From a single-room refresh in a Liberty Village condo to a full-floor renovation in Leaside, interior design done right turns a Toronto home into something that works harder, feels calmer, and reads as unmistakably yours.
Space planning · Finishes · Lighting · Millwork
Interior design is the only discipline we practise. Not a renovation contractor that added a design service, and not a furniture showroom that sketches mood boards.
Our days are spent on the parts of a project most people never see: measuring a room properly, mapping sightlines, resolving where a beam can land, choosing finishes that survive a Toronto winter of road salt and forced-air heat, and drawing millwork at a level a cabinetmaker can build from without guessing.
That focus matters because residential interior design in Toronto sits at the intersection of three things that rarely agree: what a homeowner wants, what the building physically allows, and what the rules permit. A downtown condo cannot relocate a kitchen wherever it pleases — the riser and the rated corridor wall decide that. A century home in Cabbagetown cannot swap its front windows on a whim. A basement suite cannot become habitable space until the ceiling clears the Building Code minimum. Years of hands-on work across the city has taught us to read those constraints early, design within them, and present you with options that are buildable, not just beautiful on paper.
We work across the full residential spectrum: kitchens and bathrooms, open-concept main floors, primary suites, basement conversions, condo interiors, and whole-home design. Whatever the scope, the method is the same — understand the household first, understand the building second, then design the space that serves both.
Every reason below is something we do on every project — not a credential to take on faith.
Specialization is the difference between a layout that looks fine in a rendering and one that actually functions when you are carrying groceries through it. Because design is our whole practice, the detail goes deeper — circulation, storage, lighting layers, material durability, and the small ergonomic decisions that make a kitchen or bathroom pleasant to use every day.
Drawings that ignore the Code get rejected at permit and rebuilt at your expense. We design with the relevant requirements in front of us from day one — ceiling-height minimums for habitable space, egress for basement bedrooms, fire separation between a suite and the main dwelling, and the natural-light and ventilation rules that decide whether a room is legally livable.
In Ontario, construction drawings submitted for most building permits must be prepared by a licensed architect, a professional engineer, or a designer who holds a Building Code Identification Number (BCIN) — the registration the province introduced in 2006 under Bill 124. We prepare permit-ready packages and coordinate the architect or engineer review that the Code requires when a project touches structure, fire separations, or building systems, so you are not left assembling a submission yourself.
A condo interior answers to two authorities, not one: the City for permits and your condominium corporation for board approval. We assemble the alteration package most boards demand — scope, drawings, schedule, contractor insurance and WSIB clearance — and submit it in parallel with the City review, because board timelines in Toronto commonly run several weeks and missing that window stalls everything.
Toronto homes swing from humid August to bone-dry, forced-air February. Engineered flooring that tolerates seasonal movement, finishes that shrug off road salt at the entry, sound-rated underlay where condo rules require it — material selection here is a technical decision, not only an aesthetic one, and we treat it that way.
After an on-site assessment we give you a written proposal with a defined scope and a clear fee structure, so you know what the design phase covers before any work begins. Every project is documented — drawings, finish schedules, and specifications you can keep — and that documentation is available to you on request at any stage.
Indicative ranges below are benchmarked against published 2026 Toronto-market pricing for design and design-led renovation work. They describe the market, not a quote: your price is the written proposal we prepare after seeing your space.
A structured on-site session and a measured plan that resolves layout, flow, and the big spatial decisions before any money goes into construction. Often the highest-value step in the whole project.
Indicative: Single-room consultations & decorating sessions, flat from $1,200–$5,000 by scope.
End-to-end design for a renovation or new layout: concept, space planning, 3D visualization, finish and material selection, lighting design, and coordination through construction. Frequently structured as a percentage of the construction or furnishing budget.
Indicative: ≈ 8%–15% of budget; per-sq-ft design fees commonly $8–$15.
Layout, cabinetry and millwork detailing, appliance planning, lighting, and finish selection — the most used and most demanding room in the house, planned around how you actually cook and gather.
Indicative: Design-led kitchen renovation $150–$250 per sq ft for built work.
