elegant cooking space beyond. The bright white kitchen boasts high-gloss finishes and counters made of Cosentino’s Silestone, as well as Calacatta Oro marble from Ciot to bounce sunlight from two narrow windows upward and accentuate the relatively small space’s ceiling height. Honey tones give a soft and glamorous conclusion to the room, with a floating shelf system for everyday dishware in bronze and white oak, a floor to match, and a Waterworks faucet in brilliant brass from Ginger’s. CASEYDESIGNPLAN.COM

Cabinets of Curiosity

Accented by eye-catching sculptural surfaces, this open kitchen by StudioAC performs like a gallery – a perfect fit for the firm’s art-collecting clients. A shared centrepiece between the living and dining spaces, the 4.2-metre-long, Donald Judd–esque island is composed of four porcelain-clad cubes topped with a crisp white slab of Caesarstone, which is precisely cut to reveal a custom sink made of Laminam. Behind this, the grouping continues with a series of storage and service pillars dubbed “totems.” These march across the kitchen space as a soft divide between it and the front of the house, cloaking such integral gadgets as a fridge, oven and wine cooler with seamless flair. Including wall-to-wall cabinetry with routered grooves that appears to undulate across the length of the room, the expertly crafted millwork by local fabricators Cabinetlab stands in stately contrast to coordinated hardwood floors and ceilings. Polished off with a brush-finish Wolf cooktop and faucets from Australia-based Brodware, the kitchen is a work of art. ARCHCOLLAB.COM

Originally published in our 2020 Reno Issue as “From Mess Halls to Cool Cucinas”.