It wasn’t her forever home, but designer Laura Fremont gave her heart – for a time – to a fab rental in Toronto’s Corktown.
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TEXT BETHANY LYTTLE | PHOTOGRAPHY VALERIE WILCOX
How a designer gave her heart – for a time – to a Toronto rental.
“Even with all the white walls, it didn’t look like a rental,” says designer Laura Fremont, of her former two-floor apartment in a historic brick row house. “The finishes were modern and polished without competing with the original architecture,” she says. Other standout features included double-height ceilings, two outdoor spaces and a sleek glass stairwell.
That said, as with any rental, decisions had to be made about where to spend and where to save. She knew she and husband Simon Ioia would one day move to a bigger place – full disclosure: they already have, to accommodate the joyful arrival of daughter Paige – but Laura didn’t want the rental to feel like a hotel room, either. Instead, she made judicious choices to design for the present, but with an eye to the future.
First, Laura reviewed the dimensions. “It seemed unlikely we’d have towering ceilings and double outdoor spaces in our next home, so I cut costs on ceiling fixtures and outdoor furniture. And I went cheap and cheerful on the rugs,” she says. For feel-good items, Laura spent more. “My husband and I collect art and take it wherever we go, so we invested in some new pieces.” Two splurges enhanced the livability of the place: first, since she loves to read in bed, Laura opted for an upholstered headboard; second, she went with a custom sofa since that was where the couple relaxed at night. For colour, Laura introduced blue accessories with touches of pink, anchored with smoky greys and black. Where necessary, she improvised. “When I wanted more colour in the dining area, I poured some wine, hauled out the watercolours, and painted some artwork for the wall!” The end result shows that although renting isn’t necessarily a long-term commitment, if you put your heart into it, it’s not hard – or costly – to turn a rental into your home.