Waterproofing-aware layouts, fixture and tile selection, lighting, and ventilation planning for bathrooms and primary suites, including tub-to-shower conversions where the building allows.
Indicative: Bathroom-focused renovation $150–$250 per sq ft finished.
Reworking how a main floor lives — sightlines, kitchen-to-living flow, lighting zones, and the structural questions that come with removing or opening a wall.
Indicative: Layout-changing remodels $150–$250+ per sq ft, rising with structure.
Design for finished basements and legal secondary suites, planned to the Code minimums for ceiling height, egress, fire separation, and natural light from the outset.
Indicative: Design-and-finish from ≈ $150 per sq ft, climbing with complexity.
Full interior design for condominium units, with the board-approval package and common-element constraints built into the plan from day one.
Indicative: 8%–15% of budget / $8–$15 per sq ft design; built cost shaped by building rules.
A coordinated design language across an entire home — palette, materials, lighting, and detailing that read as one considered whole rather than a series of separate rooms.
Indicative: Whole-home renovation roughly $250–$500 per sq ft built work.All figures are benchmarked against published 2026 Toronto-market pricing for interior design and design-led renovation. They are indicative only and are not an offer to contract.
Comprehensive design packages typically run about 8%–15% of the construction or furnishing budget, with per-square-foot design fees commonly in the $8–$15 range — concept through coordination, finishes, lighting and drawings included.
Several factors shift a project up or down within — or beyond — these ranges: the size and condition of the space; how much the layout changes; whether work touches structure, plumbing stacks, or electrical; the finish level and material selections; building access and condo logistics; and any structural work such as underpinning a basement to reach legal ceiling height. Your price is the written proposal we prepare after an on-site assessment — not the range on this page.
Unless your written proposal states otherwise, indicative ranges do not include: building permit fees (billed at cost); engineering or architect review where the Code requires it (at cost); 13% HST; condo board application or alteration fees; appliances, furniture, and décor unless specified; and costs arising from unforeseen conditions discovered once work is underway (for example, hidden moisture, knob-and-tube wiring, or structural surprises in older homes). Indicative pricing is a market benchmark to help you plan a budget; it is not an offer to contract.
Many older Toronto homes have a basement that is drywalled and used, but does not meet Code for living space. The Ontario Building Code requires a minimum ceiling height of about 2.1 m over most of a basement, reducible to roughly 1.95 m only under beams and ducts. We design to those minimums — and flag early whether underpinning or benching is needed before you commit a budget to finishes.
Owners often want to move a kitchen or open a wall, only to discover the riser, slab, or rated corridor wall says no. We map the common elements and fire-separation constraints first, then design a layout that achieves the goal within what the building — and your condo board — will actually approve.
In Toronto's Heritage Conservation Districts — Cabbagetown, North and South Rosedale, Forest Hill, the West Annex, Wychwood Park, Yorkville-Hazelton and others — exterior alterations visible from the street can require a Heritage Permit under the Ontario Heritage Act. We design interior work that respects those boundaries and flag anything that would need Heritage Planning review before it becomes a costly surprise.
Incomplete or non-compliant drawings are the single biggest cause of permit delay in Toronto, and an incomplete application can drop out of the express stream into a slower queue. We prepare complete, Code-compliant packages designed to clear review on the first submission.
Toronto's seasonal humidity swing and forced-air heat are hard on the wrong materials. Flooring that cups, grout that cracks, paint sheens that telegraph every wall flaw — we select finishes for how they behave in this climate and this housing stock, not only for how they photograph.
A space can be styled and still be exhausting to live in: not enough storage, poor lighting layers, awkward circulation. We start from how the household actually uses the room and design outward, so the result works at 7 a.m. on a Tuesday, not just in the final photo.
We talk through your goals, your space, your budget reality, and your timeline. When you reach out by phone or through the contact form, we aim to respond within one business day to set up the on-site assessment.
We visit the space, measure properly, and read the building — structure, services, sightlines, and any Code or condo constraints that will shape what is possible. This assessment is no cost and no obligation.
