ALL ABOUT TRADITION
Swansea 275 Riverside Dr. (Bloor Street West and South Kingsway) Asking price: $4.95 million Taxes: $12,748 (2016) Bedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 5 MLS# W3730266
Being relaxed after driving home from downtown is not a claim many people make. However the owner of this gracious Riverside Drive residence says he enjoys his short commute. He makes the drive along Lakeshore Boulevard by the lake, then beside the Humber River and arrives home “therapeutically destressed.”
This area was “deliberately developed to feel like a woodland,” with traditional homes set on winding streets, he says.
The grand five- bedroom, five- bathroom home is on a 75x124-foot property that has a welcoming winding flagstone pathway to the front door. Iron privacy gates open on to a circular driveway leading to a two-car attached garage. The landscaped hilltop property has a private backyard patio and overlooks a ravine. “A cottage is no longer necessary,” the owner says.
“Since 1985, the residence and grounds have undergone a meticulous museum-quality restoration and transformation,” he says. It features the “best of everything by very talented people….with attention to detail” by designers, artisans and craftsmen.
The goal was to create a home for their period American antique furniture. That’s why it’s historic and “in keeping with the craftsmanship of period furniture,” the owner says.
Many original features, including paneling and floors in the principal rooms, were retained. The 6,310- sq. ft. 1928 Georgina home has bay windows in the living and dining rooms. The living room has a fireplace flanked by windows and the spacious formal dining room has paneling and a plate rail. The family room, a great casual space for entertaining, has a fireplace, builtin bookshelves and a skylight.
The kitchen has white cabinets, an island, stainless steel appliances and a sunny eating alcove that’s ideal for casual family meals.
Listing agent Irene Delorraine of Forest Hill Real Estate thinks the most beautiful features of the home are its classic and tasteful marble bathrooms. Other highlights, she says, include a master suite that has a walk-in closet and a library with a fireplace and windows offering green views.
Two bedrooms and a loft are on the third floor. A formal games room that has a stone fireplace is on the lower level.