Home of the Week: A king among Kensington condos
Penthouse space includes fire-engine red Scavolini kitchen
Home of the Week, 21 Nassau St.., UNIT 407, Toronto. Asking price: $659,000. Sold for $659,000. It was the 14.5-foot ceiling height that first captured Anne Creaser’s attention in this 1,300 sq. ft. penthouse condo in the Kensington Market Lofts. ‘There is just something about the volume of the space,’ she said. ‘When you walk in, every time, you get a spa-like feel of stress melting away.’
Since moving in, Ms. Creaser has made a series of renovations. The biggest change was to the kitchen - a custom Scavolini, fire-engine red cook space with a matching dining island. She also purchased high-end Miele appliances “I went with red because the appliances are steel. Steel is very cold and the red really sets it off.”
“Living right in a food market is a pretty extraordinary thing,” said Ms. Creaser. “Getting up in the morning and getting fresh eggs, fresh bacon for breakfast – that’s a real treat.”
The main bathroom is behind the kitchen and below the bedroom.
A wall of windows to the south and west means the space gets both the midday and late afternoon sunshine, even in the winter. ‘With some conversion buildings, they can be quite dark … and like tunnels – they’re long and narrow,’ said agent Paul Johnston. ‘People crave natural light and to be unobstructed on the top floor with west light, south light is as good as it gets.’
Stairs to the deck. The building on Nassau Street is in the heart of Kensington market but it’s set back enough from Spadina Avenue that the busy hum of the street is dampened. Ms. Creaser’s unit faces southwest, further reducing any intruding downtown noise.
The crown jewel of Unit 407 is the super-sized rooftop deck that is bathed in sunlight. As such, it was ideal for gardening and Ms. Creaser took advantage of that, using it to grow her own lettuce, tomatoes and herbs. The deck also has a water connection and a brand new Azek deck. ‘The rooftop really sets this unit apart from anything else in the building,’ said Mr. Johnston. ‘To have that kind of square footage with the ideal exposure in the heart of the market is ultra-rare’
Twenty-one Nassau was a school in the 1920s and then a campus of George Brown College. In 1999, the building and its back-door neighbour at 160 Baldwin St. were converted into lofts by Context Development Inc., the same group that did the Tip Top Tailor and Loretto Abbey conversions.