You receive a written proposal with a defined scope and a clear fee structure, typically within a few business days of the assessment. You know exactly what the design phase covers before committing.
We develop the layout, the spatial logic, and the early concept direction — resolving flow, storage, and lighting zones before locking finishes. You see options and we refine together.
Detailed drawings, millwork details, finish and material schedules, lighting plans, and permit-ready documentation where your project requires a permit. Condo board packages are assembled here in parallel.
We coordinate with your trades, answer the questions that come up once walls are open, and keep the build aligned with the design intent through to final styling. Inspection stages are planned into the schedule from the start.
We design residential interiors across the City of Toronto and the surrounding GTA. Neighbourhoods and communities we regularly work in include:
All of our work is within Ontario. If your neighbourhood is not listed, reach out — the list above is representative, not exhaustive.
The regulations, approvals, and local quirks that shape every interior project in this city.
In Ontario, the title "Interior Designer" is protected under a Title Act (Bill Pr6), administered by the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO). Separately, the Building Code Act requires that construction drawings submitted for most building permits be prepared by a licensed architect, a professional engineer, or a designer registered with a Building Code Identification Number (BCIN). The BCIN system was introduced province-wide in 2006 under Bill 124 and requires registration with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Knowing which credential your specific project requires is the first practical question of any Toronto renovation.
Cosmetic work — paint, wallpaper, like-for-like flooring and fixtures — generally does not require a City permit. A permit is typically required once work touches structure, fire separations, plumbing, or HVAC: removing or modifying a load-bearing wall, adding or relocating a bathroom or kitchen, finishing a basement with new walls, cutting new window or door openings, or creating a secondary suite. Plumbing and HVAC work are often reviewed as separate permits within the same application. As of February 2026, City of Toronto applications are submitted digitally and must use the updated "Application for a Permit to Construct or Demolish" form.
Whether a space counts as habitable hinges on ceiling height. Under Ontario Building Code Article 9.5.3.1, a basement generally needs about 2.1 m of clearance over most of its area, reducible to roughly 1.95 m only under beams and ducts. Older homes frequently fall short, which is why a basement "fine for storage" may need underpinning or benching before it can legally become a bedroom or suite — a structural cost that belongs in the budget from the start, not discovered mid-project.
Toronto has more than twenty active Heritage Conservation Districts, many overlapping the city's most sought-after residential areas: Cabbagetown, North and South Rosedale, Forest Hill, the West Annex, Wychwood Park, Yorkville-Hazelton, and parts of Leaside and Lawrence Park among them. For properties designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, exterior alterations visible from the street can require a Heritage Permit in addition to a building permit, reviewed by the City's Heritage Planning staff. Interior design work is generally less affected, but anything reaching the facade, windows, or street-facing elements should be checked early.
A condo interior answers to both the City and your condominium corporation. Board approval in Toronto commonly takes several weeks, and most corporations require a renovation package — scope, drawings, schedule, contractor liability insurance (often a $2,000,000 minimum), and a WSIB clearance certificate — before work begins. Buildings also control elevator bookings, quiet hours, corridor protection, and debris removal, and many require sound-rated underlay meeting a minimum Impact Isolation Class for hard flooring. Submitting the board package in parallel with the City permit is the difference between a smooth start and a stalled one.
Most renovation work in Toronto is subject to 13% HST, though a substantial renovation may qualify for a partial rebate through the Canada Revenue Agency — worth confirming with your accountant. Toronto's Private Tree Bylaw protects trees 30 cm or more in diameter, with significant fines for unauthorized removal, and ravine or waterfront properties may fall under Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) regulation. None of these touch most interior projects directly, but they shape the wider picture when a renovation reaches outdoors.
General attribution only — by neighbourhood and project type.
"They started with how we actually use the kitchen, not with a Pinterest board. The layout they gave us is the first one that ever made sense for a galley space this narrow."
"What sold us was that they flagged the ceiling-height issue in the basement on the first visit. Every other designer would have let us find out the expensive way."
"The board package was ready before we even asked. Our condo approval went through without a single round of revisions, which I'm told almost never happens."
"We have a designated heritage property and were terrified of doing the wrong thing. They knew exactly which changes needed review and which didn't."
"The written proposal meant no surprises. We knew the design scope and the fee before anything started, and they held to it."
"Drawings were detailed enough that our cabinetmaker didn't have a single question. That alone saved us weeks."
"Material choices that actually hold up. A year in, the floors still look new despite two kids and a winter of salt at the door."
For most residential projects, design fees are commonly benchmarked at around $8–$15 per square foot, or roughly 8%–15% of the construction or furnishing budget for full-service work. Smaller engagements such as single-room consultations are often a flat fee starting around $1,200–$5,000. These are indicative market figures — your price is the written proposal we prepare after an on-site assessment.
Cosmetic work like paint and like-for-like finishes generally does not. A permit is typically required once work touches structure, fire separations, plumbing, or HVAC — removing a load-bearing wall, adding a bathroom, finishing a basement with new walls, or creating a secondary suite. We tell you which category your project falls into at the assessment.
Construction drawings for most building permits must be prepared by a licensed architect, a professional engineer, or a designer registered with a Building Code Identification Number (BCIN). The BCIN system was introduced in 2006 under Bill 124. We prepare permit-ready packages and coordinate the architect or engineer review the Code requires for structural and systems work.
Under Ontario Building Code Article 9.5.3.1, a basement generally needs about 2.1 m of clearance over most of its area, reducible to roughly 1.95 m under beams and ducts. If your basement falls short, underpinning or benching may be required before it can become legal living space.
Yes — most interior changes are possible, but a condo answers to two authorities. You need your condominium corporation's board approval and, where the work touches structure, fire separation, plumbing, or HVAC, a City permit. Board approval in Toronto commonly takes several weeks, so we submit the board package in parallel with the City review.
In Toronto it commonly runs several weeks from submission to written approval, depending on how often the board meets and whether property management reviews the package first. We recommend not booking trades or ordering materials until written approval is in hand.
Interior work is usually less affected than exterior work. But for properties designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, alterations visible from the street can require a Heritage Permit reviewed by the City's Heritage Planning staff. We flag anything reaching the facade, windows, or street-facing elements early.
No. Indicative ranges exclude 13% HST, which applies to most renovation work in Toronto. A substantial renovation may qualify for a partial HST rebate through the Canada Revenue Agency — worth confirming with your accountant.
Typically: concept direction, space planning, 3D visualization, finish and material selection, lighting design, millwork and detail drawings, permit-ready documentation where required, and coordination with your trades through construction to final styling.
Where your project requires a permit, we prepare the permit-ready drawings and coordinate the submission end-to-end, including the architect or engineer review the Code calls for when work affects structure or building systems.
Design-led kitchen and bathroom renovations commonly fall in the $150–$250 per square foot range for the built work, with cosmetic refreshes lower and full reconfigurations higher. Smaller bathrooms can carry higher per-foot costs because they are labour-intensive. These are indicative market figures, not a quote.
Call us at (613) 324-9141 or send your project details through the contact form. We aim to respond within one business day to book an on-site assessment, which is no cost and no obligation.
We design across the City of Toronto and the surrounding GTA, including communities such as North York, Etobicoke, Scarborough, Mississauga, Markham, Richmond Hill, and Vaughan. All of our work is within Ontario.
Older Toronto homes can hide moisture, outdated wiring, or structural surprises behind finished walls. Our written proposal explains how unforeseen conditions are handled, so changes to scope and cost are documented rather than improvised.
Whether you are reworking a single room or designing a whole home, the best first step is a proper conversation about your space and what you want it to do. We will visit, measure, read the building, and come back to you with a written proposal — a defined scope and a clear fee, with no cost and no obligation for the assessment itself.
☎ (613) 324-9141We aim to respond within one business day, book your on-site assessment, and follow up with a written design proposal within a few business days of the visit.
On-site, no cost and no obligation. We measure, read the building, and identify the Code and condo constraints that shape what is possible.
Across the City of Toronto and the surrounding GTA — all within Ontario.
Planned around how you actually live.